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Installing GUI Apps with Flatpak (Linux)

Flatpak is a universal package system for Linux. It’s especially useful for installing GUI applications that may not be available—or up to date—in your distro’s repositories. Flatpak apps run in a sandboxed environment with all required dependencies bundled in.

Step 1: Install Flatpak​

  • On Debian/Ubuntu:

    sudo apt install flatpak

  • On Fedora (usually preinstalled):

    sudo dnf install flatpak

Verify Flatpak is installed with:

flatpak --version

Step 2: Enable Flathub (Main App Store)​

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

Flathub is the central repository where most Flatpak apps are published.

Step 3: Find and Install Apps​

You can browse and search for Flatpak apps on Flathub.org.

For example:

  • Firefox (latest release):

    flatpak install flathub org.mozilla.firefox

  • GIMP (image editor):

    flatpak install flathub org.gimp.GIMP

To search directly from the terminal:

flatpak search <app-name>

Step 4: Run Flatpak Apps​

Installed Flatpak apps appear in your system menu. You can also launch them from the terminal:

flatpak run org.mozilla.firefox

Step 5: Update Flatpak Apps​

Keep apps up to date with:

flatpak update

Extra Tips​

  • List all installed Flatpak apps:

    flatpak list

  • Uninstall an app:

    flatpak uninstall <ApplicationID>

  • Remove unused runtimes (free disk space):

    flatpak uninstall --unused

  • Manage app permissions with Flatseal (GUI):

    flatpak install flathub com.github.tchx84.Flatseal

  • Enable GNOME Software integration (Debian/Ubuntu):

    sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

This lets you browse and install Flatpak apps directly from the Software Center.

Flatpak provides a modern, secure, and cross-distro way to install GUI apps—especially those that need the newest versions or aren’t packaged by your distribution.

More info: Flatpak Documentation | Flathub