How to Install Joplin on Ubuntu

Joplin is a free, open-source note-taking app that stores notes as Markdown, organizes them into notebooks, and syncs across your devices with optional end-to-end encryption. It is a practical Evernote alternative on Linux—you get to-do lists, tags, attachments, a web clipper, and plugins without a subscription paywall for core features.

This guide shows how to install Joplin on Ubuntu three ways: the official install script from GitHub (AppImage under ~/.joplin), the Snap package joplin-desktop, and Flatpak from Flathub. After install you will launch the app, create a first notebook, skim sync options, and remove Joplin cleanly if you switch methods. Snap commands below were verified on Ubuntu 25.04.

Tested on: Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin); kernel 6.14.0-37-generic; amd64.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, or newer (25.04 used for Snap checks here) on amd64.
• sudo for Snap, Flatpak, and optional FUSE library installs.
• A graphical desktop (GNOME, KDE, etc.)—Joplin is a GUI note app, not a headless server tool.
• Outbound HTTPS to GitHub (official script), snapcraft.io (Snap), or flathub.org (Flatpak).

See check Ubuntu version if you are unsure which release you are on.

Choose an install method

For most Ubuntu desktops, Snap is the smoothest path—no AppImage FUSE library hunt, and the stable channel tracked v3.6.15 at the time of testing. Use the official script when you specifically want Joplin’s documented AppImage workflow or need to pin the install directory with --install-dir.

Method 1: Official Joplin install script (AppImage)

Joplin publishes a bash installer on GitHub. It downloads the latest AppImage, places it in ~/.joplin, and creates a .desktop launcher when your environment supports it.

Install wget if it is missing, then pipe the script:

wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/laurent22/joplin/dev/Joplin_install_and_update.sh | bash

The script prints a Joplin ASCII logo, downloads the AppImage, and registers ~/.local/share/applications/joplin.desktop. Re-run the same command later to update.

FUSE dependency: AppImages need FUSE. If the script stops with:

Error: Can't get libfuse2 on system, please install libfuse2

install the matching Ubuntu package, then rerun the script.

On Ubuntu 24.04 and newer (including 25.04), libfuse2 was renamed—apt-cache shows no libfuse2 candidate:

libfuse2:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: (none)
  Version table:

Install libfuse2t64 instead:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y libfuse2t64
apt-cache policy libfuse2t64

libfuse2t64:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 2.9.9-9
  Version table:
     2.9.9-9 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu plucky/universe amd64 Packages

On Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, use sudo apt install -y libfuse2.

See Joplin’s FAQ on desktop launch failures and the AppImage FUSE wiki if the AppImage still refuses to start after installing FUSE.

Method 2: Install Joplin with Snap (tested)

The community Snap joplin-desktop (publisher James Carroll) tracks upstream releases on the stable channel. Check the store metadata before installing:

snap info joplin-desktop

name:      joplin-desktop
summary:   A free, private note taking and to-do app!
publisher: James Carroll*
store-url: https://snapcraft.io/joplin-desktop
license:   AGPL-3.0-or-later
commands:
  - joplin-desktop
tracking:     latest/stable
channels:
  latest/stable:    v3.6.15 2026-06-26 (146) 174MB -
installed:          v3.6.15            (146) 174MB -

Install with apt Snap support if needed, then add the package:

sudo apt install -y snapd
sudo snap install joplin-desktop

On Ubuntu 25.04 after install:

snap list joplin-desktop
which joplin-desktop

Name            Version  Rev  Tracking       Publisher       Notes
joplin-desktop  v3.6.15  146  latest/stable  james-carroll*  -
/snap/bin/joplin-desktop

Snap refreshes automatically in the background. Manual update: sudo snap refresh joplin-desktop.

Method 3: Install Joplin with Flatpak

Flatpak installs Joplin from Flathub as net.cozic.joplin_desktop—handy when you already use Flathub for other desktop apps.

sudo apt install -y flatpak
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
flatpak install flathub net.cozic.joplin_desktop

Launch with:

flatpak run net.cozic.joplin_desktop

Flatpak sandboxes config under ~/.var/app/net.cozic.joplin_desktop/. Pick Flatpak or Snap/script for daily use—not all three.

Launch the app

First launch may take a few seconds while Electron initializes. If nothing appears, confirm you are in a graphical session (echo $DISPLAY should not be empty on X11; Wayland sessions use different variables but still need a desktop).

First notebook setup

1. Welcome screen — Joplin may offer to import from Evernote or skip; choose Skip for a clean start unless you are migrating.
2. Create a notebook — Click New notebook in the left sidebar (folder icon with +). Name it something practical (Work, Personal, Projects).
3. Add a note — Select the notebook, click New note, and type in the editor. Markdown renders in the preview pane; switch to the rich-text editor in View if you prefer WYSIWYG.
4. Optional to-do — Use New to-do for checklist items with completion checkboxes.
5. Tags — Add tags at the top of a note to filter across notebooks later.

Your notes live locally under ~/.config/joplin-desktop (Snap/native) or the Flatpak path above until you configure sync.

Sync overview

Joplin does not require a paid cloud account. Sync is optional and you pick the backend:

1. Open Tools → Options → Synchronization (or Preferences on some builds).
2. Click Open Sync Wizard and choose a target—Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, Joplin Cloud, or Filesystem (local folder for tools like Syncthing).
3. Sign in or enter server URL and credentials when prompted.
4. Click Synchronize on the toolbar (or set an interval in settings).

Install Joplin on your phone or other computers with the same sync target to mirror notebooks. Enable encryption under Tools → Options → Encryption if you want end-to-end protection on the sync target—set a master password once and reuse it on every device.

Uninstall

Official script (AppImage):

rm -rf ~/.joplin
rm -f ~/.local/share/applications/joplin.desktop
rm -f ~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/512x512/apps/joplin.png

Back up ~/.config/joplin-desktop first if it contains notes you still need.

Snap:

sudo snap remove joplin-desktop

Flatpak:

flatpak uninstall net.cozic.joplin_desktop

Remove ~/.config/joplin-desktop (Snap/script) or ~/.var/app/net.cozic.joplin_desktop (Flatpak) only when you intend to delete local note data.

Troubleshooting

References

• Joplin — install (Linux) — official script and platform notes
• Joplin — synchronization — sync targets and encryption
• Joplin desktop launch FAQ — AppImage/FUSE issues
• Joplin install script (GitHub)
• Snap Store: joplin-desktop
• Flathub: net.cozic.joplin_desktop
• On-site: apt command, wget command, must-have Ubuntu apps

Summary

The reliable way to install Joplin on Ubuntu for most desktop users is sudo snap install joplin-desktop—on 25.04 that pulled v3.6.15 from stable with no FUSE troubleshooting. The official GitHub script (wget … | bash) suits users who want the AppImage under ~/.joplin; on Ubuntu 24.04+ install libfuse2t64 when the script reports a missing libfuse2. Flatpak from Flathub is the right pick when you already manage apps there.

After install, create a notebook, optionally wire up sync under Tools → Options → Synchronization, and stick to one packaging channel so updates and config stay predictable.