How to Install Rclone on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

Cloud copies are easier to automate when one tool can talk to S3, Google Drive, OneDrive, Backblaze B2, SFTP, and local folders from the same command line. That flexibility is why many admins and power users install Rclone on Ubuntu for backups, storage migrations, off-site sync jobs, and file transfers that do not need a desktop client.

Rclone is a CLI tool, so it fits minimal Ubuntu servers just as well as full desktops. Ubuntu’s repository package is easy to maintain but trails upstream by a wide margin, while the official install path gets the current release and Snap adds automatic updates with stricter sandbox limits.

Install Rclone on Ubuntu

Choose Your Rclone Installation Method on Ubuntu

Start with the official install path if you want the current upstream release and the broadest feature set. APT is simpler to maintain inside Ubuntu’s package workflow, while Snap is convenient when automatic updates matter more than sandbox restrictions.

Method	Channel	Version	Updates	Best For
APT	Ubuntu repositories	Distribution default	Automatic through apt upgrade	Stable systems that follow Ubuntu packages
Official Install Script (Recommended)	Rclone upstream	Latest stable	Manual through sudo rclone selfupdate	Most users who want current backends and fixes
Snap	Snapcraft	Latest stable	Automatic through snap refresh	Quick installs when you do not need rclone mount

Use one primary Rclone install method at a time. The Ubuntu package and the official install script both place rclone on the normal system PATH, so remove the older one before switching between them. The snap can coexist, but version checks are easier to follow when only one build is active.

• Use the official install script when you want the current upstream release and plan to use newer cloud backends or features such as selfupdate.
• Use APT when you want Ubuntu-managed updates and can live with an older Rclone branch.
• Use Snap when you want auto-updates and mostly work from your home directory instead of relying on rclone mount.

Default Rclone Versions by Ubuntu Release

Ubuntu packages different Rclone branches by release, and the gap is large enough to affect backend support and bug fixes. If you need the newest upstream features, the official install script or Snap is the safer choice.

Ubuntu Release	Default Rclone	Package Source	Best For
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS	1.60.x	Ubuntu Universe	Current LTS systems that stay inside Ubuntu packaging
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS	1.60.x	Ubuntu Universe	Stable desktop and server installs
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS	1.53.x	Ubuntu Universe	Older LTS systems with strict package policies

These steps apply to Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04. The official install script and Snap currently deliver Rclone 1.73.2 on Ubuntu, while APT follows the older Ubuntu branch. If you need rclone mount, skip the Snap build because strict confinement blocks it.

Update Ubuntu Before Installing Rclone

Refresh package metadata and install pending updates before you add Rclone. The -y flag in the upgrade command accepts the confirmation prompt automatically; remove it if you prefer to review the package list first. For more detail on Ubuntu package maintenance, review how to update packages via the Ubuntu command line.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

These commands use sudo for system changes. If your account does not have sudo access yet, follow how to add a new user to sudoers on Ubuntu before continuing.

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...
Building dependency tree...

Method 1: Install Rclone with APT on Ubuntu

APT is the lowest-maintenance method and works well when Ubuntu-managed updates matter more than getting the newest Rclone branch right away.

sudo apt install -y rclone

Ubuntu installs the rclone package directly from Universe. The packaged build is older than upstream, so use the official install path or Snap if you need the current stable release.

Verify the APT Rclone Install on Ubuntu

Check the installed branch with the Rclone version command:

rclone version

rclone v1.60.1-DEV

Ubuntu 22.04 reports an older packaged branch:

rclone v1.53.3-DEV

If you need the exact Ubuntu package revision instead of the runtime branch, use apt-cache policy rclone.

Method 2: Install Rclone with the Official Script on Ubuntu

The official install path is the best default for most Ubuntu systems because it tracks the current stable release without waiting for Ubuntu package refreshes.

If the Ubuntu package is already installed, remove it first so the upstream script does not overwrite an APT-managed binary in place:

sudo apt remove --autoremove -y rclone

Minimal Ubuntu images sometimes omit curl. Install it first if the command is missing on your system:

sudo apt install -y curl

Run the upstream install script after that. The -fsSL flags tell curl to fail cleanly on HTTP errors, stay quiet unless something goes wrong, and follow redirects before piping the script to sudo bash.

curl -fsSL https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash

The script installs a root-owned binary at /usr/bin/rclone, adds the man page, and skips the download entirely when the same version is already present.

Verify the Official Rclone Install on Ubuntu

Check the upstream build immediately after installation:

rclone version

rclone v1.73.2
- os/version: ubuntu 26.04 (64 bit)
- os/kernel: 7.0.0-7-generic (x86_64)
- os/type: linux
- os/arch: amd64
- go/version: go1.25.8
- go/linking: static
- go/tags: none

Method 3: Install Rclone with Snap on Ubuntu

Snap is a reasonable option when automatic updates matter more than direct filesystem access. Ubuntu desktop installs usually already include snapd, but Server, minimal, and container images may need it first.

Install snapd if the snap command is not available:

sudo apt install -y snapd

Install the Rclone snap after that:

sudo snap install rclone

Verify the Rclone Snap Install on Ubuntu

Confirm the installed snap revision and tracking channel:

snap list rclone

Name    Version  Rev  Tracking       Publisher  Notes
rclone  1.73.2   576  latest/stable  aoilinux   -

The snap stores its configuration under ~/snap/rclone/current/.config/rclone, and rclone config file may show the active revision number instead of the current symlink. The snap is also strictly confined, so rclone mount is not supported and local examples work best from directories inside your home folder rather than /tmp.

