How to Install Strawberry on Ubuntu 24.04/22.04/20.04

Strawberry Music Player is a powerful and modern music player designed for audiophiles. It supports a wide array of audio formats and offers features such as advanced playlist management, music library organization, and support for streaming services. Strawberry is a fork of Clementine, tailored to provide a richer experience with a focus on music collection and metadata handling.

The following guide will demonstrate how to install Strawberry Music Player on Ubuntu 24.04, 22.04, and 20.04 using the command-line terminal. You can choose between two methods: using the Launchpad PPA maintained by Jonas Kvinge, which offers the latest stable or unstable development version, or using Flatpak with the Flathub repository. These methods ensure you get the most up-to-date features and improvements for your music listening experience.

Method 1: Install Strawberry via PPA

Update Your Ubuntu System Before Strawberry Installation

Keeping your Ubuntu system up-to-date ensures a smooth installation process and avoids conflicts. Run the following command to update your system and upgrade all existing packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Import Strawberry Player PPA

To install Strawberry Player using APT, we will first import the Personal Package Archive (PPA) maintained by Jonas Kvinge. If you prefer bleeding-edge software, you can choose between the stable or unstable upstream versions.

Option 1: Import Strawberry Player Stable PPA on Ubuntu (Recommended First)

To import the stable PPA, run the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonaski/strawberry -y

Option 2: Import Strawberry Player Unstable PPA

If you prefer the unstable version, use the following command to import the unstable PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonaski/strawberry-unstable -y

Refresh APT Cache Package Index After PPA Import

After adding the desired PPA, you must update the package index to synchronize the newly added repository with your system. Execute the following command to update the package index:

sudo apt update

Install Strawberry via APT Command

With the updated package index, you can install Strawberry Player using the APT package manager. Run the following command to install the player:

sudo apt install strawberry

Method 2: Install Strawberry via Flatpak and Flathub

This section will explore an alternative method for installing Strawberry Player using the Flatpak package manager. Flatpak is a universal package manager similar to Snap, and it is designed to offer easy software installation and updates across different Linux distributions. Installing Strawberry Player with Flatpak provides additional benefits, such as sandboxing for increased security and better isolation from the system libraries.

Note: If your system does not have Flatpak installed, please refer to our guide on How to Install Flatpak on Ubuntu for step-by-step instructions on installing the most recent supported version of Flatpak.

Enable Flathub Repository For Strawberry

Before installing Strawberry Player through Flatpak, you must enable the Flathub repository, a primary source for Flatpak applications. To enable Flathub, execute the following command in your terminal:

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

This command adds the Flathub repository to your Flatpak configuration, ensuring you have access to various applications, including Strawberry Player.

Install Strawberry Player via Flatpak Command

With Flathub enabled, you can install Strawberry Player on Ubuntu using the flatpak install command. Run the following command in your terminal:

flatpak install flathub org.strawberrymusicplayer.strawberry -y

This command installs Strawberry Player from the Flathub repository, providing you with the latest version of the application.

Launching Strawberry Music Player User Interface

Now that you have successfully installed Strawberry Player on your Ubuntu system, you can launch the application differently. This section will guide you through the various methods for starting the music player, catering to both APT and Flatpak users.

CLI Commands to Launch Strawberry Music Player

For users who installed Strawberry Player using APT, you can quickly launch the application by typing the following command in your terminal:

strawberry

For Flatpak users, you will need to use a slightly different command to launch Strawberry Player from a terminal instance:

flatpak run org.strawberrymusicplayer.strawberry

GUI Application Icon Path Launch Method For Strawberry Music Player

While launching Strawberry Player from the terminal might be helpful in some situations, using the desktop interface for day-to-day usage is generally more convenient. To start the application through your desktop environment, follow these steps:

1. Click on Activities in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select Show Applications to view all installed applications on your system.
3. Locate and click on the Strawberry icon to launch the music player.

Additional Strawberry Commands on Ubuntu

This section will explore additional commands for managing Strawberry on Ubuntu Linux. Depending on the installation method, these commands include updating, uninstalling, and managing Strawberry repositories.

Update Strawberry

To keep Strawberry up-to-date, you must run different commands based on your installation method.

APT Strawberry Update Command

If you installed Strawberry using the APT package manager, update your system and Strawberry with the following command:

sudo apt upgrade && sudo apt upgrade

Flatpak Strawberry Update Command

For those who installed Strawberry using Flatpak, you can update the application with the following command:

flatpak update

Remove Strawberry

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

APT Strawberry Remove Commands

To uninstall Strawberry installed via APT, use the following command:

sudo apt remove strawberry

After removing the application, it’s advisable to remove the corresponding PPA if you don’t plan on using Strawberry again. Use one or both of the following commands depending on which Strawberry PPA’s you imported originally:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:jonaski/strawberry -y

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:jonaski/strawberry-unstable -y

Flatpak Strawberry Remove Command

To uninstall Strawberry installed via Flatpak, use the following command:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data org.strawberrymusicplayer.strawberry

Closing Thoughts

In conclusion, this guide covered installing Strawberry Music Player on Ubuntu, highlighting the easy APT method from the default repository and the latest version via LaunchPAD PPA. We also explored alternatives like archives and Flatpak for added flexibility. Our recommendation is to start with the APT method for its simplicity and reliability. Whichever method you choose, Strawberry enhances your music experience on Ubuntu. Enjoy the high-quality sound and explore its features to get the most out of your music.