How to Install Neovim on Ubuntu (26.04, 24.04, 22.04)

LazyVim, Mason, and newer Treesitter setups hit version walls fast on old Neovim builds. To install Neovim on Ubuntu without landing on the wrong package track, match the source to your release and decide whether you want Ubuntu’s package, the latest stable build, or nightly snapshots.

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS already ships Neovim 0.11.x in the default repositories. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ships 0.9.x and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS ships 0.6.x, so if you need Neovim 0.11 or newer on those releases, skip the default package and move straight to Flatpak, AppImage, the upstream tarball, or the Neovim unstable PPA.

Install Neovim on Ubuntu

Start with Ubuntu’s own package if you want the simplest install. The later sections cover newer stable builds and nightly packages when your plugins or workflow need more than the archive version.

Update Ubuntu before installing Neovim

Refresh Ubuntu’s APT package metadata first so the package manager sees the current Neovim candidate for your release:

sudo apt update

Hit:1 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute InRelease
Hit:2 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute-updates InRelease
Hit:3 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute-backports InRelease
Hit:4 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute-security InRelease
Reading package lists... Done

This guide uses sudo for commands that change system packages. If your account does not have sudo access yet, follow our guide on adding a user to sudoers on Ubuntu, then return here.

This refresh updates the package lists before you compare or install Neovim.

Install Neovim from the Ubuntu repository

Use the default Ubuntu package when you want the least maintenance, or when you are on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and the archive version already meets your plugin requirements.

sudo apt install neovim

Verify the installed version after APT finishes:

nvim --version | head -n 1

NVIM v0.11.6

On Ubuntu 24.04, the same check returns NVIM v0.9.5, and on Ubuntu 22.04 it returns NVIM v0.6.1. That gap is why LazyVim and newer Treesitter-heavy setups often need another package source on those releases.

Install Neovim nightly from the unstable PPA

Use the Neovim team unstable Personal Package Archive (PPA) when you want Launchpad packages for nightly development snapshots instead of the current stable release.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:neovim-ppa/unstable -y
sudo apt update
sudo apt install neovim

Confirm that APT selected the unstable PPA package and not the Ubuntu archive build:

apt-cache policy neovim | sed -n '1,7p'
nvim --version | head -n 1

neovim:
  Installed: 0.12.0~ubuntu1+git202601110810-d62bbe24cb-793e58f65d-e9f8804254~ubuntu26.04.1
  Candidate: 0.12.0~ubuntu1+git202601110810-d62bbe24cb-793e58f65d-e9f8804254~ubuntu26.04.1
  Version table:
 *** 0.12.0~ubuntu1+git202601110810-d62bbe24cb-793e58f65d-e9f8804254~ubuntu26.04.1 500
        500 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/neovim-ppa/unstable/ubuntu resolute/main amd64 Packages
NVIM v0.12.0-dev

The unstable PPA currently publishes packages for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, and 22.04 LTS. The older stable PPA is no longer a good path to Neovim 0.11 on supported Ubuntu releases: it upgrades Ubuntu 22.04 only to 0.7.2, leaves Ubuntu 24.04 on the archive package, and fails on Ubuntu 26.04 because it has no resolute Release file.

Check the default Neovim version on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04

If you are trying to figure out what APT installs on Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04, this is the part that matters. Ubuntu 26.04 is the only supported LTS release whose default archive already lands on Neovim 0.11.x.

Ubuntu release	Default Neovim	Best for	When to switch methods
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS	0.11.x	Low-maintenance installs with current stable features	Switch only if you want nightly 0.12 development builds
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS	0.9.x	Conservative setups that do not need newer APIs	Switch if your plugins require Neovim 0.11 or newer
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS	0.6.x	Legacy hosts where stability matters more than plugin support	Switch for modern LSP, Treesitter, and plugin compatibility

Compare Neovim installation methods on Ubuntu

This table keeps the choice simple. Pick the version track first, then use the method that matches how much maintenance you want later.

