How to Install Android Studio on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

Keeping Android tooling current matters on Ubuntu because emulator fixes, Gradle support, and IDE updates move faster than many ordinary desktop packages. If you want to install Android Studio on Ubuntu, the strongest choices right now are Flathub for the newest packaged build, the Maarten Fonville PPA for an APT-managed path, or Snap if you already rely on Snap and do not mind its stable channel trailing upstream.

Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04 all need an external package source for Android Studio. The IDE is not currently available in Ubuntu’s default repositories on those releases, and it still needs an active graphical session even though every method below installs from a terminal. Google also publishes an official Linux tar.gz on the Android Studio download page, but the packaged methods here are easier to update and remove on Ubuntu.

Install Android Studio on Ubuntu

Refresh Ubuntu’s package metadata before you add a repository or install a large developer tool:

sudo apt update

These commands use sudo for system-wide changes. If your account does not have sudo access yet, follow this guide to add a new user to sudoers on Ubuntu before continuing.

Three maintained installation paths are worth considering on Ubuntu:

Method	Channel	Version	Updates	Best For
Flatpak	Flathub	Newest current release	Managed with flatpak update	Users who want one current package across Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04
PPA (APT)	Launchpad PPA	Current stable via APT	Managed with apt	Users who want APT-based updates and native menu integration
Snap	Snapcraft	Older stable on latest/stable	Automatic via Snap	Users who already prefer Snap and want the simplest desktop install

• Pick Flatpak if you want the newest packaged release across all supported Ubuntu LTS versions.
• Pick the PPA if you prefer APT commands and want Android Studio managed with your usual package workflow.
• Pick Snap only if you already use Snap heavily and are comfortable with the stable channel lagging behind the current Flathub and PPA builds.

Install Android Studio from Flathub

Flathub currently carries the newest packaged Android Studio build in this guide, but Ubuntu does not ship Flatpak by default. If flatpak is not installed yet, follow this guide to install Flatpak on Ubuntu and add the Flathub remote first.

sudo flatpak install flathub com.google.AndroidStudio -y

Android Studio needs broad access to your home directory, devices, and the network for SDK downloads, emulators, and hardware debugging, so the Flatpak sandbox is looser than a lightweight desktop utility. The advantage is that you still get one current package path across every Ubuntu release in scope.

Verify the installed Flatpak with:

flatpak info com.google.AndroidStudio

Relevant output includes:

Android Open Source Project - IDE for Android app development

          ID: com.google.AndroidStudio
         Ref: app/com.google.AndroidStudio/x86_64/stable
        Arch: x86_64
      Branch: stable
     Version: 2025.3.3.6
      Origin: flathub
Installation: system

Install Android Studio from the PPA

The Maarten Fonville PPA gives you an APT-managed package that currently resolves on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04. It tracks newer releases than the Snap stable channel, but it is still a third-party repository rather than an Ubuntu default package.

Minimal Ubuntu images can be missing add-apt-repository. If that command is not available on your system, install the helper first:

sudo apt install software-properties-common -y

Add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:maarten-fonville/android-studio -y

Relevant output includes:

Get:17 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/maarten-fonville/android-studio/ubuntu resolute InRelease [20.3 kB]
Get:18 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/maarten-fonville/android-studio/ubuntu resolute/main amd64 Packages [884 B]
Get:19 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/maarten-fonville/android-studio/ubuntu resolute/main Translation-en [292 B]

Install the package:

sudo apt install android-studio -y

After installation, verify the package status:

apt-cache policy android-studio

Relevant output includes:

android-studio:
  Installed: 2025.2.3.9~resolute+0
  Candidate: 2025.2.3.9~resolute+0
  Version table:
 *** 2025.2.3.9~resolute+0 500
        500 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/maarten-fonville/android-studio/ubuntu resolute/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

This package downloads Google’s official Linux tar.gz into /opt during installation. It adds a desktop launcher and an /opt/android-studio symlink, but it does not place android-studio on your PATH.

After installation, verify the launcher path instead of expecting a shell command:

ls -d /opt/android-studio /usr/share/applications/android-studio.desktop

Relevant output includes:

/opt/android-studio
/usr/share/applications/android-studio.desktop

Install Android Studio from Snap

Snap is the quickest path on a standard Ubuntu desktop because Snap is already available there, but the stable channel currently trails the Flathub and PPA builds. The package is also maintained by the Snapcrafters community rather than by Google.

sudo snap install android-studio --classic

The --classic flag gives Android Studio the broad filesystem and toolchain access it needs for SDK management, emulators, and device debugging.

Verify the installed Snap with:

snap list android-studio

Relevant output includes:

Name            Version                Rev  Tracking       Publisher      Notes
android-studio  2025.1.3.7-wallpapers  209  latest/stable  snapcrafters*  classic

Android Studio bundles its own JDK, so you do not need Java just to open the IDE. If you also need a system JDK for command-line Gradle builds or other Android tooling, follow these guides to install OpenJDK 21 on Ubuntu and set the Java environment path on Ubuntu.

Launch Android Studio on Ubuntu

Launch Android Studio from the Terminal

The launch command depends on the method you installed. Flatpak uses the app ID, the PPA build lives under /opt/android-studio, and the Snap exposes an android-studio command directly.

# Flatpak
flatpak run com.google.AndroidStudio

# PPA
/opt/android-studio/bin/studio.sh

# Snap
android-studio

Launch Android Studio from the Applications Menu

If you prefer the desktop launcher, open Activities, search for Android Studio, and start it from the application results.

