Install Telegram Desktop on Ubuntu: Snap, Official Binary, and Flatpak

Telegram Desktop is the official native client for Ubuntu when you want synced chats, channels, calls, and file sharing outside a browser tab. It is not the same as Telegram Web (web.telegram.org)—the desktop app adds notifications, a tray icon, and better media handling on GNOME, KDE, and other Linux desktops.

This guide covers how to install Telegram on Ubuntu through every path readers actually use: Snap (publisher Telegram FZ-LLC on Snapcraft), the official Linux tarball from desktop.telegram.org, and Flatpak on Flathub. I installed the Snap build on Ubuntu 25.04 and downloaded the matching tsetup.6.9.3.tar.xz archive to verify the portable layout.

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

NOTE

On Ubuntu 25.04, apt install telegram-desktop does not exist in the default archive. The must-have Ubuntu apps list calls out telegram-desktop as a Snap or vendor install—search with apt search telegram before you assume a universe package is available.

Quick command summary

Task	Command
Install via Snap (recommended)	`sudo snap install telegram-desktop`
Check Snap version	`snap list telegram-desktop`
Update Snap build	`sudo snap refresh telegram-desktop`
Download official tarball	`wget -O tsetup.tar.xz https://telegram.org/dl/desktop/linux`
Extract tarball	`tar -xf tsetup.tar.xz`
Run portable binary	`./Telegram/Telegram`
Install via Flatpak	`flatpak install flathub org.telegram.desktop`
Launch Flatpak build	`flatpak run org.telegram.desktop`
Remove Snap install	`sudo snap remove telegram-desktop`

Prerequisites

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, or newer (25.04 tested here). amd64 is the primary target; Flathub also ships aarch64.
sudo for Snap and system-wide portable installs.
A desktop session (Wayland or X11). Pure SSH servers without a display cannot launch the Qt GUI—use Telegram on your laptop or enable X11 forwarding.
snapd on Ubuntu Desktop (preinstalled on current releases). If snap is missing: sudo apt install snapd.
Outbound HTTPS to snapcraft.io, telegram.org, or flathub.org depending on the method.

Telegram Desktop vs Telegram Web

	Telegram Desktop	Telegram Web
Install	Snap, tarball, or Flatpak	Browser only
Notifications	Native desktop alerts	Browser-dependent
Offline media cache	Yes (local folder)	Limited
Best for	Daily messaging on Ubuntu	Quick access without install

Both use the same phone-number login—your chats sync through Telegram cloud once you verify the code.

Step 1: Install Telegram with Snap

Snap is the path Canonical documents on Snapcraft and the fastest on Ubuntu Desktop:

bash

sudo snap install telegram-desktop

On Ubuntu 25.04 the install finished with:

text

telegram-desktop 6.9.3 from Telegram FZ-LLC (telegram-desktop**) installed

Verify:

bash

snap list telegram-desktop
which telegram-desktop

text


Name              Version  Rev   Tracking       Publisher
telegram-desktop  6.9.3    7014  latest/stable  telegram-desktop**
/snap/bin/telegram-desktop

Launch from the app menu (Telegram) or run telegram-desktop in a terminal on a machine with a graphical session.

Snap stores profile data under ~/snap/telegram-desktop/ (revision folders plus common). The publisher connects camera, audio-record, and desktop interfaces for calls and notifications—check with snap connections telegram-desktop if a permission is blocked.

Step 2: Install the official Linux tarball (portable)

desktop.telegram.org lists Get Telegram for Linux x64—a self-contained archive, not a .deb.

Download and extract

bash


cd ~/Downloads
wget -O tsetup.tar.xz https://telegram.org/dl/desktop/linux
tar -xf tsetup.tar.xz
ls Telegram/

The redirect resolved to tsetup.6.9.3.tar.xz (~67 MB download). Extraction produced:

text

Telegram/Telegram
Telegram/Updater

The main binary is about 209 MB; the bundled Updater handles in-place upgrades when you run it from that folder.

Run without installing

bash


cd ~/Downloads/Telegram
./Telegram

Optional system-wide layout

bash

sudo mv Telegram /opt/Telegram
sudo ln -sf /opt/Telegram/Telegram /usr/local/bin/telegram-desktop

Create a .desktop launcher so the app menu picks it up:

bash


cat <<'EOF' | tee ~/.local/share/applications/telegram-portable.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=Telegram (portable)
Exec=/opt/Telegram/Telegram
Icon=telegram
Terminal=false
Categories=Network;InstantMessaging;
EOF
update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications 2>/dev/null || true

Pick one install channel for daily use—running Snap and /opt/Telegram together creates duplicate icons and separate config folders.

Step 3: Install Telegram with Flatpak

Telegram links Flatpak from the official download page. On Flathub the app ID is org.telegram.desktop (x86_64 and aarch64).

bash


sudo apt install -y flatpak
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
flatpak install flathub org.telegram.desktop

Launch:

bash

flatpak run org.telegram.desktop

Flatpak sandboxes the app; portal permissions cover camera and microphone for calls. Updates arrive through flatpak update.