Method	Channel	Version track	Updates	Best for
Ubuntu repository	Ubuntu archive	Distribution default	With normal APT system updates	Ubuntu 26.04 or readers who want the simplest supported package
Unstable PPA	Launchpad nightly PPA	Nightly development build	With APT system updates	Testing Neovim 0.12-dev on any supported Ubuntu LTS release
Snap	Snap stable	Latest stable, sometimes one point release behind upstream	Automatic background refreshes	Hands-off updates with rollback support
Flatpak	Flathub stable	Latest stable	With flatpak update or your desktop software manager	Stable 0.11.x on Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 without using nightly packages
AppImage	GitHub releases	Latest stable upstream release	Manual download	Portable installs that do not touch APT, Snap, or Flatpak sources
Tarball	GitHub releases	Latest stable upstream release	Manual download	Readers who want a normal directory install under /opt with a standard nvim symlink
Source build	Git tags or commits you choose	Current stable tag or any commit you build	Manual rebuilds	Contributors, patch testers, or anyone who needs exact build control

Recommendation: Use the Ubuntu repository on 26.04, Flatpak, AppImage, or the tarball on 24.04 and 22.04 when you want stable Neovim 0.11.x, the unstable PPA only when you actually want nightly 0.12.0-dev packages, and source builds only when you have a real reason to compile Neovim yourself.

These methods cover Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, and 22.04 LTS.

Flatpak, Snap, AppImage, tarball, and source builds stay available across all three releases, while the unstable PPA depends on Launchpad builds for each Ubuntu LTS series.

Install Latest Stable Neovim on Ubuntu with Snap

Snap is the easiest recent-build option if you want automatic updates and classic access to your normal home directory and system paths.

Standard Ubuntu installs already include Snap. If snap is missing on a customized system, install it with sudo apt install snapd before continuing.

sudo snap install nvim --classic

Check the installed Snap channel and version:

snap list nvim

Name  Version  Rev   Tracking       Publisher    Notes
nvim  v0.11.5  4611  latest/stable  neovim-snap  classic

The stable Snap currently trails upstream stable by one point release. Use Flatpak or AppImage instead if landing on the newest stable Neovim build matters more than automatic updates.

Install Latest Stable Neovim on Ubuntu with Flatpak

Flatpak gives you the latest stable Neovim build across all supported Ubuntu LTS releases, but the first install is much larger because it pulls a runtime as well as the editor itself.

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 the full setup, including Flathub on Ubuntu, follow our Flatpak installation guide for Ubuntu.

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists --system flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
sudo flatpak install --system -y flathub io.neovim.nvim

Verify the installed Flatpak package and version:

flatpak info --system io.neovim.nvim | sed -n '1,8p'

Neovim - Vim-fork focused on extensibility and usability

          ID: io.neovim.nvim
         Ref: app/io.neovim.nvim/x86_64/stable
        Arch: x86_64
      Branch: stable
     Version: 0.11.6
     License: Apache-2.0

Use flatpak run io.neovim.nvim whenever you want to start the Flatpak build from a terminal.

Install Portable Neovim on Ubuntu with AppImage

The AppImage build is the cleanest no-root option. It runs the current stable Neovim release without touching APT, Snap, or Flatpak.

Most Ubuntu desktop installs already have curl, but minimal images and older custom VMs may not. If the command is missing, install it first with sudo apt install curl.

Download the x86_64 AppImage into a user-owned applications directory:

mkdir -p ~/Applications
cd ~/Applications
curl -fLO --progress-bar https://github.com/neovim/neovim/releases/latest/download/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage
chmod u+x nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage
ls -lh nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage

The -L flag follows GitHub redirects and -O saves the upstream filename. Use the capital letter O, not zero. If you want a quick refresher on those flags, our curl command guide covers the common download patterns.

######################################################################## 100.0%
-rwxrw-r-- 1 linuxcapable linuxcapable 11M Feb 28 19:12 nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage

Check that the AppImage actually starts before you rely on it:

~/Applications/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage --version | head -n 2

NVIM v0.11.6
Build type: Release

The commands above use the x86_64 AppImage. On ARM64 systems, download nvim-linux-arm64.appimage from the same Neovim releases page instead.

Run ~/Applications/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage whenever you want to start this portable build, or add the shorter command below once you know the file works.

Create a Shorter nvim Command for the AppImage on Ubuntu

If you want the AppImage to behave more like a normal local install, add a user-owned symlink in ~/.local/bin first:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
ln -sf ~/Applications/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage ~/.local/bin/nvim
readlink -f ~/.local/bin/nvim

/home/linuxcapable/Applications/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage

That confirms the symlink itself is correct, but it does not guarantee your shell will use it first. Many Ubuntu desktop sessions include ~/.local/bin in PATH, while SSH sessions often do not, and any existing /snap/bin/nvim or /usr/local/bin/nvim can still win before it. If you want the AppImage to back the plain nvim command, use the troubleshooting section below to check path order and conflicting installs.

