Calibre is a software suite that helps you manage your e-book collection. It offers a variety of features for organizing, displaying, and editing your e-books, converting e-books from one format to another, and syncing your e-books with various e-readers. Calibre is free and runs well on Fedora desktops, given that it is natively available to install from the default Fedora repository. Whether you’re a casual e-book reader or a serious collector, Calibre is an excellent tool for managing your e-book library and should be worth checking out.
In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Calibre on Fedora Linux workstation desktop using two different methods with DNF and Flatpak that come natively installed on most workstations.
Table of Contents
Recommended Steps Before Installation
The first step is ensuring your system is up-to-date to avoid issues during the installation and for good practice. This is done by opening your terminal and using the following command.
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh#1st Method – Install Calibre – Fedora Repository
The first method is to install Calibre from the Fedora default repository, giving you a stable, reliable version. Given that Fedora has a six-month release cycle often, this e-book software will be up-to-date with what is currently available.
Use the following command to install Calibre as follows.
sudo dnf install calibre -y#2nd Method – Install Calibre – Flatpak/Flathub
The second option is to use the Flatpak package manager. The benefit of Flatpaks is that they can often be ahead of a version or two from Fedora, depending on the release cycle/updates of the software and the Flatpak package maintainer. However, in most cases in Fedora, you would want to install the DNF version above, depending on your preferences.
First, re-install the Flatpak manager if it was removed previously.
sudo dnf install flatpak -yOptionally, I recommend rebooting your system for users re-installing Flatpak for the first time. Failure to do this can occur with odd issues, such as wrong icon paths.
rebootNext, 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.flatpakrepoNow install Calibre using the following flatpak command.
flatpak install flathub com.calibre_ebook.calibre -yTroubleshoot Flatpak Calibre Installation
If the above command does not work and you receive the “error: Unable to load summary from remote flathub: Can’t fetch summary from disabled remote ‘flathub,” use the following command.
flatpak remote-modify --enable flathubThe next issue can be access to system files. I would only recommend using the following command if you have access permission with your installation accessing files; use the override command below.
sudo flatpak override com.calibre_ebook.calibre --filesystem=hostPlease do not use this command by default unless it is needed.
Launch Calibre on Fedora Linux
Now that you have the application installed, launching can be done in a few ways.
Launch the application immediately from your terminal using the following command if it is still open.
calibreAlternatively, Flatpak users will need to launch using the command below from a terminal instance:
flatpak run com.calibre_ebook.calibreHowever, this is not practical, and you would use the following path on your desktop.
Activities > Show Applications > Calibre.
Example:
Once opening for the first time, you will encounter a welcome wizard pop-up. The first step is to change the default installation directory, which is recommended for most users.
Click on Next > to proceed.
Example:
The wizard will ask Fedora users for a device, so you should use Generic.
Click on Next > to proceed.
Example:
For the final welcome wizard screen, click on Finish.
Example:
Once the first welcome wizard is complete, you will arrive at the Calibre application.
Example:
Update Calibre on Fedora Linux
Depending on the method used, the following commands can be used to update.
DNF Update Method
sudo dnf update --refreshFlatpak Update Method
flatpak updateRemove Calibre on Fedora Linux
Use one of the following commands to suit the original installation method for users who no longer require the application.
DNF Remove Method
sudo dnf autoremove calibre -yFlatpak Remove Method
flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.calibre_ebook.calibreNext, run the following command for any leftover clean-up.
flatpak remove --unused