How to Install Pinta on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

Quick screenshot markup, simple annotations, and small paint edits are easier when the editor stays out of your way. To install Pinta on Ubuntu, the practical choice depends on your release: Ubuntu 22.04 still carries a distro package, Ubuntu 24.04 needs Snap or Flatpak for current builds, and Ubuntu 26.04 can also use a source-build updater command that pulls the latest official tarball for you.

Pinta is a lightweight desktop image editor for quick drawing, cropping, text overlays, and screenshot cleanup. The project’s current Linux downloads point to Snap and Flathub rather than an official Ubuntu .deb. Both builds track Pinta 3.1.2, and the application still needs a graphical session when you launch it.

Install Pinta on Ubuntu

Four installation paths make sense across current Ubuntu LTS releases, but the source build applies only to Ubuntu 26.04. If you are not sure whether the APT or source row applies to your system, check Ubuntu version first.

Method	Channel	Ubuntu 26.04	Ubuntu 24.04	Ubuntu 22.04	Best For
APT	Ubuntu package search	Not packaged	Not packaged	Pinta 1.6 from Universe	Ubuntu 22.04 users who want the distro-managed package
Snap	Snapcraft latest/stable	Supported	Supported	Supported	The shortest current-package setup on standard Ubuntu desktops
Flatpak	Flathub stable	Supported after Flatpak setup	Supported after Flatpak setup	Supported after Flatpak setup	Users who already rely on Flathub or prefer Flatpak-managed desktop apps
Source build	Official source tarball	Supported; 3.1.2 verified	Blocked by GTK and `libadwaita` floors	Blocked by GTK and `libadwaita` floors	Ubuntu 26.04 users who want a native `/usr/local` install with a reusable updater command

Quick pick:

Choose Snap when you want the fastest setup on Ubuntu 26.04 or 24.04 and are happy with Ubuntu’s default universal package format.
Choose Flatpak when Flathub is already part of your desktop workflow or you want to keep Pinta inside the Flatpak ecosystem.
Choose the source build on Ubuntu 26.04 when you want the official tarball installed under /usr/local and a reusable update-pinta command for later upgrades.
Choose APT only on Ubuntu 22.04 when you specifically want the older distro-managed Pinta 1.6 package from Universe.

Ubuntu did not simply hide a working package in newer releases. Debian’s package tracker records that Pinta 1.6-2.1 was removed from unstable in July 2023, and Ubuntu 24.04 plus 26.04 never published a replacement source package. That is why newer Ubuntu LTS releases have no apt install pinta candidate in the default archive.

The source build is now practical on Ubuntu 26.04 because Resolute ships dotnet-sdk-10.0, libadwaita-1 1.9, and GTK 4.22 in the default archive. Ubuntu 24.04 and 22.04 still fail at configure because Pinta 3.1.2 requires libadwaita-1 >= 1.7 and gtk4 >= 4.18, while Noble ships 1.5.x and GTK 4.14 and Jammy ships 1.1.x and GTK 4.6. On 26.04, the source path below uses a reusable updater script so you do not have to keep copying a fixed tarball URL by hand.

Update Ubuntu Before Installing Pinta

Refresh the package index and apply pending upgrades first so Pinta installs against current libraries and runtime packages.

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.

Install Pinta from Ubuntu Repositories on Ubuntu 22.04

The native Ubuntu package is available only on Ubuntu 22.04. It lives in the Universe component, so if APT cannot find pinta on Jammy, enable Universe first by following the guide to enable Universe and Multiverse in Ubuntu. Only Universe is required for this package.

sudo apt install pinta -y

Verify the APT Pinta Installation on Ubuntu 22.04

APT package metadata is the cleanest verification method here because it confirms the installed version without relying on a desktop-aware launch command.

apt-cache policy pinta

Expected output on Ubuntu 22.04:

pinta:
  Installed: 1.6-2.1
  Candidate: 1.6-2.1
  Version table:
 *** 1.6-2.1 500
        500 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy/universe amd64 Packages
        500 http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy/universe i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

If you see Candidate: (none) or an “installation candidate” error instead, you are either on Ubuntu 24.04 or 26.04, where Pinta is no longer packaged, or you are on Ubuntu 22.04 with Universe disabled.

Install Pinta with Snap on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04

Snap is the shortest cross-release path on Ubuntu because standard desktop installs already include snapd. It also keeps you on the current 3.1.2 branch instead of the older Ubuntu 22.04 package.

