How to Install Falkon on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

Heavy browser stacks are easy to outgrow when you just want fast tabs, KDE integration, and built-in ad blocking without piling on extensions. If you want to install Falkon browser on Ubuntu, the best method depends on how new a build you want and which Ubuntu LTS release you run.

Falkon, formerly QupZilla, is KDE’s Qt WebEngine browser. The official Falkon download page routes Linux users to distribution packages, Snapcraft, and Flathub instead of a standalone AppImage or direct .deb download. Ubuntu 24.04 and 22.04 install the repository package normally, while Snap and Flathub work across Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04, with Flathub currently delivering the newest verified build.

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Install Falkon Browser on Ubuntu

Launch Falkon on Ubuntu

Update or Remove Falkon on Ubuntu

Troubleshoot Falkon on Ubuntu

Falkon on Ubuntu FAQ

Conclusion

Install Falkon Browser on Ubuntu

Start with a quick package refresh, then choose the Falkon method that matches your Ubuntu release and update preferences.

Prepare Ubuntu for Falkon

Refresh the APT package index before you install Falkon or its supporting tools.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

These commands use sudo for tasks that need root privileges. If your account does not have sudo access yet, follow the guide to add a new user to sudoers on Ubuntu before continuing.

Method	Ubuntu 26.04	Ubuntu 24.04	Ubuntu 22.04	Best For
Flathub	25.12.x	25.12.x	25.12.x	Users who want the newest verified Falkon build on every supported Ubuntu LTS release
Snap	25.08.x	25.08.x	25.08.x	Users who want automatic updates without setting up Flatpak
Ubuntu repository	25.12.x, but the current package fails to finish configuring	24.01.x	3.2.x	Users on Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 who prefer the distro package and can accept an older build

Choose Flathub when you want the newest Falkon build on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, or 22.04.
Choose Snap when you want background updates and do not need the absolute newest release.
Choose the Ubuntu repository only on Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04, where the package installs cleanly.
On Ubuntu 26.04, skip the Ubuntu repository package for now and use Snap or Flathub instead.

Install Falkon from the Ubuntu Repository

Use the Ubuntu package on Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 when you want Falkon to stay inside Ubuntu’s normal APT workflow. On Ubuntu 26.04, use Snap or Flathub instead because the current Falkon package is failing during post-install configuration.

Falkon comes from Ubuntu’s universe component. Most desktop installs already enable it, but minimal or customized systems may need to enable Universe and Multiverse in Ubuntu first.

sudo apt install falkon

Verify the Ubuntu package with APT after the install finishes.

apt-cache policy falkon

Expected output on Ubuntu 24.04 looks like this:

falkon:
  Installed: 24.01.75-1build3
  Candidate: 24.01.75-1build3
  Version table:
 *** 24.01.75-1build3 500
        500 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Ubuntu 22.04 currently installs 3.2.0+dfsg1-1, which is much older than the current Snap and Flathub builds. If you want a newer Falkon release there, switch to Snap or Flathub instead.

Install Falkon from Snap

The KDE snap works across all supported Ubuntu LTS releases and updates itself in the background. It currently trails Flathub by one release series, but it is still much newer than the Ubuntu repository build on 24.04 and 22.04.

If your Ubuntu install does not already have Snap enabled, install the daemon first.

sudo apt install snapd -y

The -y flag auto-confirms the install prompt. On standard Ubuntu desktops, this usually reports that snapd is already current.

Install Falkon from the Snap Store once snapd is ready.

sudo snap install falkon

Check the installed Snap version after the download completes.

snap list falkon

Expected output:

Name    Version  Rev  Tracking       Publisher  Notes
falkon  25.08.0  143  latest/stable  kde**      -

The kde** publisher marker shows that KDE is a verified Snap publisher.

Install Falkon from Flathub

Flathub currently provides the newest verified Falkon build on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04. It is the cleanest choice when you want the latest KDE release without depending on the Ubuntu repository package state.

Flatpak is not pre-installed on Ubuntu. If you have not set it up yet, follow the guide to install Flatpak on Ubuntu, then come back and add Flathub before installing Falkon.

Add Flathub as a system remote so Falkon is available to every user on the machine.

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

The --if-not-exists flag prevents duplicate remote errors if Flathub is already configured.

Confirm that Flathub exists at system scope before you install Falkon.

flatpak remotes | grep "^flathub"

The grep filter keeps only the matching remote name. If you want more ways to search command output, see our grep command guide.

Expected output:

flathub	system

Install Falkon from Flathub after the remote is in place.

sudo flatpak install flathub org.kde.falkon -y

Flatpak downloads Falkon along with the KDE runtime it needs. Verify the installed application metadata afterward.

flatpak info org.kde.falkon

Relevant output includes:

          ID: org.kde.falkon
         Ref: app/org.kde.falkon/x86_64/stable
        Arch: x86_64
      Branch: stable
     Version: 25.12.3
      Origin: flathub
Installation: system

Launch Falkon on Ubuntu

Falkon is a desktop browser, so it still needs an active graphical session even if you install it from a terminal on a minimal or remote-managed Ubuntu system.

Launch Falkon from the Terminal

Use the normal launcher command for the Ubuntu repository build or the Snap build.

falkon

Use the Flatpak runner if you installed Falkon from Flathub.

flatpak run org.kde.falkon

Launch Falkon from the Applications Menu

Open your desktop’s applications menu, search for Falkon, and launch it from the result list. Ubuntu should place it in the usual Internet or web browser category after installation.

