Get Up And Running With AppImage Files
Installing applications on Linux can be straightforward or a slight headache.
I think this is especially true when it comes to installing AppImage file applications.
There are certain nuances to this process. And overlooking the finer details can definitely cause frustration.
Luckily in this article, you’ll learn how to install and setup AppImage files on Linux properly.
Let’s jump into it now…
Step 1: Download the AppImage file into your downloads folder.
For this example, we’ll be downloading as well as installing the Standard Notes AppImage file.
Step 2: Create an Applications folder in your home directory.
Within your Linux Operating system (whether that be Ubuntu, Manjaro, Mint, etc.), open up the Terminal application and enter in the following command:
mkdir ~/Applications
The mkdir command is used to create a directory (or folder).
While ~/Applications specifies the name of the directory to be created within the ~/ (home) directory.
The ~/Applications directory is where we’ll be storing the AppImage file.
You can use this directory to store other AppImage files as well.
Step 3: Move your AppImage file into the newly created Applications directory.
First we’ll list the files in the ~/Downloads directory to make sure the AppImage file we want to move is present.
Let’s open up the Terminal again. Then enter the following:
ls ~/Downloads
standard-notes-3.100.17-linux-x86_64.AppImage
Here the ls command lists out the contents inside of the ~/Downloads directory.
After confirming that our Standard Notes AppImage file exists, we’ll use the mv command to move the AppImage file from the ~/Downloads folder into the ~/Applications folder.
We can do this like so in the Terminal:
mv ~/Downloads/standard-notes-3.100.17-linux-x86_64.AppImage ~/Applications/standard-notes.AppImage
Notice that we’re renaming the AppImage file to something shorter so that it’s more readable.
Step 4: Use the chmod command to grant yourself permission to open the AppImage file.
Next, enter this command into the Terminal:
chmod +x ~/Applications/standard-notes.AppImage
This part is important.
If we don’t perform this step, you won’t be able to open the Application.
chmod indicates we’re changing the access mode for this particular file.
While the +x portion allows us to make the AppImage file executable.
Step 5: Open the AppImage application.
You can now launch the Standard Notes application within the Terminal using this command:
~/Applications/standard-notes.AppImage
Here we’re testing to see if the AppImage file actually launches.
After confirming that the AppImage file works, we can move onto the last step.
Step 6: Create a .desktop file for the AppImage application.
If you skip this step, your AppImage application won’t appear when you search for it.
That’s because the .desktop file acts as a standalone link to the AppImage application.
It helps make the AppImage file searchable basically.
Let’s start by using the touch command to create the standard-notes.desktop file inside the Terminal.
touch ~/.local/share/applications/standard-notes.desktop
Here, we’re creating the .desktop file inside ~/.local/share/applications - this is the directory location where local .desktop files are stored.
Next, you will want to open up ~/.local/share/applications/standard-notes.desktop with a text editor (i.e. Nano, Vim, VSCode, etc.)
Afterwards, copy and paste the content below into the standard-notes.desktop file.
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Standard Notes
Comment=End-to-end encrypted notes app
Exec=/home/<your_username_goes_here>/Applications/standard-notes.AppImage
Icon=standard-notes.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
StartupNotify=true
Categories=GNOME;GTK;Utility;
Lastly, edit the portion with <your_username_goes_here> with your username.
If you need help finding this information, you can enter whoami in the terminal.
You’re all done.
You’ve just learned how to install and setup AppImage file applications in Linux!
The great thing is that these steps can be used to install and setup other AppImage applications as well.
Share your thoughts…
Feel free to leave a comment about your experiences with installing AppImage files.
Were they positive or negative?
Anything else you’d like to add? Share below…