Ubuntu includes Snap by default on standard installs, but minimal or heavily customized systems can still miss it. If the snap command is not available, install the service first with sudo apt install snapd.

sudo snap install pinta

Verify the Snap Pinta Installation on Ubuntu

snap list confirms the installed channel and revision without opening the graphical application.

snap list pinta

Expected output:

Name   Version  Rev  Tracking       Publisher       Notes
pinta  3.1.2    94   latest/stable  james-carroll*  -

Enable Flathub for Pinta on Ubuntu

Flatpak is the other current cross-release option. Add the Flathub remote first, then install Pinta from the same system scope.

Flatpak is not pre-installed on Ubuntu. If you have not set it up yet, install it with sudo apt install flatpak and restart your session before continuing. For the full setup, follow our Flatpak installation guide for Ubuntu.

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

Confirm that Flathub is available before the install step. The grep command in Linux keeps the output focused on the remote you just added.

flatpak remotes --columns=name,options | grep -E '^flathub[[:space:]]'

Expected output:

flathub system

Install Pinta with Flatpak on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04

Pinta’s Flathub app ID is com.github.PintaProject.Pinta. Because the remote was added with sudo, keep the install at the same system scope.

sudo flatpak install flathub com.github.PintaProject.Pinta -y

Verify the Flatpak Pinta Installation on Ubuntu

flatpak info reports the installed app metadata without trying to launch the editor, which makes it the cleanest verification command for the Flathub method.

flatpak info com.github.PintaProject.Pinta

Expected output:

Pinta - Edit images and paint digitally

          ID: com.github.PintaProject.Pinta
         Ref: app/com.github.PintaProject.Pinta/x86_64/stable
        Arch: x86_64
      Branch: stable
     Version: 3.1.2
     License: MIT
      Origin: flathub
  Collection: org.flathub.Stable
Installation: system

Install the Pinta Source Build Dependencies on Ubuntu 26.04

Ubuntu 26.04 ships the needed .NET, GTK, and libadwaita packages in the default repositories, so you can build the current release without adding an extra vendor feed.

sudo apt install dotnet-sdk-10.0 autotools-dev autoconf-archive gettext intltool libadwaita-1-dev libgtk-4-dev pkgconf build-essential ca-certificates curl jq -y

Create the Pinta Source Update Script on Ubuntu 26.04

This updater command handles the first install and later source upgrades from the same workflow. It resolves the latest official tarball automatically, builds inside $HOME/pinta-source, and installs Pinta under /usr/local.

sudo tee /usr/local/bin/update-pinta > /dev/null <<'SCRIPT_EOF'
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

INSTALL_PREFIX="/usr/local"
BUILD_DIR="$HOME/pinta-source"

if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
  echo "Run this script as a regular user; use sudo only for install steps."
  exit 1
fi

for cmd in curl jq sha512sum tar make gcc pkg-config dotnet; do
  if ! command -v "$cmd" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "Error: $cmd is required but not installed."
    echo "Run: sudo apt install dotnet-sdk-10.0 autotools-dev autoconf-archive gettext intltool libadwaita-1-dev libgtk-4-dev pkgconf build-essential ca-certificates curl jq"
    exit 1
  fi
done

mkdir -p "$BUILD_DIR"

if [ -x "$INSTALL_PREFIX/bin/pinta" ]; then
  CURRENT_VERSION=$("$INSTALL_PREFIX/bin/pinta" --version 2>/dev/null | grep -oE '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' | head -n 1 || true)
  CURRENT_VERSION=${CURRENT_VERSION:-missing}
else
  CURRENT_VERSION="missing"
fi

RELEASE_JSON=$(curl -fsSL https://api.github.com/repos/PintaProject/Pinta/releases/latest)
LATEST_VERSION=$(printf '%s\n' "$RELEASE_JSON" | jq -r '.tag_name // empty')
TARBALL_NAME="pinta-$LATEST_VERSION.tar.gz"
CHECKSUM_NAME="$TARBALL_NAME.sha512"
TARBALL_URL=$(printf '%s\n' "$RELEASE_JSON" | jq -r --arg name "$TARBALL_NAME" 'first(.assets[]? | select(.name == $name) | .browser_download_url) // empty')
CHECKSUM_URL=$(printf '%s\n' "$RELEASE_JSON" | jq -r --arg name "$CHECKSUM_NAME" 'first(.assets[]? | select(.name == $name) | .browser_download_url) // empty')

if [ -z "$LATEST_VERSION" ] || [ -z "$TARBALL_URL" ] || [ -z "$CHECKSUM_URL" ]; then
  echo "Error: Could not fetch the latest Pinta release metadata."
  exit 1
fi

