How to Install MusicBrainz Picard on Ubuntu Linux

MusicBrainz Picard helps you organize and clean up your music library by automatically identifying and tagging audio files using the extensive MusicBrainz database. Whether you need to fix missing metadata, find correct album art, or rename files based on track information, Picard handles it all through acoustic fingerprinting technology that identifies songs even without existing tags. By the end of this guide, you will have a fully functional MusicBrainz Picard installation ready to process your music collection.

Choose Your MusicBrainz Picard Installation Method

Ubuntu offers multiple installation options for MusicBrainz Picard. The table below compares each method to help you select the best approach for your needs.

Method	Channel	Version	Updates	Best For
MusicBrainz PPA	Launchpad PPA	Latest stable (2.13.x)	Automatic via APT	Most users who want the newest features with APT integration
Ubuntu Default Repos	Ubuntu Packages	Distribution stable	Automatic via APT	Users who prefer distro-tested packages without external PPAs
Flatpak	Flathub	Latest stable (2.13.x)	Manual via flatpak update	Users who prefer sandboxed applications

For most users, the PPA method is recommended because it provides the latest Picard release while integrating with your system’s package manager. In contrast, Ubuntu’s default repositories include an older version that may lack recent features and bug fixes.

This guide supports Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and 24.04 LTS installations. The MusicBrainz PPA provides packages for both supported LTS releases, while Flatpak remains compatible across all Ubuntu versions. Commands shown work identically on both supported LTS releases.

Method 1: Install MusicBrainz Picard via PPA

Update Ubuntu System Packages

First, update your system to ensure all existing packages are current. This step reduces the risk of dependency conflicts during the installation process.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Install Prerequisites for PPA Management

Next, install the software-properties-common package, which provides the add-apt-repository command needed to add the MusicBrainz PPA:

sudo apt install software-properties-common -y

Add the MusicBrainz Developers PPA

The MusicBrainz Developers PPA provides the latest version of Picard, which is typically newer than Ubuntu’s default repositories. As a result, you can choose between the stable PPA (recommended) or the daily build PPA for bleeding-edge features.

To add the stable build PPA, run the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:musicbrainz-developers/stable -y

Alternatively, if you want the daily build with the newest features (may contain bugs), use this command instead:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:musicbrainz-developers/daily -y

You can only have one PPA version active at a time. If you want to switch from stable to daily (or vice versa), first remove MusicBrainz Picard and the current PPA, then add the desired PPA and reinstall.

Install MusicBrainz Picard via APT

With the PPA added, install MusicBrainz Picard using APT. The -y flag automatically confirms the installation prompt:

sudo apt install picard -y

Verify the PPA Installation

Once the installation completes, verify that MusicBrainz Picard is installed correctly by checking its version:

picard --version

Expected output:

MusicBrainz Picard 2.13.3

This version number confirms that Picard is installed from the PPA and ready to use.

Method 2: Install MusicBrainz Picard via Flatpak

Flatpak provides an alternative installation method that runs applications in an isolated sandbox environment. As a result, this approach ensures you always have the latest version regardless of your Ubuntu release, and keeps the application separate from your system packages.

Flatpak is not pre-installed on Ubuntu. If you have not set it up yet, install it with sudo apt install flatpak and restart your session before continuing. For detailed setup including the Flathub repository, follow our Flatpak installation guide for Ubuntu.

Enable the Flathub Repository

First, ensure the Flathub repository is enabled on your system. Flathub serves as the primary source for Flatpak applications and hosts the official MusicBrainz Picard package:

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

In addition, the --if-not-exists flag prevents errors if Flathub is already configured on your system.

Install MusicBrainz Picard via Flatpak

With Flathub enabled, install MusicBrainz Picard using the following command:

sudo flatpak install flathub org.musicbrainz.Picard -y

Verify the Flatpak Installation

After the installation completes, confirm it succeeded by checking the installed Flatpak applications:

flatpak list | grep -i picard

Expected output:

MusicBrainz Picard   org.musicbrainz.Picard   2.13.3   stable   system

This output confirms that MusicBrainz Picard is installed as a system-wide Flatpak application and ready to use.

Launch MusicBrainz Picard

After installation, you can launch MusicBrainz Picard using either the terminal or your desktop’s application menu.

Launch from Terminal

For APT installations, simply launch Picard with this command:

picard

However, for Flatpak installations, use the Flatpak run command instead:

flatpak run org.musicbrainz.Picard

Launch from Applications Menu

Alternatively, if you prefer a graphical approach, follow these steps:

1. Click on Activities at the top left of your screen.
2. Click on Show Applications at the bottom left of your screen.
3. Search for MusicBrainz Picard and click the icon to launch.

Manage MusicBrainz Picard

Update MusicBrainz Picard

If you installed MusicBrainz Picard via the PPA, updates arrive automatically with your system packages. To manually check for updates, run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Alternatively, for Flatpak installations, update all your Flatpak applications with:

flatpak update

Remove MusicBrainz Picard

If you no longer need MusicBrainz Picard on your system, follow the removal steps below based on your installation method.

Remove APT Installation

First, remove the Picard package and its dependencies:

sudo apt remove picard -y
sudo apt autoremove -y

Subsequently, the autoremove command cleans up any orphaned dependencies that were installed with Picard but are no longer needed.

Additionally, if you no longer need the MusicBrainz PPA, remove it as well:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:musicbrainz-developers/stable -y

Similarly, for the daily build PPA, use:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:musicbrainz-developers/daily -y

Remove Flatpak Installation

To uninstall the Flatpak version of MusicBrainz Picard, run:

sudo flatpak uninstall org.musicbrainz.Picard -y

Furthermore, you can optionally remove unused Flatpak runtimes to free up disk space:

flatpak uninstall --unused

Flatpak stores application data in ~/.var/app/org.musicbrainz.Picard/. If you want to completely remove all Picard settings and cache, delete this directory after uninstalling.

Troubleshooting MusicBrainz Picard

PPA Package Not Found

If you receive a “package not found” error after adding the PPA, the package cache may not have refreshed properly. To resolve this, run the following commands:

sudo apt update
apt-cache policy picard

You should see expected output showing the PPA version:

picard:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 2.13.3-0~ppa26~ubuntu24.04.1
  Version table:
     2.13.3-0~ppa26~ubuntu24.04.1 500
        500 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/musicbrainz-developers/stable/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages

However, if the PPA version does not appear, verify the PPA was added correctly by checking your sources:

grep -r "musicbrainz" /etc/apt/sources.list.d/

Picard Fails to Launch in SSH or Headless Sessions

MusicBrainz Picard is a graphical application and therefore requires a display server. If you see an error like cannot open display when launching via SSH, you need to enable X11 forwarding:

ssh -X user@hostname

After connecting with X11 forwarding, try launching Picard again. However, note that performance may be slower over a network connection.

Closing Thoughts

You now have MusicBrainz Picard installed on Ubuntu and ready to organize your music library. The application’s acoustic fingerprinting technology can identify tracks even without existing metadata, while the MusicBrainz database provides accurate album art and track information. For advanced customization, explore the official Picard documentation to learn about scripting, plugins, and file naming conventions.