How to Setup and Install Flatpak on Chromebook

You are at the right place if you are looking for detailed instructions on how to setup and install Flatpak Linux package manager on your Chromebook.

In my previous posts, I have discussed Flatpak and Flathub in greater details but for the sake of those that may be willing to setup and install Flatpak Linux applications package manager on their Linux PCs, I have decided to discuss it, one after another; how to setup Flatpak Linux applications manager on your Linux PC.

In this post, I would be providing you with step by step instructions on how to install Flatpak package manager on your Chromebook but first, the introduction.

What is Flatpak?

As was defined in one of my previous post, Flatpak can be referred to as a quick and easy to install package manager for Linux distributions which uses Flathub as a platform for distributing these applications.

Why Should You Install Flatpak On Your Chromebook?

In simple terms, because through Flatpak, you can browse, access, install and manage several hundreds of Linux applications on your Chromebook.

But I Can Install Linux Applications Directly on My Chromebook Anyways, What's the Need for Flatpak?

If you are already familiar with software installation on Linux desktop environment, most likely; you are aware that different Linux flavours package their software differently. Let's take the Debian and the Red Hat-based Linux distributions for example. You should know that they all have their own package management system. Ubuntu and other Debian distributions use the .deb package extension to build packages while Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS, and other Red Hat-based Linux use the .rpm package extension to build packages.

Although you can use command-line based method to install applications on your Chromebook, it is not always a reliable method of installing applications on Linux - I am sure you are aware of that already.

If you are a fan of using command-line based method of installing Linux applications on your Chromebook, you should have at one time found yourself in situations when you have incomplete installations which is often due to either of these reasons:

• When the command-line contains a broken URL or a server address, or a repository link.

• When there is an unstable repository link, you may also experience failure when installing a package on your Linux PC using this method

• Another thing is, the native package manager might fail to download packages from the repository server due to geo-location restrictions

So, to eliminate all these possibilities, software developers have built tools like Flatpak which does not only give you a hundred percent straightforward software installation experience on your Linux PCs such as Chromebook, it also gives you, from time to time; rock-solid stable and the latest packages on its distribution platform known as Flathub. Thus; you'll always have the latest Linux software programs to install on your Chromebook because they are pushed to your Chromebook and the Flatpak package manager alerts you to update the programs however, you may choose to ignore the updates.

So, how can you install Flatpak on your Chromebook?

How to Install Flatpak on Chromebook

1. Enable Linux Support on your Chromebook

   Because Linux support is not enabled on Chromebooks by default, the first thing you need to do is to enable Linux support on your Chromebook. However, if you have enabled Linux support for your Chromebook already, you may skip this step and proceed to the step two just below this.

   
   

   To enable Linux support for your Chromebook;

   1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, click on the time.

   2. Now, click on the gear which is also known as the settings icon.

   3. From the next page, scroll down till you see Advanced and click it then, click Developers.

   4. Now, next to "Linux development environment" then, select Turn On.

   5. Now, Chrome OS would need to download and install Linux. Just follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

   6. Once the Linux setup is successfully done, a terminal window automatically opens. Congratulations! You now have a Debian 10 (Buster) environment on your Chromebook. You can run Linux commands, install more tools using the APT package manager, and customize your shell.

   Okay. Now that that has been successfully done, you may now proceed to the next steps.

   
   

2. Launch a Linux Terminal

   Remember that after a successful setup of Linux on your Chromebook, a Linux terminal automatically popped up. Good. If you have yet clossed that terminal window, you may continue with that otherwise; open another terminal window.

   
   

   To do that, you can simply press the Search/Launcher key, type "Terminal" in the search bar, and then; launch the Terminal app.

   
   

3. Install Flatpak on your Chromebook

   Now, copy the line of codes below and paste it in the terminal window.

   
   

   sudo apt install flatpak

   
   

   And then, press the enter key.

   
   

4. Add the Flathub Repository to your List

   Flathub is the place to be whenever you need to either download any Linux apps for your Linux PC or, whenever you need to distribute an app or as many apps as you want to a large Linux users.

   
   

   Flathub is powered by Flatpak which allows Flathub apps to run on almost any Linux distribution. Thus, with Flatpak, any application installed on any Linux distro can be installed on as many as up to twenty-nine Linux distros.

   
   

   To add Flathub repository, again, copy the line of codes below and paste it in the terminal window.

   
   

   flatpak --user remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

   
   

   Then, press the enter key.

   
   

5. Finally, Restart to Complete the Setup

   To complete setup, restart Linux. You can do this by simply right-clicking on the terminal window, and then click "Shut down Linux".

   
   

   Congratulations! Flatpak is now installed and setup on your Chromebook. You may now proceed to installing as many linux applications as you want on your Chromebook.

   
   

Got Some Questions or Issues to Discuss?

Use the comment box below and ask your questions, give your opinions on this topic or relay your issues and I assure you that I'll be glad to help.