How to Install Terminator on Linux Mint 22 and 21

Split panes become valuable on Linux Mint when one terminal window needs several shells, log tails, or SSH sessions visible at the same time. Installing Terminator on Linux Mint adds that layout without replacing the stock terminal, which fits well if your workflow already includes remote sessions after you install OpenSSH on Linux Mint.

Linux Mint 22.x and 21.x already include Terminator in their Ubuntu base repositories. The default packages are 2.1.3-1 on Mint 22.x and 2.1.1-1 on Mint 21.x; the optional Terminator Team PPA moves either release to 2.1.5-1 through APT-managed updates.

Install Terminator on Linux Mint

Use the default repository package unless you specifically need the newer PPA build. On Linux Mint, Terminator is best installed through packages, so avoid unverified direct downloads when APT or the maintained Launchpad PPA covers your release.

Method	Source	Mint 22.x Candidate	Mint 21.x Candidate	Update Behavior	Best For
Default repository package	Ubuntu Universe package	2.1.3-1	2.1.1-1	Normal Mint/Ubuntu APT updates	Most readers who want the distro-managed build
Terminator Team PPA	Launchpad PPA	2.1.5-1	2.1.5-1	APT updates from the PPA	Readers who need the newer upstream release

The default repository is the right starting point for most readers because it installs cleanly on Mint 22.x and 21.x. Use the PPA only when the newer build matters more than keeping Terminator inside the stock package sources.

Refresh APT Package Metadata

Refresh APT metadata before installing Terminator or adding the PPA so package decisions come from current repository data.

sudo apt update

These commands use sudo for tasks that need root privileges. If your user is not in the sudoers file yet, follow the guide on how to create and add users to sudoers on Linux Mint before you continue.

Install Terminator from the Default Repositories

The default package covers both Mint 22.x and 21.x, so this is the simplest path. It installs alongside the terminal app that ships with Cinnamon, MATE, or Xfce instead of replacing it.

sudo apt install terminator

Verify the installed package version with dpkg-query. This checks the package database directly, so it works from any terminal session.

dpkg-query -W -f='${binary:Package} ${Version}\n' terminator

On Linux Mint 22.x, the command returns:

terminator 2.1.3-1

On Linux Mint 21.x, the command returns:

terminator 2.1.1-1

Install Terminator from the Terminator Team PPA

Choose the Terminator Team PPA only when you want 2.1.5-1 on the Ubuntu base behind Mint 22.x or 21.x. The default package already works well on both releases.

Standard Mint desktop installs provide add-apt-repository through mintsources. On a stripped-down image, check for the helper first:

command -v add-apt-repository

If no path prints, install the Mint helper package before adding the PPA:

sudo apt install mintsources

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome-terminator/ppa -y

Refresh the package index after adding the PPA, then confirm APT selects the Launchpad build before installing.

sudo apt update
apt-cache policy terminator

If you already installed the default repository package, the Installed line shows that version instead of (none). The important check is that Candidate points to 2.1.5-1 from Launchpad.

Relevant output on Linux Mint 22.x includes the PPA as the selected candidate:

terminator:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 2.1.5-1
  Version table:
     2.1.5-1 500
        500 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/gnome-terminator/ppa/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages
     2.1.3-1 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/universe amd64 Packages

Relevant output on Linux Mint 21.x includes the PPA as the selected candidate:

terminator:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 2.1.5-1
  Version table:
     2.1.5-1 500
        500 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/gnome-terminator/ppa/ubuntu jammy/main amd64 Packages
     2.1.1-1 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy/universe amd64 Packages

Install Terminator from the PPA with the normal APT command. If Terminator is already present from the default repositories, this upgrades it in place.

sudo apt install terminator

Use the same package query to confirm the newer build is installed:

dpkg-query -W -f='${binary:Package} ${Version}\n' terminator

terminator 2.1.5-1

Launch and Use Terminator on Linux Mint

After installation, Terminator is ready for panes, tabs, and saved layouts.

Launch Terminator on Linux Mint

The terminator command launches the graphical app, so run it from a normal desktop session with an active display.

terminator

You can also start Terminator from the application menu:

• Open the Linux Mint menu.
• Type Terminator in the search field.
• Select the Terminator launcher to open a new terminal window.

Use Split Panes and Tabs in Terminator on Linux Mint

Start with the shortcuts you are most likely to use on day one. Split the window, move between panes, and open a new tab before you dive into deeper layout tweaks.

