How to Install GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint 22 and 21

Reviewing diffs, resolving merge conflicts, and opening pull requests is usually faster in a GUI than in a terminal full of Git flags. GitHub’s own Desktop builds target Windows and macOS, but the community-maintained shiftkey/desktop fork makes it practical to install GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint through a direct .deb package, an APT mirror, or Flathub.

Linux Mint 22.x and 21.x can use three install paths, and the main tradeoff is whether you want package-managed updates, the newest release asset, or Flatpak packaging. GitHub Desktop is the GUI client itself, so if you only need the Git command-line tools, install Git on Linux Mint instead.

Compare GitHub Desktop Installation Methods on Linux Mint

Each installation path trades off update ownership, source freshness, and system integration a little differently.

Method	Channel	Package State	Updates	Best For
Manual .deb	GitHub Releases	Newest release asset for Linux Mint amd64 systems	Manual download and checksum check	Latest available build, offline installers, or version pinning
APT Repository	Mwt community mirror	Repository package, currently behind the newest GitHub release asset	APT-managed updates	Most users who want normal package-manager maintenance
Flatpak	Flathub	Flathub app ref for x86_64 stable	Flatpak app and runtime updates	Users who prefer Flathub packaging across Linux desktops

Use the Mwt APT mirror if you want GitHub Desktop to update with the rest of Linux Mint. Use the direct .deb download when you need the newest release before the mirror catches up, or when you want to keep a verified local installer. Use Flatpak when you prefer Flathub’s app and runtime update model.

Shiftkey also publishes an AppImage on its releases page, but this Linux Mint workflow keeps the maintained paths to .deb packages, the Mwt APT mirror, and Flathub. GitHub’s supported operating systems list still covers Windows and macOS, not a GitHub-maintained Linux Desktop build.

Install GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint

Open a terminal from the applications menu, refresh your package lists, and then use the installation method that matches how you want to maintain the app.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

If your user account does not have sudo privileges, add a user to sudoers on Linux Mint before continuing.

Install GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint from a .deb Package

The manual .deb path works well when you want the newest release immediately, need an offline installer, or want to pin one package version. Linux Mint 22.x and 21.x are amd64 desktop releases, and the project keeps the matching .deb asset on GitHub Releases.

VERSION=$(curl -fsSL https://api.github.com/repos/shiftkey/desktop/releases/latest | awk -F'"' '/tag_name/ {sub(/^release-/,"",$4); print $4}')
ARCH=$(dpkg --print-architecture)
case "$ARCH" in
    amd64) ;;
    *) printf 'This Linux Mint install path expects amd64, but detected %s.\n' "$ARCH" >&2; false ;;
esac
asset="GitHubDesktop-linux-${ARCH}-${VERSION}.deb"
checksum_file="${asset}.sha256"
curl -fsSLo "$asset" "https://github.com/shiftkey/desktop/releases/download/release-${VERSION}/${asset}"
curl -fsSLo "$checksum_file" "https://github.com/shiftkey/desktop/releases/download/release-${VERSION}/${checksum_file}"
printf '%s  %s\n' "$(cat "$checksum_file")" "$asset" | sha256sum -c -

The first line asks GitHub’s API for the latest release tag and removes the release- prefix so the download command stays current. The architecture guard stops unsupported custom systems before a bad URL is downloaded. The two curl -fsSLo commands download the package and its hash file, then sha256sum -c - verifies the package by pairing that hash with the local filename. If you want a refresher on the download flags, see the curl command in Linux reference.

Keep the same terminal session and install the verified package with APT so Linux Mint resolves any missing dependencies automatically.

sudo apt install "./${asset}"

If APT reports dependency problems, repair them with:

sudo apt install -f

Verify the GitHub Desktop .deb Installation

Check the package database to confirm the install completed successfully.

dpkg -l github-desktop | grep -E '^ii'

ii  github-desktop 3.4.13-linux1 amd64        Simple collaboration from your desktop

Your version and architecture will reflect whatever release you downloaded, but the package should show the ii state when the install is complete.