Install Latest Stable Neovim on Ubuntu from a Tarball

The tarball method sits between AppImage and a source build. You get the current upstream stable release laid out like a normal directory tree, without adding a new package source or compiling anything.

The commands below use the x86_64 tarball. On ARM64 systems, replace it with nvim-linux-arm64.tar.gz from the same Neovim releases page.

cd /tmp
curl -fLO --progress-bar https://github.com/neovim/neovim/releases/latest/download/nvim-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
sudo rm -rf /opt/nvim-linux-x86_64
sudo tar -C /opt -xzf nvim-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
sudo ln -sf /opt/nvim-linux-x86_64/bin/nvim /usr/local/bin/nvim

The final command creates a normal nvim entry in /usr/local/bin, so you do not need to edit your shell profile just to launch the tarball build.

nvim --version | head -n 2

NVIM v0.11.6
Build type: Release

If you would rather skip the symlink, launch the tarball build directly with /opt/nvim-linux-x86_64/bin/nvim.

Build Neovim from Source on Ubuntu

Build from source only when you actually need build-level control, want to test a branch directly, or plan to contribute patches. If you just want a current stable Neovim release, the tarball or AppImage is less work and less maintenance.

Install Neovim Build Dependencies on Ubuntu

Neovim uses a normal CMake and Ninja-based build. Install the required development packages first. If you need a refresher on the toolchain, our guides on installing CMake on Ubuntu and installing Git on Ubuntu cover those separately.

sudo apt install ninja-build gettext cmake unzip curl build-essential git -y

Clone and Build Neovim Stable on Ubuntu

Keep the source tree in ~/src/neovim so later rebuilds are obvious. Neovim exposes a stable tag for the current stable release, so this path builds stable code at the time you run it instead of the moving development tree.

mkdir -p ~/src
git clone https://github.com/neovim/neovim.git ~/src/neovim
cd ~/src/neovim
git checkout stable
make CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
sudo make install

The default install path is /usr/local, which means the binary lands in /usr/local/bin/nvim and the runtime files land under /usr/local/share/nvim.

nvim --version | head -n 4

NVIM v0.11.6
Build type: Release
LuaJIT 2.1.1741730670
Run "nvim -V1 -v" for more info

Create a Source Update Script for Neovim on Ubuntu

Source builds need an update path or they become a mess six months later. Save this script as ~/src/neovim/update-neovim.sh so you can fetch the latest stable tag and rebuild with one command.

cat <<'EOF' > ~/src/neovim/update-neovim.sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Rebuild Neovim from the newest stable release tag only when a newer tag exists.

set -euo pipefail

NVIM_SRC="$HOME/src/neovim"
BUILD_TYPE="Release"

if [ ! -d "$NVIM_SRC/.git" ]; then
  echo "Neovim source tree not found at $NVIM_SRC"
  exit 1
fi

cd "$NVIM_SRC"

CURRENT_VERSION="$(nvim --version 2>/dev/null | awk 'NR==1 {print $2}')"
echo "Installed version: ${CURRENT_VERSION:-none}"
echo "Fetching latest tags..."
git fetch --tags origin

LATEST_TAG="$(git tag --list 'v*' --sort=-version:refname | head -n 1)"
if [ -z "$LATEST_TAG" ]; then
  echo "No release tags found in $NVIM_SRC"
  exit 1
fi

if [ -n "${CURRENT_VERSION:-}" ] && [ "$CURRENT_VERSION" = "$LATEST_TAG" ]; then
  echo "Already up to date: $CURRENT_VERSION"
  exit 0
fi

echo "Checking out $LATEST_TAG..."
git checkout "$LATEST_TAG" >/dev/null 2>&1

echo "Building Neovim $LATEST_TAG..."
rm -rf build/
make CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE="$BUILD_TYPE"

echo "Installing to /usr/local..."
sudo make install

echo "Done: $(nvim --version | head -n 1)"
EOF
chmod +x ~/src/neovim/update-neovim.sh

Run the script manually whenever you want to check for a newer stable build. This version assumes the default /usr/local install path from this guide. If you compiled Neovim to a custom prefix instead, keep using that same prefix during later rebuilds.