Action	Shortcut	What It Does
Split horizontally	Ctrl + Shift + O	Creates top and bottom panes in the current window
Split vertically	Ctrl + Shift + E	Creates side-by-side panes in the current window
Move to the next pane	Ctrl + Shift + N	Cycles forward through the active panes
Move to the previous pane	Ctrl + Shift + P	Cycles backward through the active panes
Jump to an adjacent pane	Alt + Arrow Keys	Moves focus directly without cycling through every pane
Open a new tab	Ctrl + Shift + T	Adds another terminal session to the same window
Close the current pane	Ctrl + Shift + W	Closes the active pane or tab
Open preferences	Right-click > Preferences	Lets you change profiles, keybindings, and layouts
Toggle fullscreen	F11	Expands the current window without changing your layout

Terminator saves profiles, layouts, and keybinding changes in ~/.config/terminator/config unless you override XDG_CONFIG_HOME. Back up that file if you want to keep the same layout on another Mint system.

Update or Remove Terminator from Linux Mint

APT owns Terminator updates for both installation paths. The default package follows the Mint and Ubuntu package sources, while the PPA build follows the Launchpad source as long as that PPA remains enabled.

Update Terminator with APT

Refresh package metadata and ask APT to upgrade only Terminator. If no newer package is available from your selected source, APT leaves the current build in place.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade terminator

Remove the Terminator Package

Remove the package with APT if you no longer need Terminator on this system.

sudo apt remove terminator

Check the package state after removal with apt-cache policy.

apt-cache policy terminator

Relevant output on Linux Mint 22.x includes:

Installed: (none)
Candidate: 2.1.3-1
Version table:
   2.1.3-1 500
      500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/universe amd64 Packages

Relevant output on Linux Mint 21.x includes:

Installed: (none)
Candidate: 2.1.1-1
Version table:
   2.1.1-1 500
      500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy/universe amd64 Packages

If you also want to delete saved layouts and preferences, check whether the default config directory exists first.

find "$HOME/.config" -maxdepth 1 -type d -name terminator

If the command prints a path such as /home/your-user/.config/terminator, remove that directory with:

rm -rf -- "$HOME/.config/terminator"

Return from the Terminator PPA to the Default Package

Removing the PPA alone can leave the PPA build installed. To return to the repository build, remove Terminator, remove the PPA, refresh APT, and then reinstall the package from the default source.

sudo apt remove terminator
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:gnome-terminator/ppa -y
sudo apt update

The removal command clears the generated PPA source and matching keyring. Confirm no Terminator PPA source remains before reinstalling:

grep -Rsn "gnome-terminator" /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d 2>/dev/null || true

No output means the PPA source is gone. Reinstall Terminator to pull the default package again.

sudo apt install terminator

Verify the rollback with the same package query you used after installation.

dpkg-query -W -f='${binary:Package} ${Version}\n' terminator

On Linux Mint 22.x, the command returns:

terminator 2.1.3-1

On Linux Mint 21.x, the command returns:

terminator 2.1.1-1

Troubleshoot Terminator on Linux Mint

Most Terminator problems on Linux Mint come from a broken per-user config file, a missing PPA helper on a stripped-down image, or a PPA entry added against the wrong Ubuntu base.

Reset a Broken Terminator Configuration on Linux Mint

If Terminator stops at startup after a preferences change, launch it from another terminal window in the same desktop session with debug output enabled.

terminator -d

Errors that mention ConfigObj, ConfigParser, or the Terminator config file usually mean the saved profile needs a reset. Rename the default config file with the Linux mv command and let Terminator create a fresh one on the next launch. The timestamp keeps older backups from being overwritten.

mv "$HOME/.config/terminator/config" "$HOME/.config/terminator/config.$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).backup"

If you use a custom XDG config directory, rename the Terminator config in that location instead of ~/.config/terminator/config.

Fix Terminator PPA Problems on Linux Mint

If a custom Mint image says add-apt-repository is missing, install the Mint helper package first and then retry the PPA command.

sudo apt install mintsources

When apt update says the PPA has no Release file or the base codename looks wrong, confirm which Ubuntu release your Mint install is using. Linux Mint 22.x systems should map to noble, and Linux Mint 21.x systems should map to jammy.

cat /etc/upstream-release/lsb-release

On Linux Mint 22.x, the file includes:

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=24.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=noble
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu Noble Numbat"

On Linux Mint 21.x, the file includes:

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=22.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=jammy
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu Jammy Jellyfish"

If the Ubuntu base is correct but the PPA still fails, remove the half-added source and stay on the default repository build until Launchpad catches up.

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:gnome-terminator/ppa -y
sudo apt update

Conclusion

Terminator is now installed on Linux Mint with a clear APT update, rollback, and removal path for either the default package or the PPA. For a fuller workstation, install Git on Linux Mint for version control and install VS Code on Linux Mint for editing.