How to Install Flameshot on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

Ubuntu’s built-in screenshot tool is fine for quick grabs, but it runs out of room fast once you need arrows, blur, counters, or repeatable keyboard shortcuts. Flameshot fills that gap, and you can install Flameshot on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, or 22.04 with either the built-in Universe package or the current Flathub build.

APT gives the cleanest desktop integration and is already current on Ubuntu 26.04, while Flatpak is the better fit when you want the same upstream build on 24.04 or 22.04. After installation, the practical checks are launch commands, keyboard shortcuts, Wayland fixes, updates, and clean removal.

Install Flameshot on Ubuntu

APT is the best default for most Ubuntu desktops because the package is already available from Universe on every supported LTS release. Flatpak stays useful when you want the same upstream build across releases instead of waiting for the Ubuntu package on 24.04 or 22.04 to catch up.

Method	Source	Release Cadence	Updates	Best For
APT	Ubuntu Universe	Ubuntu release package	Via standard apt upgrades	Most users who want the cleanest Ubuntu integration
Flatpak	Flathub	Flathub stable release	Via flatpak update	Users who want the current build on 24.04 or 22.04

Ubuntu currently packages Flameshot 13.3.0+git20251204-1 on 26.04, 12.1.0-2build2 on 24.04, and 11.0.0-2 on 22.04, all from the Universe component.

For readers looking for a Flameshot download, the current GitHub release publishes Ubuntu 24.04 and 22.04 .deb assets, an AppImage, a Snap bundle, and a manual Flatpak bundle. APT and Flathub are still the better normal desktop paths because updates and removal stay package-managed. The GitHub release does not currently publish an Ubuntu 26.04 .deb asset, and the Snap Store package currently fails on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04 while resolving the required kde-frameworks-5-91-qt-5-15-3-core20 snap.

Install Flameshot from Ubuntu’s Repositories

Ubuntu’s own package is the right starting point for most systems. It stays on the normal APT update path and gives you the standard flameshot launcher without extra desktop integration work.

sudo apt update

These commands use sudo for package management tasks. If your account does not have sudo access yet, follow the guide on how to add a new user to sudoers on Ubuntu, then come back here.

Most Ubuntu desktop installs already have Universe enabled. If apt says it cannot locate flameshot on a minimal or customized system, only Universe is required; the guide on how to enable Universe and Multiverse in Ubuntu covers that repository switch.

sudo apt install flameshot -y

On Ubuntu 26.04, expected output includes:

flameshot --version

Flameshot v13.3.0 (Debian-13.3.0+git20251204-1)
Compiled with Qt 6.9.2

Ubuntu 24.04 reports 12.1.0-2build2, and Ubuntu 22.04 reports 11.0.0-2.

Install Flameshot from Flathub on Ubuntu

Flatpak is the cleaner alternative when you want the same current build across all supported Ubuntu LTS releases. On Ubuntu 24.04 and 22.04, Flathub already provides Flameshot 13.3.0 while the Ubuntu package trails behind.

Ubuntu does not install Flatpak by default. If flatpak is missing, follow the guide on how to install Flatpak on Ubuntu, then return here and keep using the same terminal session.

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

Confirm that Flathub is available at system scope before you install the app:

flatpak remotes --columns=name,options | grep -E "^flathub[[:space:]]"

flathub system

sudo flatpak install flathub org.flameshot.Flameshot -y

Verify the Flatpak build with the application metadata instead of a GUI launch:

flatpak info org.flameshot.Flameshot

Flameshot - Powerful yet simple to use screenshot software

          ID: org.flameshot.Flameshot
         Ref: app/org.flameshot.Flameshot/x86_64/stable
        Arch: x86_64
      Branch: stable
      Origin: flathub
     Version: 13.3.0
     Runtime: org.kde.Platform/x86_64/6.9

Launch and Use Flameshot on Ubuntu

Flameshot installs from a terminal, but it still needs a graphical session to capture your screen. Plain flameshot starts the background tray app, while flameshot gui jumps straight into region capture.

Start Flameshot from the Ubuntu Terminal

Use the normal launcher command for the Ubuntu package, or the Flatpak run command if you installed the Flathub build.

# Ubuntu package
flameshot
flameshot gui

# Flatpak build
flatpak run org.flameshot.Flameshot
flatpak run org.flameshot.Flameshot gui

Capture a Region with Flameshot

This is the command group most users reach for every day. The --path option saves into a chosen folder, and --delay uses milliseconds.

flameshot gui
flameshot gui --path ~/Pictures/Screenshots
flameshot gui --delay 3000

Capture the Full Screen with Flameshot

Fullscreen mode skips the region picker and works better for repeated captures or scripted desktop grabs.

flameshot full
flameshot full --path ~/Pictures/Screenshots --delay 5000
flameshot full --clipboard --path ~/Pictures/Screenshots

Open the Flameshot Configuration Menu

The configuration subcommand handles the main desktop settings, including the help overlay and a quick check for config-file errors.

flameshot config
flameshot config --showhelp true
flameshot config --check

flameshot: info: No errors detected.

Capture One Monitor with Flameshot

Multi-monitor desktops can target a single display by number. Monitor numbering starts at 0.

flameshot screen --number 0

Set a Flameshot Keyboard Shortcut on Ubuntu

GNOME already owns the Print Screen key, so clear the default screenshot binding before you attach it to Flameshot.

