Claude Desktop on Linux (beta)
Install and update the Claude desktop app on Ubuntu and Debian
The desktop app on Linux gives you the same Chat, Cowork, and Claude Code experience as macOS and Windows: parallel sessions, visual diff review, an integrated terminal and editor, and live app preview. See Use Claude Code Desktop for the full feature reference.
Requirements
- Ubuntu 22.04 or later, or Debian 12 or later
- x86_64 or arm64
Other Debian-based distributions that meet these requirements may work but aren't officially tested.
Install
Install from Anthropic's apt repository so that updates arrive through your system's regular package updates. Open a terminal and run the commands in each step.
Add Anthropic's apt repository
This step downloads the signing key with curl, which fresh Debian and Ubuntu installations may not include. If the download command fails with sudo: curl: command not found, install curl first:
sudo apt install curl
Download Anthropic's signing key:
sudo curl -fsSLo /usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-archive-keyring.asc https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-desktop/key.asc
Register the repository:
echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-archive-keyring.asc] https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-desktop/apt/stable stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-desktop.list
Install the package
sudo apt update && sudo apt install claude-desktop
Launch and sign in
Launch Claude from your application launcher, or run claude-desktop from a terminal, and sign in with your Anthropic account.
The Linux app signs in the same way as on macOS and Windows: with a claude.ai subscription, or through your organization's SSO. Desktop doesn't accept a Claude Console API key directly; use the CLI for API-key authentication. For enterprise deployments that route Desktop to Google Cloud's Agent Platform or an LLM gateway, see the enterprise configuration guide and network configuration.
Verify the signing key
You can confirm the downloaded signing key belongs to Anthropic:
gpg --show-keys /usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-archive-keyring.asc
The fingerprint should be 31DD DE24 DDFA B679 F42D 7BD2 BAA9 29FF 1A7E CACE.
Install from a downloaded file
If you can't install through the apt repository, download the .deb package directly from the repository's package pool. This command looks up the newest package for your architecture in the repository index, then downloads it to the current directory:
curl -fLO "https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-desktop/apt/stable/$(curl -s "https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-desktop/apt/stable/dists/stable/main/binary-$(dpkg --print-architecture)/Packages" | grep '^Filename: pool/main/c/claude-desktop/claude-desktop_' | sort -V | tail -n 1 | cut -d' ' -f2)"
If the command fails with Remote file name has no length, the lookup returned no package path. This can mean the repository index couldn't be fetched, for example when your network blocks downloads.claude.ai, or that no package exists for your architecture. Confirm that your network can reach downloads.claude.ai and that dpkg --print-architecture prints amd64 or arm64; the repository doesn't publish packages for other architectures.
Then open the downloaded file with your software installer, such as GNOME Software, or install it with apt from the directory that contains the downloaded file:
sudo apt install ./claude-desktop_*.deb
If apt reports E: Unsupported file ./claude-desktop_*.deb given on commandline, the pattern didn't match a .deb file in the current directory. Confirm the download completed, then run the command again from the directory that contains the file.
A .deb installed this way doesn't receive updates. To get updates through apt, register the repository from the Add Anthropic's apt repository step. The package also writes a commented-out repository entry to /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-desktop.list; uncommenting its deb line is equivalent.
Update
The desktop app doesn't update itself on Linux. Updates arrive with your system's regular package updates:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Your distribution's graphical software updater will also pick up new versions.
Uninstall
sudo apt remove claude-desktop
This removes the signing key along with the app, so if you added the repository entry during install, remove it too:
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-desktop.list
Troubleshoot
Unable to locate package claude-desktop
If sudo apt install claude-desktop fails with E: Unable to locate package claude-desktop, apt didn't find the repository you added. Check the following:
- Confirm the repository entry was written.
cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-desktop.listshould show thedebline from the Add Anthropic's apt repository step. If the file is empty or missing, run that step again. - Confirm your architecture is supported.
dpkg --print-architectureshould printamd64orarm64. The repository doesn't publish packages for other architectures. - Run
sudo apt updateagain and check its output for errors related todownloads.claude.ai. A network or key error there means the repository was added but couldn't be reached or verified.
If the repository is in place and reachable and the package is still not found, install from a downloaded file instead.
What's not in the Linux beta yet
- Computer Use: app and screen control isn't available on Linux.
- Dictation: voice input isn't available in the Linux desktop app. Use voice dictation in the CLI instead.
- Quick Entry global hotkey: works on X11. On native Wayland it requires your desktop environment's GlobalShortcuts portal.
- Fedora and RHEL: only Debian-based distributions are supported today. Support for additional distributions is coming in the future.
For anything not yet available in the desktop app, the CLI runs the same Claude Code engine and supports a wider range of Linux distributions; see the system requirements.