How to Install QElectroTech on Ubuntu

QElectroTech helps you create electrical schematics, control circuit diagrams, and technical drawings for industrial, commercial, and educational projects. Whether you need to document wiring layouts, design PLC control panels, or produce clean PDF exports for clients, this guide walks you through installing QElectroTech on Ubuntu using two methods: the default APT package manager and Snap. By the end, you will have a working installation ready to build diagrams using the included symbol library of over 8,000 electrical components.

Choose Your QElectroTech Installation Method

Currently, QElectroTech is available through Ubuntu’s default repositories and as a Snap package. As a result, each method offers different trade-offs between version freshness and integration with your system.

Method	Channel	Version	Updates	Best For
Snap (Recommended)	Snapcraft	Latest (0.100.x)	Automatic via snapd	Users who want the newest features and automatic updates
APT	Ubuntu Repos	Distribution default	Via apt upgrade	Users preferring distro-tested packages

These steps cover Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, and 26.04 LTS. Specifically, the Snap package provides version 0.100.x across all Ubuntu releases, while the APT method installs version 0.8.0 on 22.04 LTS or 0.9 on 24.04/26.04 LTS. As a result, commands work identically across all supported LTS releases.

Update Ubuntu Before Installation

First, refresh your package index and apply any pending updates. This ensures you install the latest available packages and avoids dependency conflicts:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Method 1: Install QElectroTech via Snap (Recommended)

Generally, the Snap package provides the latest QElectroTech release (0.100.x) with automatic updates and consistent behavior across all Ubuntu versions. Because Snap packages include all dependencies in a sandboxed environment, this ensures compatibility regardless of your Ubuntu release.

Since Ubuntu includes snapd by default, you can install QElectroTech directly:

sudo snap install qelectrotech

After installation completes, verify the Snap package is installed by checking its version:

snap list qelectrotech

In this output, the version and revision confirm a successful installation:

Name          Version               Rev    Tracking       Publisher        Notes
qelectrotech  0.100.0-gcdc74754     2101   latest/stable  nicoschwarz      -

Method 2: Install QElectroTech via APT

Alternatively, the APT method installs QElectroTech from Ubuntu’s Universe repository. In contrast to Snap, this approach provides a distro-tested package that integrates with your system’s package management, though the version may be older.

sudo apt install qelectrotech

Next, verify the package is installed correctly by checking its status:

dpkg -l qelectrotech

In this output, the package name, version, and architecture confirm successful installation:

ii  qelectrotech   1:0.9-3      amd64        Electric schematic editor

Launch QElectroTech

Once installed, you can launch QElectroTech using either the terminal or the desktop applications menu. Notably, the launch method is the same whether you installed via Snap or APT.

Launch from Terminal

To start QElectroTech from the command line, simply run:

qelectrotech

Launch from Applications Menu

Alternatively, for a graphical approach, open your applications menu and search for QElectroTech:

Activities > Show Applications > QElectroTech

Additionally, if you work with other electronics design tools, you may find KiCad on Ubuntu useful for PCB layout and schematic capture. Similarly, for 3D modeling and mechanical design, consider FreeCAD on Ubuntu.

Manage QElectroTech

Update QElectroTech

Importantly, the update process differs depending on your installation method.

For Snap installations:

By default, Snap packages update automatically in the background. However, to manually check for and apply updates, run:

sudo snap refresh qelectrotech

For APT installations:

Instead, to check for and install updates specifically for QElectroTech without upgrading other packages, run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade qelectrotech

Alternatively, running sudo apt upgrade updates all packages on your system, including QElectroTech when a new version becomes available.

Remove QElectroTech

Similarly, the removal process depends on how you installed QElectroTech.

For Snap installations:

sudo snap remove qelectrotech

For APT installations:

Next, to uninstall, remove QElectroTech along with any orphaned dependencies:

sudo apt remove qelectrotech
sudo apt autoremove

Generally, QElectroTech stores project files in locations you choose when saving. However, the application also creates configuration files that persist after uninstalling. Specifically, for APT installations, remove ~/.config/qelectrotech/. For Snap installations, remove ~/snap/qelectrotech/. Finally, use rm -rf ~/.config/qelectrotech/ or rm -rf ~/snap/qelectrotech/ respectively if you want a complete cleanup.

Conclusion

You now have QElectroTech installed and ready to create electrical schematics and technical drawings on Ubuntu. With either method, the Snap package delivers the latest version 0.100.x with automatic updates, while the APT method provides distro-tested stability. In addition, the application includes an extensive symbol library, project management features, and export options for PDF and image formats. For more advanced features and community-contributed symbol collections, visit the official QElectroTech website or explore the GitHub repository.