echo "Current version: $CURRENT_VERSION"
echo "Latest version:  $LATEST_VERSION"

if [ "$CURRENT_VERSION" = "$LATEST_VERSION" ]; then
  echo "Already up to date."
  exit 0
fi

echo "Downloading Pinta $LATEST_VERSION..."
cd "$BUILD_DIR"
rm -rf pinta-*/
rm -f pinta-*.tar.gz pinta-*.tar.gz.sha512
curl -fL "$TARBALL_URL" -o "$TARBALL_NAME"
curl -fL "$CHECKSUM_URL" -o "$CHECKSUM_NAME"

echo "Verifying source archive..."
sha512sum -c "$CHECKSUM_NAME"

echo "Extracting source archive..."
tar -xf "$TARBALL_NAME"
cd "pinta-$LATEST_VERSION"

echo "Configuring Pinta $LATEST_VERSION..."
./configure --prefix="$INSTALL_PREFIX"

echo "Compiling Pinta $LATEST_VERSION..."
make

echo "Installing Pinta $LATEST_VERSION..."
sudo make install

NEW_VERSION=$("$INSTALL_PREFIX/bin/pinta" --version 2>/dev/null | grep -oE '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' | head -n 1 || true)
NEW_VERSION=${NEW_VERSION:-unknown}
echo "Installed version: $NEW_VERSION"
SCRIPT_EOF

Make the script executable. Because it lives in /usr/local/bin, you can run update-pinta from any terminal directory.

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/update-pinta
update-pinta

Relevant output from the first run includes the current version check, checksum verification, build steps, and final installed version:

Current version: missing
Latest version:  3.1.2
Downloading Pinta 3.1.2...
Verifying source archive...
pinta-3.1.2.tar.gz: OK
Configuring Pinta 3.1.2...
Compiling Pinta 3.1.2...
Installing Pinta 3.1.2...
Installed version: 3.1.2

The current 3.1.2 source build can also print a .NET NU1903 advisory for Tmds.DBus 0.22.0 during dotnet publish. The warning does not stop the build, but it is another reason to prefer Snap or Flatpak unless you specifically need a /usr/local source install.

When an update is available, the script downloads the new tarball, recompiles Pinta, installs it over the existing source build, and reports the installed version at the end.

Avoid automating this script with cron. Compilation can fail due to network issues, dependency changes, or upstream build changes, so run it manually and review the output each time.

Verify the Source-Built Pinta Installation on Ubuntu 26.04

The source-built launcher lands in /usr/local/bin, so checking both the resolved path and the reported version confirms that the local build is the one your shell sees first.

command -v pinta
pinta --version

Expected output on Ubuntu 26.04:

/usr/local/bin/pinta
3.1.2

Troubleshoot Pinta Installation Issues on Ubuntu

Fix the Pinta Package Has No Installation Candidate Error

On Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, the E: Package 'pinta' has no installation candidate error is expected because those releases do not ship a Pinta package in the default archive. Use Snap, Flatpak, or the Ubuntu 26.04 source build instead. On Ubuntu 22.04, the same error usually means Universe is disabled or the package index is stale.

apt-cache policy pinta

Ubuntu 22.04 should show a Jammy Universe candidate after Universe is enabled and the package index is refreshed. Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 should still show no candidate, which is the signal to use one of the non-APT methods above.

Use Snap or Flathub Instead of an Unofficial Pinta DEB

The current official release assets include source archives plus Windows and macOS installers, but not an Ubuntu .deb. For a packaged current build on Ubuntu, use the Snapcraft or Flathub method instead of downloading an old or unofficial DEB from a third-party site.

Launch Pinta on Ubuntu

Pinta can be launched from the desktop menu or directly from a terminal. The command depends on which package format you chose.

Start Pinta from the Terminal on Ubuntu

Use the command that matches your install method. The plain pinta launcher applies to the Ubuntu 22.04 APT package and the Ubuntu 26.04 source build.

# APT on Ubuntu 22.04 or source build on Ubuntu 26.04
pinta

# Snap
snap run pinta

# Flatpak
flatpak run com.github.PintaProject.Pinta

Open Pinta from the Ubuntu Application Menu

Desktop users can also open Pinta from Show Applications > Pinta. That path is usually more convenient once the application is installed.

Pinta listed in the Ubuntu application menu search results.

First Steps in Pinta on Ubuntu

Pinta is intentionally small, so a few habits make the first session smoother without burying you in preferences screens.