~/src/neovim/update-neovim.sh

Installed version: v0.11.6
Fetching latest tags...
Already up to date: v0.11.6

Launch Neovim on Ubuntu from Terminal or the App Menu

The launch command depends on how you installed Neovim. Repository, unstable PPA, Snap, tarball, and source installs all use the plain nvim command once the binary is in the normal path.

nvim

Flatpak uses its application ID, and a standalone AppImage uses the full file path unless you created the shorter symlink shown earlier:

flatpak run io.neovim.nvim
~/Applications/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage

On Ubuntu desktops, APT, Snap, Flatpak, and the default source install all add a Neovim launcher to the app menu. The tarball ships a desktop file inside /opt/nvim-linux-x86_64/share/applications, but the commands in this guide do not register it automatically. A standalone AppImage does not create a launcher unless you add one yourself.

Update and Remove Neovim on Ubuntu

Use the update and removal path that matches the method you chose. Keeping the commands grouped by package source makes later cleanup much easier.

Update Neovim on Ubuntu with APT or the unstable PPA

APT can refresh just Neovim without dragging the rest of your package set through a full upgrade:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade neovim

Confirm the active Neovim version after the package upgrade:

nvim --version | head -n 1

NVIM v0.11.6

If you installed from the unstable PPA, the same command still works. The only difference is that the version string will show the Launchpad nightly build instead of the Ubuntu archive package.

Update Neovim installed with Snap

Snap refreshes in the background, but you can force a manual refresh whenever you want:

sudo snap refresh nvim
snap list nvim

Name  Version  Rev   Tracking       Publisher    Notes
nvim  v0.11.5  4611  latest/stable  neovim-snap  classic

Update Neovim installed with Flatpak

Flatpak updates the Neovim application separately from your Ubuntu packages:

sudo flatpak update --system io.neovim.nvim
flatpak info --system io.neovim.nvim | sed -n '1,8p'

Neovim - Vim-fork focused on extensibility and usability

          ID: io.neovim.nvim
         Ref: app/io.neovim.nvim/x86_64/stable
        Arch: x86_64
      Branch: stable
     Version: 0.11.6
     License: Apache-2.0

Update Neovim installed with AppImage

AppImage updates are manual. Replace the old file with the current stable build from GitHub releases:

cd ~/Applications
curl -fLO --progress-bar https://github.com/neovim/neovim/releases/latest/download/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage
chmod u+x nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage
~/Applications/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage --version | head -n 1

NVIM v0.11.6

Update Neovim installed from a tarball

Tarball updates are manual, but the process is short: download the new archive, replace the old extracted tree, and keep the same symlink in place.

cd /tmp
curl -fLO --progress-bar https://github.com/neovim/neovim/releases/latest/download/nvim-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
sudo rm -rf /opt/nvim-linux-x86_64
sudo tar -C /opt -xzf nvim-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
nvim --version | head -n 1

NVIM v0.11.6

Update Neovim built from source

If you built Neovim from source, use the update script you saved in the source tree instead of retyping the full rebuild sequence every time.

~/src/neovim/update-neovim.sh

Installed version: v0.11.6
Fetching latest tags...
Already up to date: v0.11.6

Remove Neovim installed with APT or the unstable PPA

Remove the package first, then clean up any unused dependencies. If you added the unstable PPA, remove that source so APT falls back to Ubuntu’s own package listings.

sudo apt remove neovim
sudo apt autoremove
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:neovim-ppa/unstable -y
sudo apt update

Check what candidate Neovim package remains after removal:

apt-cache policy neovim | sed -n '1,6p'

neovim:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 0.11.6-1
  Version table:
     0.11.6-1 500
        500 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute/universe amd64 Packages

If you previously tried the older stable PPA on Ubuntu 22.04, remove that source with sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:neovim-ppa/stable -y before the final sudo apt update.

Remove Neovim installed with Snap, Flatpak, or AppImage

Use the matching command below for non-APT installs:

Snap

sudo snap remove nvim

Flatpak

sudo flatpak uninstall --system io.neovim.nvim
sudo flatpak uninstall --system --unused

The --unused cleanup removes runtimes that no installed Flatpak application still needs.

AppImage

rm -f ~/Applications/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage
rm -f ~/.local/bin/nvim

The second path exists only if you created the shorter AppImage command earlier.

Remove Neovim installed from a tarball

If you used the tarball path from this guide, confirm that /usr/local/bin/nvim points to the tarball tree before you remove it.

readlink -f /usr/local/bin/nvim
sudo rm -rf /opt/nvim-linux-x86_64
sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/nvim

/opt/nvim-linux-x86_64/bin/nvim

If readlink shows some other location, stop there. That means /usr/local/bin/nvim belongs to a different install method.