Update or Remove Falkon on Ubuntu

Use the update and removal commands that match the package format you installed. Falkon can be present as an Ubuntu package, a Snap, or a Flatpak, and each one is managed separately.

Update the Ubuntu Repository Build

Update the Ubuntu package on Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 with APT’s package-specific upgrade path.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade falkon

Update the Snap Build

Snap refreshes Falkon automatically, but you can force the update check whenever you want.

sudo snap refresh falkon

Update the Flathub Build

Update Falkon from Flathub with the standard Flatpak workflow.

sudo flatpak update org.kde.falkon -y

Remove the Ubuntu Repository Build

Remove the Ubuntu package with APT if you installed Falkon from the Ubuntu repository.

APT can remove a long list of Qt and KDE libraries that were installed only for Falkon. Read the removal list before you confirm it so you do not accidentally remove shared packages you still need.

sudo apt remove --autoremove falkon

Verify that the Ubuntu package is gone.

dpkg -l falkon 2>/dev/null | grep '^ii' || echo "falkon package removed"

Expected output:

falkon package removed

Remove the Snap Build

Remove the Snap package with Snap’s own cleanup command.

sudo snap remove falkon

Verify that Falkon is no longer installed as a Snap.

snap list falkon

Expected output:

error: no matching snaps installed

Snap saves an automatic data snapshot when it removes Falkon. Check saved snapshots with sudo snap saved, and delete Falkon’s saved snapshot later with sudo snap forget <set-id> if you do not want to keep it.

Remove the Flathub Build

Remove the Flatpak package first, then clean up any unused runtimes it pulled in.

sudo flatpak remove org.kde.falkon -y
sudo flatpak uninstall --unused -y

Verify that Falkon is no longer present in your Flatpak app list.

flatpak list --app | grep -F org.kde.falkon || echo "org.kde.falkon not installed"

Expected output:

org.kde.falkon not installed

Check for Leftover Falkon Data

Bookmarks, history, and site settings can still matter after you remove the package itself. Back up any profile directory you want to keep before you delete it.

Falkon’s profile locations can vary by package format and whether you actually launched the browser, so check for leftover paths before you remove anything from your home directory.

find "$HOME" \( -path "$HOME/.var/app/org.kde.falkon" -o -path "$HOME/.config/falkon" -o -path "$HOME/.cache/falkon" -o -path "$HOME/.local/share/falkon" -o -path "$HOME/snap/falkon" \) -print

No output means Falkon did not leave one of these verified paths in your account. If the command prints a directory, back it up first if you want to keep bookmarks or settings, then delete only the paths it found.

Troubleshoot Falkon on Ubuntu

The current Ubuntu 26.04 package needs special attention because the install does not finish cleanly.

APT Leaves Falkon Half-Configured on Ubuntu 26.04

If you run sudo apt install falkon on Ubuntu 26.04, the current 4:25.12.3-0ubuntu1 package can stop during its maintainer script instead of completing the install.

A failing install looks like this:

Setting up falkon (4:25.12.3-0ubuntu1) ...
update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/falkon to provide /usr/bin/x-www-browser (x-www-browser) in auto mode
ln: No such file or directory
dpkg: error processing package falkon (--configure):
 old falkon package postinst maintainer script subprocess failed with exit status 1

The current package expects a Qt5 dictionaries path that is missing on current Ubuntu 26.04 installs, so the package stays half-configured. Remove the broken package, then switch to the Snap or Flathub method instead.

sudo apt remove --purge falkon

Verify that the half-configured package is gone before you retry Falkon through another method.

dpkg -l falkon 2>/dev/null | grep '^ii' || echo "broken package removed"

Expected output:

broken package removed

If you also want to remove the extra Qt and KDE packages that the failed install pulled in, run sudo apt autoremove afterward and review the package list before you confirm it.

Falkon on Ubuntu FAQ

Is Falkon the same browser as QupZilla?

Yes. Falkon is the renamed continuation of the QupZilla project, so older QupZilla references still point to the same browser family.

Which Falkon method is best on Ubuntu?

Flathub is the best all-around choice when you want the newest verified Falkon build on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, or 22.04. Snap is simpler if you already use snapd and want automatic updates. The Ubuntu repository package is still fine on Ubuntu 24.04 and 22.04, but the current Ubuntu 26.04 package is failing during post-install configuration.

Does Falkon offer an official AppImage or standalone .deb download for Ubuntu?

Falkon’s current Linux download pages point to distribution packages, Snapcraft, and Flathub rather than an official AppImage or standalone .deb download.

Why does sudo apt install falkon fail on Ubuntu 26.04?

The current Ubuntu 26.04 package can stop in a half-configured state because its maintainer script expects a missing Qt5 dictionaries path. Remove the broken package with sudo apt remove --purge falkon, then install Falkon with Snap or Flathub until Ubuntu updates the repository package.

Conclusion

Falkon browser is installed on Ubuntu with the package format that fits your release and update preferences, and Flathub is currently the cleanest way to stay on the newest build across all supported LTS releases. If you want a heavier Chromium-based alternative next, compare it with our guides to install Chromium Browser on Ubuntu and install Brave Browser on Ubuntu.