Open Telegram from the app menu (Snap, Flatpak, or your .desktop entry).
Enter your phone number with country code.
Enter the verification code from SMS or the Telegram app on your phone.
Optional: set a two-step verification password if your account uses one.

After login, chats sync from the cloud. Media caches locally—use disk cleanup practices if the cache grows large on a small root volume.

How to update Telegram Desktop on Ubuntu

Install method	Update command
Snap	`sudo snap refresh telegram-desktop` (also auto-refreshes in background)
Official tarball	Re-download from `https://telegram.org/dl/desktop/linux` or run `./Updater` inside the Telegram folder
Flatpak	`flatpak update org.telegram.desktop`

Check the running Snap version anytime:

bash

snap info telegram-desktop | grep -E 'installed|stable'

text

installed:          6.9.3                           (7014) 93.6MB -
  latest/stable:    6.9.3                2026-06-13 (7014) 93.6MB -

When latest/stable moves ahead of installed, run sudo snap refresh telegram-desktop.

Uninstall Telegram

See also the general remove software on Ubuntu guide for Snap vs apt vs manual paths.

Snap:

bash

sudo snap remove telegram-desktop

Snap may keep a data snapshot; purge local state with rm -rf ~/snap/telegram-desktop when you do not need settings or cached media.

Flatpak:

bash

flatpak uninstall org.telegram.desktop

Portable tarball:

bash


sudo rm -rf /opt/Telegram
sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/telegram-desktop
rm -f ~/.local/share/applications/telegram-portable.desktop

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
`snap: command not found`	snapd not installed	`sudo apt install snapd`; log out and back in
`telegram-desktop` crashes on SSH with no display	Headless server	Run on a desktop session, or use X11 forwarding / a local machine
Qt platform plugin / Wayland errors	No compositor in session	Log into GNOME/KDE locally; try `export QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb`
Two Telegram icons in the menu	Snap + tarball + Flatpak together	Remove extras with `snap remove` or delete portable `.desktop`
`apt install telegram-desktop` not found	Package not in Ubuntu archive	Use Snap or official tarball—see must-have apps
Old version after update	Snap refresh pending	`sudo snap refresh telegram-desktop`; reboot session if menu still shows old icon
Camera or mic blocked on Snap	Interface disconnected	`snap connect telegram-desktop:camera` and `snap connect telegram-desktop:audio-record`

References

Summary

To install Telegram on Ubuntu, run sudo snap install telegram-desktop on current Desktop releases—you get 6.9.3 with automatic updates and a menu entry. When Snap is not an option, download the official tsetup tarball from desktop.telegram.org, extract Telegram/Telegram, and run it or move it to /opt/Telegram. Flatpak via org.telegram.desktop suits sandboxed setups and ARM laptops. apt does not ship the desktop client on Ubuntu 25.04—use Snap or the vendor binary. Update Snap with snap refresh, refresh the tarball through Updater or a new download, and remove with snap remove when you are done.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I install Telegram on Ubuntu?

Run sudo snap install telegram-desktop on Ubuntu Desktop when Snap is available. Alternatively download the official Linux tarball from desktop.telegram.org, extract it, and run the Telegram binary, or install org.telegram.desktop from Flathub with flatpak install flathub org.telegram.desktop.

2. Is Telegram in the Ubuntu apt repository?

On Ubuntu 25.04 apt search telegram-desktop returns no desktop client—only unrelated libtd development libraries. Use Snap, the official tarball, or Flatpak. The must-have Ubuntu apps guide on this site lists Snap as the quick path.

3. What is the easiest way to install Telegram Desktop on Ubuntu?

sudo snap install telegram-desktop is the shortest command on current Ubuntu Desktop because snapd is preinstalled. Snap updates Telegram in the background and registers a desktop menu entry automatically.

4. How do I download Telegram for Ubuntu manually?

Open desktop.telegram.org and choose Linux x64, or run wget -O tsetup.tar.xz https://telegram.org/dl/desktop/linux. Extract with tar -xf tsetup.tar.xz and run ./Telegram/Telegram from the extracted folder or copy it to /opt/Telegram.

5. How do I update Telegram Desktop on Ubuntu?

For Snap run sudo snap refresh telegram-desktop or wait for automatic refresh. For the official tarball download the latest tsetup archive again or run the bundled Updater binary inside the Telegram folder. For Flatpak use flatpak update org.telegram.desktop.

6. What is the difference between Telegram Desktop and Telegram Web?

Telegram Desktop is a native app with system notifications, tray icon, and offline cache for media. Telegram Web runs in a browser tab. Desktop is better for daily use on Ubuntu when you want a dedicated window and OS integration.

7. Can I install Telegram with Flatpak on Ubuntu?

Yes. Install flatpak and add the Flathub remote, then run flatpak install flathub org.telegram.desktop. Flathub publishes x86_64 and aarch64 builds. Pick one package channel—do not stack Snap, Flatpak, and portable tarball unless you mean to.

8. How do I uninstall Telegram from Ubuntu?

For Snap run sudo snap remove telegram-desktop. For Flatpak run flatpak uninstall org.telegram.desktop. For the portable tarball delete the Telegram folder and remove any .desktop file or symlink you created. Snap data lives under ~/snap/telegram-desktop/ if you need to wipe settings.