Install GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint from the Mwt APT Repository

The community-maintained Mwt mirror integrates GitHub Desktop into Linux Mint’s normal APT workflow, so updates arrive with the rest of your system packages.

The official Shiftkey host at https://apt.packages.shiftkey.dev still presents a certificate for *.azureedge.net instead of apt.packages.shiftkey.dev, so HTTPS validation fails. Use the Mwt mirror method until that TLS issue is fixed upstream.

The APT repository publishes amd64 packages only, which matches supported Linux Mint desktop releases. If you are experimenting with a nonstandard ARM image, choose a package source built for that platform instead of this APT mirror.

Import the repository signing key and convert it to the binary format APT expects.

curl -fsSL https://mirror.mwt.me/shiftkey-desktop/gpgkey | sudo gpg --dearmor --yes -o /usr/share/keyrings/mwt-desktop.gpg

The Mwt key downloads as ASCII-armored text, so gpg --dearmor converts it into the binary format that APT reads from /usr/share/keyrings/. The --yes flag lets the command overwrite an existing keyring cleanly if you rerun it.

Add the repository in DEB822 format.

printf '%s\n' 'Types: deb' 'URIs: https://mirror.mwt.me/shiftkey-desktop/deb/' 'Suites: any' 'Components: main' 'Architectures: amd64' 'Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/mwt-desktop.gpg' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mwt-desktop.sources > /dev/null

The printf command writes each DEB822 line exactly as shown, and tee creates the file with root privileges because a plain > redirection would still run as your regular user. The any suite is the repository’s universal branch, so the same source file works on Linux Mint 22.x and 21.x.

Refresh APT, then install GitHub Desktop from the mirror.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install github-desktop

Relevant output includes a mirror fetch line like this. The leading repository number can differ on your system depending on how many APT sources are already configured.

Get:4 https://mirror.mwt.me/shiftkey-desktop/deb any InRelease [1,228 B]

Verify the GitHub Desktop APT Installation

Confirm the package came from the mirror and installed correctly.

apt-cache policy github-desktop

github-desktop:
  Installed: 3.4.12-linux1
  Candidate: 3.4.12-linux1
  Version table:
 *** 3.4.12-linux1 500
        500 https://mirror.mwt.me/shiftkey-desktop/deb any/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

The mirror can trail GitHub Releases and Flathub for a short time after a new upstream release lands, so seeing an older stable version here is normal.

Install GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint with Flatpak

Flatpak is already available on standard Linux Mint desktop installs with Flathub configured, so this path avoids adding an APT source. The application ID is io.github.shiftey.Desktop, which is the value you will use for installs, launches, updates, and removal.

Install GitHub Desktop from Flathub:

sudo flatpak install flathub io.github.shiftey.Desktop -y

Verify the GitHub Desktop Flatpak Installation

Check the installed Flatpak metadata and confirm the app ID, ref, branch, and runtime.

flatpak info io.github.shiftey.Desktop

ID: io.github.shiftey.Desktop
Ref: app/io.github.shiftey.Desktop/x86_64/stable
Arch: x86_64
Branch: stable
Runtime: org.freedesktop.Platform/x86_64/25.08

flatpak info also prints a descriptive line that can vary a little over time, but the ID, Ref, Branch, and Runtime lines should match the installed Flatpak.

Launch GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint

Once the package is installed, launch GitHub Desktop from the terminal or from Linux Mint’s applications menu.

Launch GitHub Desktop from the Terminal

For the APT or direct .deb installation, run:

github-desktop

For the Flatpak install, run:

flatpak run io.github.shiftey.Desktop

GitHub Desktop needs an active Linux Mint desktop session. If you try to launch it from a pure SSH shell with no display, you can run into missing $DISPLAY or X server errors instead of the app window.

