On Windows, people are accustomed to downloading app installers from a web browser. This is not the standard way to install apps on Ubuntu, but it has been an option more-or-less from the beginning.
Instead of the EXE format, Ubuntu apps have traditionally come as DEBs that you could double-click to install. But if you attempt to double-click a DEB file in Ubuntu 23.10, you will be greeted with an error. It won’t work.
Fortunately, you aren’t entirely out of luck.
How to Install DEBs Using GDebi
GDebi is a standalone app for installing DEBs. you may find it by opening App Center and searching for “GDebi.” You won’t see any results at first. That’s because, by default, App Center only shows apps thatare available in the Snap format.
To change this, you need to change the filter in the search results to show Debian packages. Then “GDebi” will appear.
Select the app and hit theInstallbutton.
Now you may install DEBs you’ve downloaded from a browser, so return to the folder containing the DEB you attempted to install before. When you double-click it, instead of error message, you should see GDebi open and go through the installation process.
Install DEBs Using the Terminal
If you only plan to install one DEB you’ve downloaded and don’t see yourself doing it again, you don’t need to install extra software for the job. Ubuntu still comes with everything you need, assuming you’re willing to use the command line.
You will use thedpkgcommand, a tool used for installing, listing, and removing DEB packages.
To install the package, run the command below, being sure to change the location to match the location of your DEB:
That’s it!
Do You Need to Install DEBs in Ubuntu?
For most software, no. Like on your phone, the standard way to get software on Linux is from an app store or something very similar known as a package manager. Installing DEBs manually isn’t recommended, the same way sideloading APKs on Android invites security risks,
But some prominent companies make DEBs available as an officially supported way to install software, as is the case with Google Chrome and Discord. To break this installation method is not a good look, especially for newcomers, and hopefully Canonical has resolved the issue by the time the next version of Ubuntu lands in April 2024.
