How to Install Discord Application in Ubuntu and Other Linux Distributions [3 Methods]

Need to install Discord on Linux? We got you. It is super easy, and here's how it works.
Warp Terminal

Discord is a popular messaging application. It was originally intended for gamers but is now considered a Slack alternative, even for team communication and community interactions. You can use it for text, voice, and video messaging.

Several open-source projects use it for communicating with project members and users.

Discord is available on various platforms, including desktop Linux. In this tutorial, Iโ€™ll show you various ways of installing Discord on Ubuntu, Debian, and other Linux distributions.

  1. Installing Discord via Snap or Flatpak (easy and recommended)
  2. Installing Discord via DEB file (applicable to Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and other Debian/Ubuntu-based distributions)
  3. Installing Discord in the traditional way (applicable for all distributions, but you need to know a little about Linux commands)
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Discord application is not open source. It's been covered here since they provide a Linux client, and many users rely on it.

Method 1: Installing Discord on Ubuntu and other Linux distributions using Snap or Flatpak

With Snap or Flatpak support, you can easily install Discord using the Snap package in Ubuntu and various other Linux distributions. If you are confused between the two packages, check out our Flatpak vs Snap comparison to get some idea.

The advantage is that youโ€™ll always have the latest version of Discord, and your installed version gets automatically updated.

Ubuntu users can find Discord snap package in the Software Center and install it from there:

Install Snap version of Discord using Snap Store in Ubuntu
Discord in Snap Store

If you have enabled Snap support on your Linux distribution, you can use the following command to install it:

sudo snap install discord

If you want to remove it, you can use the snap command to uninstall it:

sudo snap remove discord

For Flatpak, you have to enable Flatpak support on Ubuntu. If you use other distributions like Fedora, you would have it enabled by default.

You can find the Discord package on Flathub and use the command below to get it installed:

flatpak install flathub com.discordapp.Discord

You do not have to use the terminal if you can find Flatpak apps in your software center.

You may refer to our guide to install Discord in Fedora if you want to use DNF for installation.

Suggested Read ๐Ÿ“–

Flatpak vs. Snap: 10 Differences You Should Know
Flatpak vs Snap, know the differences and gain insights as a Linux user to pick the best.

Method 2: Installing Discord in Ubuntu and Debian-based Linux Distributions

Go to the download page of Discord and download the deb file.

Keep in mind that, Discord is only available for 64-bit systems.

Download the Deb file of Discord from official website
Download Discord for Linux

Installing deb file is easy โ€” double-click on it to open it in the software manager and install it from there. You may also install and use the Gdebi tool for this purpose.

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If you are on Ubuntu 22.04, the deb file may open in the archive manager instead of Software Center. Check how to open the deb file in Software Center.

It will take a few seconds to install, and you should see a login screen like this:

Discord Login Screen in Ubuntu
Discord Login Screen

Once you are logged in, you should have full desktop integration. It shows a red notification badge next to its icon in the top panel when you have unseen messages.

App indicator indicating new unread messages of Discord
Discord in System Tray
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If you don't see the system tray icon, try enabling the top indicator panel or check existing GNOME extensions to see if you have disabled/tweaked something for the top panel.

You can also see the number of unread notifications in the launcher:

Discord notification number displayed in Dock
Discord notification in Dock

Updating Discord

The problem with this approach is that though youโ€™ll have the latest Discord version, it wonโ€™t automatically be updated to a newer version.

When a new update is available, it will notify you to download the new version.

Discord notifies about update
Discord update available

When you hit the download button, it downloads a new deb file. Now, hereโ€™s how things get interesting. When you double-click this deb file, it will open in Software Center but will ask you to delete Discord first.

Delete the existing version of Discord first, to update to the newest version
Remove the Discord installed

You must delete it first and then double-click the newly downloaded deb file again to install the new version.

Donโ€™t worry. You wonโ€™t have to log in again. But this way of updating could confuse people.

Removing Discord

You can either uninstall it from the software center or use this command in the terminal:

sudo apt remove discord
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Pressing Ctrl and / keys gives in Discord (in the typing area) will present you with keyboard shortcuts, which could be useful for quick interactions.

Method 3: Installing Discord in other Linux Distributions (intermediate to advanced level)

Discord also provides a generic installer for using Discord on Linux. It comes in the traditional tar.gz file.