Start with a screenshot or photo and try the text, crop, and line tools first, since those cover most quick annotation jobs.
Keep the Layers panel visible when you add text or shapes so you can move and edit elements without flattening the whole image too early.
Use Ctrl+Shift+S early if you plan to keep an editable copy, then export a separate PNG or JPEG when the image is finished.
Zoom in before pixel cleanup or small brush work, because Pinta’s simpler interface hides fewer safety rails than larger editors like GIMP.

Pinta open on Ubuntu with the default editing window and canvas visible — Pinta open on Ubuntu with the default editing window ready for image editing.

Update or Remove Pinta on Ubuntu

The update and removal commands depend on the package format you installed. Keep the command matched to the original method so Ubuntu does not leave a second package format behind.

Update the APT Pinta Package on Ubuntu 22.04

The Jammy package uses Ubuntu’s normal APT workflow, so a single-package upgrade is enough when a newer repository build appears.

sudo apt install --only-upgrade pinta

Update the Pinta Snap on Ubuntu

Snap refreshes applications in the background by default, but you can still force an immediate check when you want the newest revision right away.

sudo snap refresh pinta

Update the Pinta Flatpak on Ubuntu

The Flatpak build stays current through Flathub, so update it from the same system scope used for the original install.

sudo flatpak update com.github.PintaProject.Pinta -y

Update the Source-Built Pinta Installation on Ubuntu 26.04

The source build does not update through APT. Reuse the updater command you created earlier whenever you want to check for a newer release.

update-pinta

The script exits quickly when your installed source build already matches the latest release.

Current version: 3.1.2
Latest version:  3.1.2
Already up to date.

Remove the APT Pinta Package on Ubuntu 22.04

Use the normal APT removal path on Ubuntu 22.04. If you also want to clear unused dependencies afterward, review sudo apt autoremove separately.

sudo apt remove pinta

Confirm that the package is no longer installed:

dpkg-query -W -f='${db:Status-Abbrev} ${binary:Package}\n' pinta 2>/dev/null | grep '^ii' || echo NOT_INSTALLED

Expected output after removal:

NOT_INSTALLED

Remove the Pinta Snap on Ubuntu

The Snap removal path deletes the packaged application and skips the automatic snapshot that Snap normally keeps for rollback.

sudo snap remove --purge pinta

Confirm that the snap is gone:

snap list pinta

Expected output after removal:

error: no matching snaps installed

Remove the Pinta Flatpak on Ubuntu

Keep the Flatpak removal at system scope because the install step used sudo.

sudo flatpak remove com.github.PintaProject.Pinta -y

Confirm that the Flatpak app entry is gone:

flatpak list --app --columns=application | grep -x 'com.github.PintaProject.Pinta' || echo NOT_INSTALLED

Expected output after removal:

NOT_INSTALLED

If you want to clean unused Flatpak runtimes afterward, run the cleanup interactively and review the list before confirming. Other Flatpak apps may still depend on the same runtime.

sudo flatpak uninstall --unused

Remove the Source-Built Pinta Installation on Ubuntu 26.04

If you kept the build directory that update-pinta manages under $HOME/pinta-source, make uninstall removes the source-built launcher and the installed desktop metadata cleanly.

PINTA_SOURCE_DIR=$(find "$HOME/pinta-source" -maxdepth 1 -type d -name 'pinta-*' | sort -V | tail -n 1)
cd "$PINTA_SOURCE_DIR"
sudo make uninstall
sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/update-pinta
rm -rf "$HOME/pinta-source"

Confirm that the source-built launcher is gone:

hash -r 2>/dev/null || true
command -v pinta || echo NOT_INSTALLED

Expected output after removal:

NOT_INSTALLED

Check for leftover source-installed files before deleting personal data. No output means the launcher, library directory, desktop metadata, metainfo file, and manpage were removed from the /usr/local install prefix.

find /usr/local/bin /usr/local/lib /usr/local/lib/pkgconfig /usr/local/share/applications /usr/local/share/metainfo /usr/local/share/man/man1 -maxdepth 1 -iname '*pinta*' 2>/dev/null
ls -ld ~/.config/Pinta ~/.var/app/com.github.PintaProject.Pinta 2>/dev/null
ls ~/.local/share/applications 2>/dev/null | grep -i pinta
ls ~/.cache 2>/dev/null | grep Pinta

No output means those locations do not currently contain matching Pinta data or launchers.

Conclusion

Pinta is ready on Ubuntu for quick markup, annotations, and small paint edits, whether you used Jammy’s APT package, the current 3.1.2 builds from Snap or Flathub, or the source build on Ubuntu 26.04. If you need a heavier editor next, install GIMP on Ubuntu for deeper photo work or install Inkscape on Ubuntu for vector graphics.