Launch GitHub Desktop from the Applications Menu

Open the applications menu and search for GitHub Desktop. The launcher can appear under Programming or Development depending on the menu metadata.

Sign In to GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint

On first launch, GitHub Desktop opens a sign-in flow for GitHub.com or GitHub Enterprise Server. Choose the account type you use, finish the browser-based OAuth prompt, and the app will sync your repositories into the sidebar when authorization completes.

Manage GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint

Update GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint

The update path depends on how you installed GitHub Desktop in the first place.

Update GitHub Desktop through APT

If you used the Mwt mirror, GitHub Desktop updates with your regular package refresh.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

To update only GitHub Desktop without touching other packages, run:

sudo apt install --only-upgrade github-desktop

Update GitHub Desktop through Flatpak

Flatpak updates GitHub Desktop alongside your other Flatpak apps. Refresh the system-scope Flatpak packages on a stock Linux Mint desktop, or use update Flatpak apps on Linux Mint for the broader runtime-and-app refresh routine.

sudo flatpak update

Update a Manual GitHub Desktop .deb Install

For the direct download path, grab the newest .deb package and install it over the existing one.

VERSION=$(curl -fsSL https://api.github.com/repos/shiftkey/desktop/releases/latest | awk -F'"' '/tag_name/ {sub(/^release-/,"",$4); print $4}')
ARCH=$(dpkg --print-architecture)
case "$ARCH" in
    amd64) ;;
    *) printf 'This Linux Mint install path expects amd64, but detected %s.\n' "$ARCH" >&2; false ;;
esac
asset="GitHubDesktop-linux-${ARCH}-${VERSION}.deb"
checksum_file="${asset}.sha256"
curl -fsSLo "$asset" "https://github.com/shiftkey/desktop/releases/download/release-${VERSION}/${asset}"
curl -fsSLo "$checksum_file" "https://github.com/shiftkey/desktop/releases/download/release-${VERSION}/${checksum_file}"
printf '%s  %s\n' "$(cat "$checksum_file")" "$asset" | sha256sum -c -
sudo apt install "./${asset}"

Remove GitHub Desktop from Linux Mint

Choose the cleanup path that matches the installation method you used.

Remove the GitHub Desktop APT or .deb Package

Remove the package itself first.

sudo apt purge github-desktop

Review any now-unused dependencies before accepting the cleanup transaction.

sudo apt autoremove

Verify the package is gone.

apt-cache policy github-desktop

github-desktop:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 3.4.12-linux1
  Version table:
     3.4.12-linux1 500
        500 https://mirror.mwt.me/shiftkey-desktop/deb any/main amd64 Packages

If you installed the direct .deb package and never added an APT source, the candidate section can be empty. If you used either repository path, remove the source files and keyrings next.

sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mwt-desktop.sources /etc/apt/sources.list.d/shiftkey-packages.sources
sudo rm -f /usr/share/keyrings/mwt-desktop.gpg /usr/share/keyrings/shiftkey-packages.gpg
sudo apt update

Confirm the repository files and keys are gone.

ls /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ | grep -E 'shiftkey|mwt'
ls /usr/share/keyrings/ | grep -E 'shiftkey|mwt'

No output from either command means the source files and keyrings have been removed successfully.

Remove the GitHub Desktop Flatpak

Uninstall the Flatpak package and delete its per-user Flatpak data if that directory exists from earlier launches.

sudo flatpak uninstall --delete-data io.github.shiftey.Desktop

Then clean up any unused Flatpak runtimes.

sudo flatpak uninstall --unused

If the Flatpak build created a per-user directory under ~/.var/app/io.github.shiftey.Desktop/ after you launched it, the --delete-data flag removes that directory as part of the uninstall.

Confirm the system-scope Flatpak is gone.

flatpak list --system --app --columns=application | grep -Fx io.github.shiftey.Desktop || echo "NOT_INSTALLED"

The grep -Fx filter looks for the exact app ID and ignores partial matches. The NOT_INSTALLED line means the system-scope Flatpak package has been removed successfully.

