How to Install Terminator Terminal on Ubuntu

Terminator is a GTK-based terminal emulator that puts multiple shells in one window—split panes, tabs, saved layouts, and broadcast typing across terminals. Ubuntu ships it in the universe repository as the terminator package; no separate download or legacy Software Center link is required (Ask Ubuntu).

This guide shows how to install Terminator on Ubuntu, verify the package, launch it on a desktop session, set it as the default x-terminal-emulator, use essential shortcuts, manage ~/.config/terminator/config, and fix common install and DISPLAY errors. Commands below were tested on Ubuntu 25.04.

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

Quick command summary

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, or newer (25.04 tested here) on amd64.
• sudo for system package installation.
• universe repository enabled (standard desktop installs include it).
• A graphical desktop session (GNOME, KDE, etc.) to launch Terminator—headless servers and plain SSH shells cannot run it without X11/Wayland forwarding.
• software-properties-common only if you add the optional PPA (add-apt-repository).

What you are installing

Dependencies pulled in automatically include python3-gi, python3-vte bindings (gir1.2-vte-2.91), python3-psutil, and GTK 3 libraries—no manual Python pip step for the apt package.

Choose an install method

Step 1: Install Terminator from apt (recommended)

Refresh indexes and inspect the candidate before installing:

sudo apt update
apt-cache policy terminator

Example on Ubuntu 25.04:

terminator:
 Installed: (not installed)
 Candidate: 2.1.4-4
 Version table:
 2.1.4-4 500
 500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu plucky/universe amd64 Packages

Install with apt:

sudo apt install -y terminator

This is the same workflow described in Ask Ubuntu #829045 (sudo apt-get update / sudo apt-get install terminator—apt install is the modern equivalent).

Verify:

which terminator
dpkg -l terminator

/usr/bin/terminator
ii terminator 2.1.4-4 all multiple GNOME terminals in one window

On a system where Terminator was already installed, apt-cache policy shows:

terminator:
 Installed: 2.1.4-4
 Candidate: 2.1.4-4
 Version table:
 *** 2.1.4-4 500
 500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu plucky/universe amd64 Packages
 100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Step 2: Launch Terminator on a desktop session

From the application menu: search for Terminator and click the icon.

From a terminal on your desktop:

terminator

Headless / SSH without display (expected failure):

terminator --version

You need to run terminator in an X environment. Make sure $DISPLAY is properly set

That message is normal on servers and CI VMs without a GUI. Terminator is not a replacement for tmux or GNU Screen over plain SSH.

Remote desktop with X11 forwarding (only when you have configured xauth and X11Forwarding yes):

ssh -X user@remote-host
terminator

For day-to-day SSH administration, stay on your default terminal or tmux; use Terminator on the local Ubuntu desktop.

Step 3: Set Terminator as the default terminal

The apt package registers Terminator as an x-terminal-emulator alternative. List options:

update-alternatives --list x-terminal-emulator

/usr/bin/gnome-terminal.wrapper
/usr/bin/terminator

After installing Terminator on Ubuntu 25.04, auto mode may already prefer it:

x-terminal-emulator - auto mode
 link best version is /usr/bin/terminator
 link currently points to /usr/bin/terminator
/usr/bin/gnome-terminal.wrapper - priority 40
/usr/bin/terminator - priority 50

To choose manually (menus, xdg-open terminal hooks, some IDEs):

sudo update-alternatives --config x-terminal-emulator

Select the number beside /usr/bin/terminator.

Step 4: Split panes, tabs, and essential shortcuts

Once Terminator is open, use these default keybindings:

Window and pane management

Tabs

Copy, search, zoom

Right-click inside the window → Preferences to change profiles, fonts, colors, and layouts graphically.

Step 5: Configuration file

Terminator stores per-user settings in:

~/.config/terminator/config

As on a fresh apt install in this test environment, the directory does not exist until the first GUI launch:

ls: cannot access '/home/user/.config/terminator': No such file or directory

After you open Terminator once from the desktop, the file holds layouts, profiles, plugins, and custom keybindings. Copy a known-good config between machines:

cp ~/.config/terminator/config ~/terminator-config-backup

For theme inspiration, community color schemes can be pasted into the [profiles] section—edit the file only when you are comfortable with INI-style syntax; use the GUI for routine changes.

Step 6: Install a newer build from the Terminator Team PPA (optional)

On Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04, when universe ships an older 2.1.x and you need the current upstream stable, add the maintained PPA (Ask Ubuntu #1006448):

sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome-terminator/ppa -y
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y terminator

Check the source:

apt-cache policy terminator

On Ubuntu 25.04, universe already provides 2.1.4-4—adding the PPA usually gives no meaningful version gain and introduces a third-party source. Prefer apt universe unless you have a specific upstream fix only in the PPA.

Do not use obsolete PPAs from older threads:

• ppa:mattrose/terminator — superseded
• ppa:gnome-terminator/nightly-gtk3 — removed / broken on modern releases

To return to the Ubuntu archive package after using the PPA:

sudo apt install -y ppa-purge
sudo ppa-purge ppa:gnome-terminator/ppa

Step 7: Build from upstream source (advanced)

Upstream documents manual install in INSTALL.md. Use this only when you need unreleased git changes:

sudo apt install -y python3-gi python3-cairo python3-psutil gir1.2-gtk-3.0 gir1.2-vte-2.91
git clone https://github.com/gnome-terminator/terminator.git
cd terminator
cp ./data/terminator.appdata.xml.in ./data/terminator.appdata.xml
cp ./data/terminator.desktop.in ./data/terminator.desktop
sudo ./setup.py install

Remove an apt-installed copy first (sudo apt purge terminator) to avoid duplicate menu entries. Prefer apt or the PPA for reproducible desktop systems.

Uninstall

Remove the package:

sudo apt purge -y terminator
sudo apt autoremove -y

Remove personal settings (layouts, profiles):

rm -rf ~/.config/terminator

Back up first if you might restore:

cp -r ~/.config/terminator ~/terminator-backup

Confirm removal:

dpkg-query -W -f='${binary:Package} ${Status}\n' terminator 2>/dev/null || echo "terminator is not installed"

Troubleshooting

References

• Ask Ubuntu: How do I install Terminator?
• Ask Ubuntu: How to install the latest version of Terminator?
• Terminator upstream — INSTALL.md
• Terminator project site
• On-site: apt command, sudo command, tmux cheat sheet

Summary

The reliable way to install Terminator on Ubuntu is sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y terminator from universe. That places /usr/bin/terminator on your system, registers the x-terminal-emulator alternative, and on Ubuntu 25.04 delivers 2.1.4-4. Confirm with which terminator and dpkg -l terminator, then launch from the application menu or terminator on a desktop session.

Use Ctrl+Shift+O and Ctrl+Shift+E for horizontal and vertical splits, save layouts via Preferences or ~/.config/terminator/config, and set the default terminal with update-alternatives --config x-terminal-emulator. Add ppa:gnome-terminator/ppa only on older LTS releases when universe lags; skip Snap/Flatpak and obsolete PPAs for routine installs.