Signal is a powerful, cross-platform messaging application that aims to provide a secure and private way to communicate. This article will show you how you can install the privacy-preserving Signal Messenger as a desktop app in Linux.
Why Use Signal to Send Private Messages in Linux
One of the biggest selling points of Signal over other messenger apps is that every message on the platform is encrypted by default. This means that it’s impossible for anyone, including the Signal developers, to read your messages and listen to your conversations.
As such, linking your Signal mobile client to your Linux machine allows you to take advantage of the same “end-to-end” encryption on the desktop. Not only that, Signal also synchronizes your conversations between your mobile client and the desktop. This makes it very easy to move between your phone and desktop while talking to other Signal users.
Tip: learn how you can fix Signal when it’s not working properly for your device.
Install Signal from the Developer’s Repository
The most common way to install Signal in Linux is to fetch the binary package from the developer’s repository. This ensures that you will always get the latest version of Signal as soon as it goes out.
Note: The following steps will only work if you’re using a Debian-based Linux distro.
To start, fetch the repository signing key for Signal’s official apt repository:
curl -fsSL https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt/keys.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg
Create a new repository file for your Signal client:
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/signal.list
Paste the following line of code inside your new repository file:
deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg] https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt xenial main
Save your repository file, then reload your machine’s repository listings:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Install the Signal desktop client through apt:
sudo apt install signal-desktop
Open the Signal Messenger app through your system’s application launcher.
Go to your phone’s Signal app, then tap your profile’s user icon on the main screen’s upper left corner.
Select the Linked Devices category.
Tap the plus (+) button on the page’s lower right corner, then scan the QR code on your Signal Desktop’s screen.
Select Link device to connect the current Signal session on your phone to your desktop.
Provide a name for your Signal Desktop app, then click Finish linking phone. This will be the name of your desktop client on your mobile app’s Linked Devices list.
Tip: learn how you can fix broken Linux packages on Ubuntu.
Install Signal from Flathub
Aside from installing Signal from your system’s default repository, you can also obtain the app through Flatpak’s Flathub. This is useful if you want to use Signal on Fedora, RHEL, as well as other CentOS-compatible systems.
Start by installing Flatpak on your system:
sudo apt install flatpak gnome-software-plugin-flatpak
Enable the Flathub repository on your Flatpak installation:
sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
Apply your new repository by restarting your system.
Open a new terminal session, then run the following command to install Signal through Flatpak:
sudo flatpak install flathub org.signal.Signal
Test if your Signal desktop client is working properly by booting it up:
sudo flatpak run org.signal.SignalConnect your Signal Mobile client to your Linux machine by scanning its QR code on the Signal Desktop app.
Tip: learn how you can enable and use Flatpak on Fedora Linux.
Install Signal from Snap
Snap is a powerful alternative package manager from Canonical that allows you to install applications straight from the graphical Ubuntu Store. This makes it incredibly easy if you’re using Ubuntu and you want to install Signal without using the command line.
Begin by clicking the Ubuntu Software icon on your system’s left sidebar.
Click the magnifying glass icon on the window’s upper left corner.
Type “signal messenger” on the search box, then press Enter.
Select Signal Desktop on the app search results.
Click Install to fetch Signal for your system.
Open your system’s application launcher, then click the Signal Messenger’s icon to open the desktop client.
Link your Signal Mobile client to your desktop app by scanning the QR code on the screen.
FYI: learn the biggest differences between Flathub and the Snap store.
How to Uninstall Signal Messenger in Linux
To uninstall Signal from your desktop, you need to unlink your Signal Mobile app to the Linux client, and then remove it from your machine.
First, click File -> Preferences on the Signal Desktop’s menu bar.
Click the Privacy category on the Preferences window’s left sidebar.
Scroll to the bottom of the Privacy category, then click the Delete Data button beside the Delete Application Data label.
Remove all the program files associated with Signal. The command that you need to run will depend on how you installed Signal on your computer.
If you’ve installed Signal through apt, run the following command:
sudo apt purge signal-desktop sudo apt autoremove
Meanwhile, the following will remove the Signal Desktop app on Flatpak:
sudo flatpak uninstall --delete-data org.signal.Signal
Lastly, this command will completely remove Signal on Snap-based systems:
sudo snap remove signal-desktop --purge
Installing the Signal Desktop app, linking it to your Signal Mobile app, and completely removing it from your machine are just the first steps in ensuring your privacy online. Learn how you can protect yourself online by securing your Android phone.
Image credit: Firmbee.com via Unsplash and Wikimedia Commons. All alterations and screenshots by Ramces Red.
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