Remove Neovim built from source

Default source installs from this guide land under /usr/local. Remove the installed binary and runtime tree, then delete the source directory if you no longer need it.

sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/nvim
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/share/nvim
sudo rm -f /usr/local/share/man/man1/nvim.1
sudo rm -f /usr/local/share/applications/nvim.desktop
sudo rm -f /usr/local/share/icons/hicolor/128x128/apps/nvim.png
rm -rf ~/src/neovim

If you compiled Neovim to a custom prefix such as $HOME/neovim, remove that directory instead of the /usr/local paths. The extra desktop and icon files above matter only for the default sudo make install path used in this guide.

Remove Neovim user configuration files

Package removal does not touch your personal Neovim configuration, plugin cache, or Flatpak sandbox data.

The following commands permanently delete your Neovim settings, plugins, state history, and Flatpak sandbox data. Back them up first if you plan to reuse the same configuration later, for example with cp -r ~/.config/nvim ~/nvim-config-backup.

rm -rf ~/.config/nvim
rm -rf ~/.local/share/nvim
rm -rf ~/.local/state/nvim
rm -rf ~/.var/app/io.neovim.nvim

The first three paths are Neovim’s normal XDG configuration, data, and state directories. The ~/.var/app/io.neovim.nvim directory matters only if you used the Flatpak package.

Troubleshoot Common Neovim Issues on Ubuntu

Stable Neovim PPA does not upgrade Neovim on Ubuntu

If the stable PPA still leaves you on Ubuntu’s own Neovim package, it is not providing a newer candidate for your release.

neovim:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 0.9.5-6ubuntu2
  Version table:
     0.9.5-6ubuntu2 500
        500 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/universe amd64 Packages

That is expected on Ubuntu 24.04, and Ubuntu 26.04 fails even earlier because the stable PPA does not publish a resolute Release file.

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:neovim-ppa/stable -y
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:neovim-ppa/unstable -y
sudo apt update
sudo apt install neovim
nvim --version | head -n 1

NVIM v0.12.0-dev

AppImage fails with a FUSE library error

If the AppImage will not start and complains about libfuse.so.2, install the compatibility package for your Ubuntu release and test the AppImage again.

dlopen(): error loading libfuse.so.2
AppImages require FUSE to run.

Ubuntu 22.04 uses the older package name, while Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 use the t64 transition package.

# Ubuntu 22.04
sudo apt install libfuse2

# Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04
sudo apt install libfuse2t64

Verify the AppImage again after installing the package:

~/Applications/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage --version | head -n 1

NVIM v0.11.6

nvim still points to another install or is not found after a manual install

If nvim is missing after an AppImage, tarball, or source install, or it still opens the wrong build, do not guess. First check which path your shell is actually using.

/snap/bin/nvim

command -v nvim
readlink -f ~/.local/bin/nvim 2>/dev/null
readlink -f /usr/local/bin/nvim 2>/dev/null
echo "$PATH"

If command -v nvim returns /snap/bin/nvim or /usr/bin/nvim, another install already owns the nvim name. If it returns nothing, your shell is not seeing the shortcut yet.

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
ln -sf ~/Applications/nvim-linux-x86_64.appimage ~/.local/bin/nvim
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
command -v nvim

/home/linuxcapable/.local/bin/nvim

That fixes the AppImage path for the current shell session. Tarball and default source installs usually return /usr/local/bin/nvim instead, so recreate that symlink only for the tarball method:

sudo ln -sf /opt/nvim-linux-x86_64/bin/nvim /usr/local/bin/nvim
command -v nvim

/usr/local/bin/nvim

If Snap is still installed and you want the AppImage or tarball to be the default nvim, either remove the Snap package or make sure your preferred path comes first. Source builds installed with sudo make install already land in /usr/local/bin. If you used a custom prefix instead, launch that binary directly or add its bin directory to your PATH.

Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Neovim on Ubuntu

Conclusion

Neovim is installed on Ubuntu from the source that actually fits your release instead of leaving you stuck on whatever old build came first: the archive on 26.04, Flatpak, AppImage, or the tarball on 24.04 and 22.04 for current stable releases, the unstable PPA for nightly builds, and source builds only when you actually want that level of control. If your next step is a full terminal workflow, our guides on installing Git on Ubuntu and installing Flatpak on Ubuntu cover the other pieces people usually add.