How to Install a DEB File in Linux
A file ending with “.deb” is called a Debian Software Package file, and it’s used to install apps on Linux.- Community submission by Editor (9to6linux) on
So, you finally installed Linux and when downloading your favorite app you got a file with the “.deb” extension. Now what? In this article, let’s look at the two ways you can easily install apps using DEB files on Linux.
A file ending with “.deb” is called a Debian Software Package file, and it’s used to install apps on Linux. DEB files are used only in Debian-based Linux distributions like Ubuntu and its various flavors, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint, and others. That means distributions based on Arch or Fedora won’t be able to install it.
If you’re coming to Linux after using Windows for a long time, you might be tempted to think of DEB files as similar to EXE files. A file that ends with “.exe” is a Windows executable file used to install and run Windows programs. However, it’s not the same as a DEB file. EXE files come with pre-compiled source code, whereas you need an application to install DEB files, compile the file’s contents, and install it on Linux.