Getting Started with Rclone on Ubuntu

Rclone works with local paths immediately, and these opening examples stay inside your home directory so they behave cleanly with the APT, official, and Snap installs. Once a cloud remote is configured, the same commands apply to S3, Google Drive, OneDrive, SFTP, and dozens of other backends. You can also mount a remote as a local directory with rclone mount for desktop-style access, though that requires FUSE and does not work with the snap build.

Find the Rclone Config File on Ubuntu

Check where Rclone expects its configuration file before you add any remotes:

rclone config file

Configuration file doesn't exist, but rclone will use this path:
/home/linuxcapable/.config/rclone/rclone.conf

The APT and official installs use ~/.config/rclone/rclone.conf. The Snap build uses a snap-specific path under ~/snap/rclone/.

Create a Local Rclone Remote on Ubuntu

Create a local backend named demo if you want a quick way to learn the config workflow without signing in to a cloud provider:

rclone config create demo local
rclone listremotes

On a fresh install, Rclone may print a one-time notice that the config file does not exist yet. The saved remote itself looks like this:

[demo]
type = local
demo:

Replace the local backend with a real remote later through rclone config. S3, Google Drive, OneDrive, Backblaze B2, and SFTP are common starting points. If you plan to sync to an SFTP host, set up how to install SSH on Ubuntu on the target machine first.

Copy Files Between Local Folders with Rclone on Ubuntu

Use a pair of folders in your home directory for the first copy test:

mkdir -p ~/rclone-demo/source ~/rclone-demo/destination
printf 'rclone demo\n' > ~/rclone-demo/source/test.txt
rclone copy ~/rclone-demo/source ~/rclone-demo/destination
rclone ls ~/rclone-demo/destination

If you have not saved any remotes yet, the first run may print a notice that Rclone is using defaults. The important part of the listing is the final line:

12 test.txt

Preview a Sync with Rclone on Ubuntu

Use --dry-run before a real sync whenever you are about to touch important files:

rclone sync --dry-run ~/rclone-demo/source ~/rclone-demo/destination

Transferred:              0 B / 0 B, -, 0 B/s, ETA -
Checks:                 1 / 1, 100%, Listed 2
Elapsed time:         0.0s

Remove the local demo after you finish testing:

rclone config delete demo
rm -rf ~/rclone-demo

Troubleshoot Rclone on Ubuntu

The most common early problems come from running the snap build against the wrong paths or expecting snap confinement to allow mount support.

Fix Local Path Errors with the Rclone Snap on Ubuntu

If the snap build reports that a source directory does not exist even though you just created it, rerun the command from a normal directory under your home folder. The snap sees a private temporary directory, so /tmp is the wrong place for first-use tests.

mkdir -p ~/rclone-demo/source ~/rclone-demo/destination
printf 'rclone demo\n' > ~/rclone-demo/source/test.txt
rclone copy ~/rclone-demo/source ~/rclone-demo/destination
rclone ls ~/rclone-demo/destination

12 test.txt

Fix Missing Mount Support in the Rclone Snap on Ubuntu

Snap metadata for Rclone explicitly says rclone mount is unsupported. Move to the official install path if you need mount support instead of fighting the sandbox.

sudo snap remove rclone
curl -fsSL https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash
rclone version

rclone v1.73.2

Update or Remove Rclone on Ubuntu

Rclone updates and cleanup depend on how you installed it, so stick to the same method when you maintain or remove it later.

Update the APT Rclone Package on Ubuntu

Use the standard Ubuntu package workflow when Rclone came from APT:

sudo apt install --only-upgrade -y rclone

Update the Official Rclone Install on Ubuntu

The upstream install supports in-place updates through selfupdate. Check the current status first, then apply the update when a newer release is available.

sudo rclone selfupdate --check
sudo rclone selfupdate

yours:  1.73.2
latest: 1.73.2                                   (released 2026-03-06)
beta:   1.74.0-beta.9545.e987d4f35               (released 2026-03-14)
  upgrade: https://beta.rclone.org/v1.74.0-beta.9545.e987d4f35

Update the Rclone Snap on Ubuntu

Snap normally refreshes automatically, but you can force the check manually:

sudo snap refresh rclone

snap "rclone" has no updates available

Remove the APT Rclone Package on Ubuntu

Remove the Ubuntu package and its unused dependencies with one command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove -y rclone

Verify that the Ubuntu package is gone:

apt-cache policy rclone

rclone:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 1.60.1+dfsg-4ubuntu3
  Version table:
     1.60.1+dfsg-4ubuntu3 500
        500 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute/universe amd64 Packages

Remove the Official Rclone Install on Ubuntu

The upstream script installs the binary and man page outside APT, so remove those files directly:

sudo rm -f /usr/bin/rclone /usr/local/share/man/man1/rclone.1

Confirm the upstream files are gone:

if [ ! -e /usr/bin/rclone ] && [ ! -e /usr/local/share/man/man1/rclone.1 ]; then printf 'Official Rclone files removed\n'; fi

Official Rclone files removed

Remove the Rclone Snap on Ubuntu

Use the snap command to remove the package cleanly:

sudo snap remove rclone

rclone removed (snap data snapshot saved)

Verify that the snap is no longer installed:

snap list rclone

error: no matching snaps installed

Rclone stores saved remotes and tokens outside the package itself. The APT and official installs use ~/.config/rclone/, while the snap uses ~/snap/rclone/. Delete those directories only if you want to remove saved credentials and configuration along with the application.

Rclone on Ubuntu FAQ

Conclusion

Rclone is ready on Ubuntu for local copies, cloud remotes, and scheduled sync jobs without needing a desktop session. If your workflow also touches S3 or profile-based cloud credentials, install AWS CLI on Ubuntu next so both tools can share the same shell-driven workflow.