If you go for this way of installing Discord on Linux, you should have at least a moderate understanding of Linux directory structure and commands. You must also be comfortable using the terminal because this method involves using the terminal all the way.

If you use Arch-based distros, follow our guide on installing Discord on Arch Linux (and its derivatives).

Step 1: Download Discord for Linux

First, download the tar.gz file from Discordโ€™s website.

Download the TAR file of Discord from Official Discord website
Download Discord TAR File
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I am using Discord version 0.0.27 in the tutorial. Your file name may or may not be different. Please pay attention to it.

Step 2: Extract the downloaded file to opt directory

Go to the directory where you have downloaded the file. Use the tar command to extract the tar.gz file in the /opt directory.

sudo tar -xvzf discord-0.0.27.tar.gz -C /opt
Extract the tar.gz file of Discord to /opt directory, and then list the directory to confirm it
Extract the TAR File

Traditionally, the /opt directory is used for installing/keeping files of optional or additional Linux software. Since you opted for the traditional way, it only makes sense to use the traditional convention.

Step 3: Create a Discord command in bin directory

Now you should have /opt/Discord directory with files related to Discord. You should have two important files to tackle here. A binary file named Discord and a desktop file named discord.desktop.

Now, you should create a symbolic link to this binary file in /usr/bin directory.

sudo ln -sf /opt/Discord/Discord /usr/bin/Discord

The /usr/bin directory contains the binary executables for commands in your system. This way, any user can run the commands anywhere in the system.

Step 4: Create a desktop icon and menu entry

You have Discord available as a command for all users on the system. But you cannot find it in the system menu to launch it graphically.

For that, youโ€™ll have to use the discord.desktop file located in the extracted folder in the opt directory.

You should pay attention to two lines here: Exec and Icon.

The Exec is for an executable file, and you can set it to /usr/bin/Discord. The Icon is for the image of Discord that will be displayed when you search for Discord in the menu. You can set it to the /opt/Discord/discord.png. This image is present in the extracted folder.

You can use nano editor with sudo for editing this file or whichever terminal-based text editor you prefer. Your discord.desktop may look something like this:

Edit the discord.desktop file to change the executable and icon location
Edit the desktop file

Your discord.desktop file is still in the /opt/Discord directory. You need to move it to /usr/share/applications directory so that your system can access this desktop entry.

sudo cp -r /opt/Discord/discord.desktop /usr/share/applications

Normally, you should see Discord added to the list of available applications in the menu immediately. If not, log out and log in again.

Step 5: Run Discord

You are done. Now, if you search for Discord, you will find it in the menu.

Discord appears in the system menu
Discord in Menu

As usual, when you launch it for the first time, Discord will apply some updates and initialize to get started.

Discord initial setup and configuration
Discord initial configuration

After that, it should bring you to the login screen. And, then you can log in to your account.

Discord Login Screen in Ubuntu
Discord Login Screen
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If there is a new version of Discord in the future, youโ€™ll have to remove the installed version and repeat the procedure with the latest version.

Removing Discord the traditional way

It would be unfair to just discuss how to install Discord. Let me give you some pointers about removing it as well.

When you install Discord on Linux, it saves the config file in .config/discord folder in your home directory. Delete these files:

rm -r ~/.config/discord

Next, remove the Discord directory from the /opt directory:

sudo rm -rf /opt/Discord

Also delete the symbolic link you had created:

sudo rm /usr/bin/Discord

As the last step, remove the desktop file:

sudo rm /usr/share/applications/discord.desktop

Suggested Read ๐Ÿ“–

10 Best Open Source Bots for Your Discord Server
Looking for open-source Discord bots to boost the functionality of your Discord server? We have curated this list for you.

Wrapping Up

Did you manage to install Discord on Linux? Which method did you use?

The traditional method is somewhat complicated, but at least this way, you can install it on any Linux distribution if you don't have luck with other methods.

Also, I recommend checking out our list of open source bots for Discord to help you better manage your server.

๐Ÿ’ฌ Share your thoughts on this guide. And let us know how you use Discord in your life.

About the author
Abhishek Prakash

Abhishek Prakash

Created It's FOSS 11 years ago to share my Linux adventures. Have a Master's degree in Engineering and years of IT industry experience. Huge fan of Agatha Christie detective mysteries ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ

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