1. Open Settings > Keyboard > View and Customise Shortcuts > Screenshots, then clear the existing interactive screenshot shortcut.
2. Open Settings > Keyboard > View and Customise Shortcuts > Custom Shortcuts, then create a new shortcut named Flameshot.
3. Use /usr/bin/flameshot gui for the Ubuntu package, or flatpak run org.flameshot.Flameshot gui for the Flatpak build.
4. Bind that shortcut to Print Screen or any other key combination you prefer.

Update or Remove Flameshot on Ubuntu

Stick with the update path that matches the method you installed. Mixing APT and Flatpak updates for the same app just makes it harder to track which build you are launching.

Update Flameshot on Ubuntu

APT updates only the Ubuntu package, while Flatpak updates the Flathub build at the same system scope used during installation.

# Ubuntu package
sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade flameshot -y

# Flatpak build
sudo flatpak update org.flameshot.Flameshot -y

Remove Flameshot on Ubuntu

Remove the app with the package manager that installed it, then verify that the method-specific package is gone before you clean up settings.

# Ubuntu package
sudo apt remove flameshot -y

# Flatpak build
sudo flatpak remove org.flameshot.Flameshot -y

Verify the Ubuntu package removal with an installed-state check instead of using repository candidate output:

dpkg -l flameshot 2>/dev/null | grep "^ii" || echo "not installed"

not installed

Verify the Flatpak removal with the stable application ID column:

flatpak list --system --app --columns=application | grep -Fx org.flameshot.Flameshot || echo "NOT_INSTALLED"

NOT_INSTALLED

If you want to remove unused Flatpak runtimes after the app is gone, run the cleanup separately and review the list before confirming because it can include runtimes or extensions from other Flatpak apps.

sudo flatpak uninstall --unused

Remove Flameshot Settings on Ubuntu

Only remove personal settings after you uninstall the application and only if those directories really exist. APT builds usually write to ~/.config/flameshot, while Flatpak can also create ~/.var/app/org.flameshot.Flameshot after first launch.

Deleting these directories clears your custom save path, annotation preferences, and any sandbox data. Skip this cleanup if you plan to reinstall Flameshot with the same settings.

find "$HOME/.config" "$HOME/.cache" "$HOME/.local/share" "$HOME/.var/app" -maxdepth 2 -iname '*flameshot*' 2>/dev/null

If that command prints any paths, delete only the ones you actually see.

Fix Common Flameshot Problems on Ubuntu

The most common Ubuntu issues show up on GNOME Wayland, where screenshot permissions, portal packages, and Print Screen bindings can interfere with Flameshot even when the package itself installed correctly.

Fix the Flameshot Wayland "Unable to Capture Screen" Error on Ubuntu

Flameshot’s own Wayland help page calls out this error on Ubuntu GNOME. Check your current session type first so you know whether you are troubleshooting Wayland or plain X11 behavior.

echo "$XDG_SESSION_TYPE"

wayland

If the session reports wayland, install the portal package first. If flatpak is missing, install that package too because the permission helper lives in the Flatpak CLI even when Flameshot itself came from APT.

sudo apt install flatpak xdg-desktop-portal-gnome -y

Then grant the screenshot permission through the portal store:

flatpak permission-set screenshot screenshot org.flameshot.Flameshot yes

After that, log out and back in, then retry flameshot gui from a terminal before you test the keyboard shortcut again.

If the terminal prints a useGrimAdapter warning on Ubuntu 26.04’s APT package or the Flathub build, enable the grim adapter in Flameshot’s config. Do not add this setting to the older Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 APT packages because they do not expose that option.

mkdir -p "$HOME/.config/flameshot"
if grep -q '^useGrimAdapter=' "$HOME/.config/flameshot/flameshot.ini" 2>/dev/null; then
    sed -i 's/^useGrimAdapter=.*/useGrimAdapter=true/' "$HOME/.config/flameshot/flameshot.ini"
else
    printf '\nuseGrimAdapter=true\n' >> "$HOME/.config/flameshot/flameshot.ini"
fi
flameshot config --check

Fix Flameshot Print Screen Shortcuts on Ubuntu Wayland

If Flameshot works from a terminal but fails from the GNOME shortcut, Flameshot’s Wayland notes recommend wrapping the command in a shell so the Wayland platform variable is applied before capture starts.

bash -c -- "QT_QPA_PLATFORM=wayland /usr/bin/flameshot gui"

Use that command in the custom shortcut field instead of the plain /usr/bin/flameshot gui entry if the Print Screen binding keeps returning the same error.

Show the Flameshot Tray Icon on Ubuntu GNOME

GNOME can hide legacy tray icons, so Flameshot’s background launcher can appear to start without showing a visible icon. Standard Ubuntu desktop installs usually already include AppIndicator support, but customized systems may need the matching extension package.

# Ubuntu 26.04
sudo apt install gnome-shell-ubuntu-extensions -y

# Ubuntu 24.04 and 22.04
sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-appindicator -y

Sign out and back in after the package installs, then launch Flameshot again. If you still do not want to rely on the tray icon, keep using flameshot gui or the custom keyboard shortcut instead.

Conclusion

Flameshot is ready on Ubuntu for quick captures, keyboard shortcuts, and annotation without leaving the desktop. If you want heavier touch-up work after a screenshot, install GIMP on Ubuntu. If you want fast batch resizing, conversion, or watermarking after capture, install ImageMagick on Ubuntu.