Telegram is a popular messaging application that can be used on various devices. It supports sending images, files, calls, group video calls, organizing topic-based groups and channels. All these features are available in the web version, as well as in applications for Android, iOS, Windows, and Linux.
The application works quite fast and synchronizes between devices without any issues. In this article, we will look at how to install Telegram in Ubuntu 24.04 and 24.10. I will be installing the application in 24.04, but these instructions should be applicable for other versions of the distribution as well.
Table of Contents
Installing Telegram on Ubuntu 24.04
Telegram package is no longer available in the official Ubuntu repositories starting from Ubuntu 23.04 because developers have begun releasing new versions in universal Snap and Flatpak packages. The easiest and recommended way to install this application in Ubuntu is through the AppCenter, which uses Snap packages. Alternatively, you can use a PPA or download Telegram from the official website. Since the application updates quite frequently, it's better not to install the program manually from the website to receive updates automatically.
1. App Center (GUI)
Open AppCenter, type telegram in the search, and select Telegram from the list. The developer of the official Telegram client is FZ-LCC:
On the next page, click the Install button and enter your user password:
The installation may take a few minutes, but after that, you'll be able to launch the application from the main menu.
2. Snap (CLI)
You can also install the application using the same method via terminal. First, let's find the package name and version:
snap search telegram
The package is called telegram-desktop. Since this is an official package from the program developer, there is a green checkmark next to its name. To install it, run the command:
snap install telegram-desktop
3. Personal Package Archive (PPA)
If you want to use deb package, you can use the PPA repository from atareao. At the time of writing this article, it contains the same version of Telegram as in Snap. To add the repository, execute the following command:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/telegram
Press Enter to confirm adding the repository. Next, let's verify that the telegram package is available in the repository using the command:
sudo apt search telegram
And install Telegram itself:
sudo apt install telegram
After that, the application will appear in your system and will receive updates as soon as they are released by the PPA repository maintainers.
Setting Up Telegram
First of all, you cannot register from a PC. You need to have an account already created on your phone. To authorize, you need to either scan the QR code provided by the application, on another device or enter the SMS code that will be sent to your phone number. To get the QR code, click Start Messaging:
To open the scanner on your phone, open the menu, then go to Settings, followed by Devices, and click the Link Desktop Device button:
After scanning the QR code or entering the code, you will get access to all your chats and groups.
That's all about logging in. For security reasons, you can enable two-factor authentication if you haven't done so before. Then, after QR authorization, Telegram will also ask for a password. To do this, open the same Settings, then Privacy and Security and enable Two Factor Verification. After that, you'll need to enter a password and confirm it. You'll also need to provide an Email address that can be used to reset this password if you forget it.
Removing Telegram in Ubuntu
To remove the program installed via Snap package or from AppCenter from your computer, you need to execute the command:
snap remove telegram-desktop
To remove the application installed from PPA, execute the following command:
sudo apt purge telegram
Please note that removing the application from your PC does not delete your Telegram account.
Wrapping Up
In this article, we have covered how to install Telegram in Ubuntu 24.04. If you use different methods, you can run two separate Telegram applications and sign in to multiple accounts. I didn't write about installation from the official website because it's preferable to install the application from repositories to keep the system clean, and besides, in that case, you won't receive automatic updates. I also skipped Flatpak since this package format isn't supported by default. If you think this information should also be included in the article, leave a comment, and I might add it later.