Remove GitHub Desktop User Data on Linux Mint

The native package stores per-user preferences under ~/.config/GitHub Desktop. Remove that directory only if you want to clear saved local preferences.

This cleanup permanently deletes GitHub Desktop preferences from your home directory. Keep the folder if you want the app to remember your settings the next time you install it.

rm -rf ~/.config/GitHub\ Desktop

Troubleshoot GitHub Desktop on Linux Mint

These checks cover the package, Flatpak, and account issues most likely to interrupt a GitHub Desktop install on Linux Mint.

Fix Missing Dependencies After a GitHub Desktop .deb Install on Linux Mint

If APT stops during the .deb install because a library is missing, you can see an error like this:

dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of github-desktop:
 github-desktop depends on libsecret-1-0; however:
  Package libsecret-1-0 is not installed.

Let APT resolve the missing dependency set automatically.

sudo apt install -f

Then confirm the package reached the installed state.

dpkg -l github-desktop | grep -E '^ii'

ii  github-desktop 3.4.13-linux1 amd64        Simple collaboration from your desktop

Check GitHub Desktop Compatibility on Linux Mint

Current shiftkey release notes list GLIBC 2.28 as the minimum for the newest Linux builds. Linux Mint 22.x and 21.x both exceed that requirement, but this check is useful if you are troubleshooting an older custom image or copied binary.

ldd --version | head -1

ldd (Ubuntu GLIBC 2.39-0ubuntu8.7) 2.39

Linux Mint 21.x currently reports GLIBC 2.35, and Linux Mint 22.x reports GLIBC 2.39 in current point releases, so both supported series clear the current minimum.

Fix GitHub Desktop Authentication Issues on Linux Mint

If sign-in or commit attribution behaves oddly, first make sure you have installed Git on Linux Mint and configured your Git username and email.

git config --global --list | grep -E 'user.name|user.email'

If the command returns no lines or the values are wrong, set them explicitly.

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Verify the saved identity before you retry the GitHub Desktop sign-in flow.

git config --global --list | grep -E 'user.name|user.email'

user.name=Your Name
user.email=your.email@example.com

Fix GitHub Desktop Flathub Remote Errors on Linux Mint

If Flatpak says the flathub remote is missing, check the configured remotes first.

flatpak remotes

flathub system

If flathub does not appear, add it back and then retry the install. The --if-not-exists flag only creates the remote when it is missing.

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

sudo flatpak install flathub io.github.shiftey.Desktop -y

Fix GitHub Desktop APT Certificate Errors on Linux Mint

If you added the official Shiftkey APT source manually, the current failure is a TLS certificate mismatch rather than a package-name problem.

curl: (60) SSL: no alternative certificate subject name matches target host name 'apt.packages.shiftkey.dev'

Remove the broken source and key, then refresh APT before switching to the Mwt mirror method.

sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/shiftkey-packages.sources
sudo rm -f /usr/share/keyrings/shiftkey-packages.gpg
sudo apt update

Fix GitHub Desktop Package Detection Errors on Linux Mint

If APT still says it cannot locate github-desktop, first make sure the source file exists.

ls /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ | grep -E 'shiftkey|mwt'

mwt-desktop.sources

If no file appears, re-add the Mwt mirror and run sudo apt update again. Then confirm the package candidate is visible to APT.

apt-cache policy github-desktop

github-desktop:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 3.4.12-linux1
  Version table:
     3.4.12-linux1 500
        500 https://mirror.mwt.me/shiftkey-desktop/deb any/main amd64 Packages

Conclusion

GitHub Desktop is running on Linux Mint with an update path that matches how you chose to install it, whether that is APT, a direct .deb package, or Flatpak. If you want an editor beside it, consider installing VS Code on Linux Mint or installing VSCodium on Linux Mint next.