How to Install Telegram on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Telegram is a free, cross-platform messaging app with end-to-end encryption. It’s famous for providing video calling and other missing features from Facebook or Twitter – one of its main attractions! The application also has no ties whatsoever between them (the big social media companies), meaning you can be sure your data won’t go unnoticed by anyone else besides whom it belongs too; this makes telegram more secure than ever before because there isn’t anything giving away how much information we share on our phones every day.

In the following tutorial, you will learn to install the Telegram Messenger on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish using three methods: apt package manager, flatpak package manager, and snapcraft package manager, with some tips for maintaining or removing popular messenger software in the future.

Update Ubuntu

Before you begin, make sure your system is up-to-date to avoid any conflicts during the installation, and for good practice, use the terminal command as follows.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Telegram Desktop Client – APT Method with Ubuntu Repo

The first option is to use the Ubuntu 22.04 default APT repository. This is a stable and secure version and is most recommended to install over any other package manager but can be outdated compared to Flatpaks alternative option that is usually up-to-date.

First, execute the following apt install command.

sudo apt install telegram-desktop -y

For users that would prefer a much more updated version package, use the APT PPA that is next.

Install Telegram Desktop Client – APT Method with Telegram PPA

The tutorial has a few options to install Telegram, but for users wishing to install the latest Telegram package using LaunchPad PPAs can achieve this and for Ubuntu users is one of the favored options among all methods.

First, you will need to import the following Telegram PPA.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:costamagnagianfranco/telegram -y

Next, run an APT update to reflect the newly imported PPA.

sudo apt-get update

Now install Telegram with the following command.

sudo apt install telegram-desktop -y

Install Telegram Desktop Client – Snapcraft Method

The second option is to install with Snap. The Snapcraft package manager should be installed on your Ubuntu desktop unless you have removed it previously.

For users that removed snapd, re-run the following command:

sudo apt install snapd -y

Once installed, you will need to restart your system, or else the icons may not appear; if you skip a repeat and notice any issues, reboot.

reboot

Snap installed? Skip the following few lines and proceed straight to the installation with Snap

Next, some packages come in classic, so you need to create a symlink to enable classic snap support, so it is best to run this command for the best snap compatibility.

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

Install the core files to avoid conflicting issues.

sudo snap install core

Next, enter the following snap command to install.

sudo snap install telegram-desktop

Install Telegram Desktop Client – Flatpak Method

The third option is to use the Flatpak package manager. This comes installed on Ubuntu unless you removed it. This is another popular option similar to Snap but is featured amongst many distributions as an alternative third-party installation package manager for the latest packages.

First, re-install Flatpak if you have removed the package manager previously.

sudo apt install flatpak -y

Next, you need to enable Flatpack using the following command in your terminal:

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

Ideally, you should reboot at this stage; if you skip this and notice icons not appearing, the reboot will generate the paths required for the future.

reboot

Now run the installation using the following flatpak command.

flatpak install flathub org.telegram.desktop -y

How to Launch Telegram Desktop Client

Now that you have the software installed, launching can be done in a few ways.

First, you can launch the application immediately by typing the following command in your terminal.

telegram-desktop

If you would like to launch Telegram and continue using the terminal, use the <application-name> & command.

telegram-desktop &

Snap users need to use the snap run <application> command.

sudo snap run telegram-desktop

Lastly, Flatpak users can run from the terminal using the following command.

flatpak run org.telegram.desktop

However, this isn’t practical, and you would use the following path on your desktop to open it.

Activities (top-right corner) > Show Applications > Telegram

Example:

Once you open Telegram, you will see the first default landing screen. From here, you can sign or create an account with either an email or your mobile number.

Example:

How to Update/Upgrade Telegram Desktop Client

Updates should appear in notifications, but if these fail to show sometimes, it is recommended to check using the terminal regardless use one of the following commands to check for updates.

APT Method

sudo apt update

Flatpak Method

flatpak update

Snap Method

sudo snap refresh

How to Remove (Uninstall) Telegram Desktop Client

Use one of the following commands to suit the original installation method for users who no longer require the application.

APT Remove Method

sudo apt autoremove telegram-desktop --purge -y

Note that autoremove will also delete any unused packages from Telegram and any other leftovers from previous applications. Most times, this is safe to do and should be done to keep your system from being bloated.

Lastly, users who installed Telegram using the PPA and wish to also remove it, use the following command with the –remove flag added to the original command.

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:costamagnagianfranco/telegram -y

Flatpak Remove Method

flatpak remove  --delete-data org.telegram.desktop -y

Next, run the following command for any leftover clean-ups required, similar to the autoremove command described for the apt remove example command.

flatpak remove --unused

Snapcraft Remove Method

sudo snap remove --purge telegram-desktop

Comments and Conclusion

In the tutorial, you have learned how to install the Telegram desktop client on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish using one of the three installation methods.

Telegram is an excellent choice for those looking for an encrypted messaging client with more privacy than WhatsApp. It has a large user base, and its cloud storage capabilities make it a good choice for saving or downloading files. While there are some disadvantages to using Telegram, the pros outweigh them if you are looking for a more private communication experience.