1. Open the Activities overview from your Ubuntu desktop.
2. Type Android Studio into the search field.
3. Select the Android Studio icon to start the IDE.

Complete the Android Studio Setup Wizard

The first launch walks through Android SDK licenses, UI theme choices, and the initial SDK component download. Expect that first setup to pull down additional SDK and emulator content, so give it a stable network connection and enough free disk space for the Android toolchains you plan to install.

Once the wizard finishes, Android Studio opens at the welcome screen where you can create a new project or import an existing one. Google’s Build your first Android app codelab is a good next step if you want a current starter project after the IDE opens.

Update Android Studio on Ubuntu

Each package format uses its own update path. Snap can refresh automatically, while Flatpak and APT are usually updated when you run them explicitly or through your normal desktop update workflow.

Update the Android Studio Flatpak

Use this command when you want to pull the latest Flathub build immediately:

sudo flatpak update com.google.AndroidStudio

Update the Android Studio PPA Build

The metapackage upgrade path stays simple even though the PPA uses a versioned package behind the scenes:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade android-studio

Update the Android Studio Snap

Snap refreshes automatically, but this command forces an immediate check:

sudo snap refresh android-studio

Troubleshoot Android Studio on Ubuntu

Check KVM Acceleration for the Android Studio Emulator

If the Android Emulator starts slowly or refuses to boot accelerated images, confirm that KVM acceleration is available first:

kvm-ok

If Ubuntu reports kvm-ok: command not found, install the checker first:

sudo apt install cpu-checker -y

Relevant output includes:

INFO: /dev/kvm exists
KVM acceleration can be used

If KVM is unavailable, enable virtualization in your firmware settings or nested virtualization in your hypervisor, then install the supporting packages Android Studio expects on Ubuntu:

sudo apt install qemu-kvm libvirt-daemon-system -y

Raise Gradle Memory Limits in Android Studio

Large Android projects can exhaust the default Gradle heap. If builds are failing with memory errors, add a higher JVM heap limit to the project’s gradle.properties file:

org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx4096m

Start with 4096 MB, then increase it only if your project still runs out of memory during sync or build tasks.

Remove Android Studio from Ubuntu

Use the removal path that matches the package format you installed. Package removal gets rid of the application itself, while the last section helps you clean up optional SDK and IDE data in your home directory.

Remove the Android Studio Flatpak

For the system-scope Flatpak method used above, remove the app with:

sudo flatpak uninstall -y com.google.AndroidStudio

Verify the Flatpak is gone with:

flatpak list --app --columns=application | grep -Fx com.google.AndroidStudio || echo "Android Studio Flatpak not installed"

Relevant output includes:

Android Studio Flatpak not installed

Remove the Android Studio PPA Build

Remove the package and its automatically installed dependency, then clean up the PPA itself:

sudo apt remove --autoremove android-studio

Verify the package is no longer installed:

dpkg-query -W -f='${Package} ${Status}\n' android-studio 2>/dev/null || echo "android-studio package not installed"

Relevant output includes:

android-studio package not installed

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:maarten-fonville/android-studio -y
sudo apt update

After removing the source, confirm APT no longer sees an Android Studio candidate from that PPA:

apt-cache policy android-studio | grep -F "Candidate:" || echo "No active Android Studio candidate in APT"

Relevant output includes:

No active Android Studio candidate in APT

Remove the Android Studio Snap

Remove the Snap package with:

sudo snap remove android-studio

Verify the Snap is gone with:

snap list android-studio 2>/dev/null || echo "android-studio snap not installed"

Relevant output includes:

android-studio snap not installed

Find Android Studio User Data Before Deleting It

These directories can include downloaded SDK platforms, emulator images, and local IDE settings. Back up anything you still need before deleting them.

Because Android Studio creates most of its profile and SDK directories only after first launch, check what actually exists in your account before removing anything:

find "$HOME" -maxdepth 4 \( -path "$HOME/.android" -o -path "$HOME/Android" -o -path "$HOME/.config/Google/AndroidStudio*" -o -path "$HOME/.cache/Google/AndroidStudio*" -o -path "$HOME/.local/share/Google/AndroidStudio*" -o -path "$HOME/.var/app/com.google.AndroidStudio" -o -path "$HOME/snap/android-studio" \) -print

Relevant output can include:

/home/your-user/.android
/home/your-user/Android
/home/your-user/.config/Google/AndroidStudio2025.2
/home/your-user/.cache/Google/AndroidStudio2025.2
/home/your-user/.local/share/Google/AndroidStudio2025.2
/home/your-user/.var/app/com.google.AndroidStudio
/home/your-user/snap/android-studio

If the command prints nothing, there is no remaining Android Studio data in these common locations for that account. Delete only the paths it lists, for example:

rm -rf "$HOME/.android" "$HOME/Android"
rm -rf "$HOME"/.config/Google/AndroidStudio* "$HOME"/.cache/Google/AndroidStudio* "$HOME"/.local/share/Google/AndroidStudio*
rm -rf "$HOME/.var/app/com.google.AndroidStudio" "$HOME/snap/android-studio"

Android Studio on Ubuntu FAQ

Conclusion

Android Studio on Ubuntu is ready with a package path that matches how you prefer to manage updates, Flatpak for the newest build, the PPA for APT integration, or Snap if you already live in Snap. If you also need a system JDK outside the IDE, install OpenJDK 21 on Ubuntu and set the Java environment path on Ubuntu before you start building from the terminal.