How to Install Foliate eBook Viewer on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

Foliate presents itself as a top-tier open-source eBook viewer for those keen on enhancing their reading experience on Linux. If you want to install Foliate on Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish or its older stable release Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa, you’re in for a treat. With its intuitive interface and myriad customization options, Foliate is a favorite among Ubuntu enthusiasts, offering a truly enriched eBook interaction.

Features of Foliate:

• Open-Source and Uninterrupted: Foliate is open-source and devoid of ads, ensuring readers immerse themselves without distractions.
• Efficient and Swift: Designed with efficiency in mind, Foliate guarantees a fluid reading experience, even on devices with limited resources.
• Tailored Reading: Foliate allows users to modify font sizes, line spacings, margins, and themes, aligning with individual reading comforts.
• Engaging Tools: With capabilities for annotations and highlights, Foliate enhances reader engagement and comprehension.
• Track Your Journey: Integrated features like bookmarks and a progress bar help readers monitor their advancement through books.
• In-App Lexicon: Foliate ensures readers can effortlessly decipher unfamiliar terms or expressions with an embedded dictionary and translation tools.
• Diverse Format Compatibility: Foliate’s support spans multiple eBook formats, such as EPUB, MOBI, and AZW, catering to a broad spectrum of eBook collections.

This guide will elucidate the steps to install the Foliate eBook Viewer on Ubuntu to embark on a superior reading journey with Foliate. Detailed instructions will cover installations via a LaunchPAD PPA, encompassing the latest stable and developmental versions. Alternatively, the guide will touch upon the Flatpak installation using the Flathub repository. These methodologies are equally applicable to other short-term Ubuntu releases supported by Canonical.

Install Foliate on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 via APT PPA

Step 1: Update Ubuntu Before Foliate Installation

Before starting the installation process, ensuring your Ubuntu system is up-to-date is essential. This practice helps prevent conflicts during the installation and keeps your system secure. To update your system, run the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Import Foliate LaunchPAD PPA on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

One of the recommended installation options for Foliate is using Archisman Panigrahi’s LaunchPAD PPA, which is officially listed on the Foliate website. This PPA provides the latest stable version of Foliate and daily builds for those who prefer the cutting-edge version.

To import the PPA, choose either the stable or daily PPA. Note that you can only install one version at a time. If you import both PPAs, the daily build will take precedence.

To import the stable PPA for Foliate, run the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:apandada1/foliate -y

If you prefer to use the daily PPA for Foliate, execute the command below:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:apandada1/foliate-daily -y

Step 3: Update Packages Index After Foliate PPA Import on Ubuntu

After importing the desired PPA, update the APT packages index to synchronize with the new PPA by running the following command:

sudo apt update

Step 4: Install Foliate on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 via APT Command

To install the stable version of Foliate from the PPA, use the following apt install command:

sudo apt install foliate -y

If you have imported the Foliate Daily PPA, use the following apt install command to install the daily version:

sudo apt install com.github.johnfactotum.foliate -y

If you encounter crashes, remove the daily and use the stable version or optionally use the next method in section 2, a growing popular method amongst most Linux distributions.

Install Foliate on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 via Flatpak and Flathub

This section will explore an alternative method to install Foliate using the Flatpak package manager. Flatpak is a popular option similar to Snap, and it is featured across many Linux distributions as a third-party installation package manager for obtaining the latest packages.

If your system does not have Flatpak installed, please refer to our guide on How to Install Flatpak on Ubuntu for step-by-step instructions on installing the most recent supported version of Flatpak.

Step 1: Enable Flathub For Foliate on Ubuntu

Before installing Foliate through Flatpak, you must enable the Flathub repository, a primary source for Flatpak applications. To enable Flathub, execute the following command in your terminal:

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

This command adds the Flathub repository to your Flatpak configuration, ensuring you have access to various applications, including Foliate.

Step 2: Install Foliate on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 via Flatpak Command

With Flathub enabled, you can now install Foliate using the flatpak install command. Run the following command in your terminal:

flatpak install flathub com.github.johnfactotum.Foliate -y

This command installs the Foliate eBook Viewer from the Flathub repository, providing you with the latest version of the application.

Install Foliate on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 via Snap

As a last installation alternative, Snap provides a streamlined software deployment and management approach. This section will elucidate the procedure to install Foliate, a user-friendly e-book reader, via Snap.

Step 1: Confirm Snap’s Availability on Your Ubuntu System

Snap, a brainchild of Canonical (the entity behind Ubuntu), acts as a robust platform for software management. Although Snap is a standard feature on most Ubuntu versions, there might be instances where it’s absent. If you find Snap missing, you can reintroduce it with the ensuing command:

sudo apt install snapd -y

This will initialize the Snap Daemon (snapd), which supervises your Snap applications.

Step 2: Initiate Classic Snap Support for Foliate on Ubuntu

Specific snap applications necessitate the ‘classic’ confinement, which allows them more comprehensive access to system resources akin to traditional software. For the flawless functioning of such applications, establishing a symbolic link (symlink) for classic snap support is paramount. The succeeding command facilitates this:

sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap

Step 3: Incorporate the Essential Core Snap

Before you proceed with Foliate’s installation, setting up the ‘core’ snap is judicious. This pivotal component furnishes your system with foundational libraries and services that other snaps utilize. Taking this step can thwart potential discrepancies. Use the subsequent command to get the core snap:

sudo snap install core

Step 4: Install Foliate on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 via Snap

With the groundwork laid, you’re primed to deploy Foliate. You can execute the command below to accomplish this:

sudo snap install foliate

Here, ‘sudo’ confers administrative permissions, ‘snap’ triggers the Snap packaging system, ‘install’ denotes the installation action, and ‘foliate’ specifies the application you wish to deploy.

Launching Foliate on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

Now that Foliate is installed on your system, you can launch the application in several ways. This section will guide you through different methods to start the Foliate eBook Viewer and begin enjoying your reading experience.

CLI Methods to Launch Foliate on Ubuntu

If you have installed Foliate using APT or would like to launch it immediately, open your terminal and enter the following command:

foliate

For those who have installed Foliate using Flatpak, use the following command in your terminal to launch the application:

flatpak run com.github.johnfactotum.Foliate

Lastly, Snap Foliate installations can open the application from the command terminal using the following command:

snap run foliate

GUI Method to Launch Foliate on Ubuntu

You can launch Foliate directly from your desktop environment for a more user-friendly approach. To do this, follow the path below:

Activities > Show Applications > Foliate

Tips on Getting Started with Foliate on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

This section will provide helpful tips and customizations to enhance your experience with Foliate on Ubuntu Linux. As a powerful and versatile eBook reader, Foliate offers many features and settings to make your reading experience truly enjoyable and personalized.

Customize the Appearance with Foliate on Ubuntu

Foliate offers several customization options that allow you to adjust the application’s appearance to suit your preferences. Here are some ways to customize the look of Foliate:

• Choose a theme: Foliate comes with various themes like light, dark, and sepia, allowing you to select the one that best suits your reading environment.
• Adjust font size and style: You can change the font size and style to make the text more readable and comfortable for your eyes.
• Customize page margins and line spacing: Adjust the page margins and line spacing to improve readability and reduce eye strain.

To access these customization options, click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the application and explore the available settings.

Navigate Your eBook with Foliate on Ubuntu

Foliate provides several features that make it easy to navigate through your eBook:

• Table of Contents: Access the Table of Contents by clicking the list icon in the top right corner of the application. This feature helps you quickly jump to specific chapters or sections within the book.
• Page Navigation: Use the arrow keys on your keyboard or the on-screen navigation buttons to move between pages.
• Search: Foliate includes a powerful search feature that allows you to search for specific words or phrases within the text. Click the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner to access the search function.

Annotate and Highlight Text with Foliate on Ubuntu

Foliate makes it easy to annotate and highlight text while you read:

• Highlight text: To highlight a passage, click and drag your cursor over the desired text. A context menu will appear, allowing you to select a color for the highlight.
• Add notes: After highlighting text, you can add a note by clicking on the note icon in the context menu. This feature is helpful in adding personal thoughts, insights, or questions related to the text.

Utilize Reading Progress Features with Foliate on Ubuntu

Foliate offers several features to help you track your reading progress:

• Bookmark pages: To bookmark a page, click the bookmark icon in the top right corner of the application. This feature allows you to return to important or interesting book parts quickly.
• Track reading progress: Foliate displays your reading progress at the bottom of the application, showing the book’s current page number and total pages.

Additional Foliate Commands on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

This section will cover how to update and remove Foliate using the terminal. These commands will help you manage the Foliate application on your Ubuntu Linux system.

How to Update Foliate on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

Although updates should appear in notifications, checking for updates using the terminal if they fail to show is recommended. Use one of the following commands to check for updates, depending on your original installation method:

APT Foliate Update Command Method on Ubuntu:

sudo apt update

Flatpak Foliate Update Command Method on Ubuntu:

flatpak update

Snap Foliate Update Command Method on Ubuntu:

snap refresh

How to Remove Foliate From Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

If you no longer require the Foliate application, use one of the following commands to remove it, depending on your original installation method:

APT Foliate Remove Commands Method on Ubuntu:

sudo apt remove foliate

sudo apt remove com.github.johnfactotum.foliate

Lastly, for users who installed Foliate from the PPA by Archisman Panigrahi, remove the PPA using the following command.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:apandada1/foliate --remove -y

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:apandada1/foliate-daily --remove -y

Flatpak Foliate Remove Command Method on Ubuntu:

flatpak remove  --delete-data com.github.johnfactotum.Foliate -y

Snap Foliate Remove Command Method on Ubuntu:

sudo snap remove foliate

Conclusion

In conclusion, installing Foliate on Ubuntu Linux offers a seamless and enjoyable e-book reading experience. We have covered various installation methods, including using the APT package manager with LaunchPAD PPA and the Flatpak package manager with the Flathub repository. Additionally, we discussed how to get started with Foliate, customize its appearance, and manage the application using terminal commands. Following the steps outlined in this guide, you should be well-equipped to install, use, and manage Foliate on your Ubuntu Linux system.