How to Install HandBrake on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Anyone who has ever had to deal with video files knows they can be a pain. Different devices use different formats, and you’ll often have to convert a video from one format to another to watch it on your chosen device. This can be a time-consuming process, especially if you’re dealing with large files. Fortunately, there’s a solution: HandBrake.

HandBrake is an open-source video transcoder that supports Mac, Windows, or Linux. It can convert videos in many different formats into more commonly used ones like MP4 with minimal file size reduction – making it efficient at reducing the amount of data consumed on your hard drive while also helping save time! Whether you need to take a video from your phone and watch it on your laptop, or you want to download a movie from the internet and watch it on your TV, Handbrake is the tool for you.

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Handbrake on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish using the command line terminal with various methods to install the transcoding software and update and remove the software if the need arises.

Update Ubuntu

First, update your system to ensure all existing packages are up to date to avoid any conflicts during the installation.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install HandBrake – APT with Ubuntu Method

Handbrake is available in Ubuntu 22.04’s default repository, making it easy to install. The only downside of using this method is in time, and it can be a few versions behind the current, with Ubuntu focusing on stability first.

Use the following command to begin the installation.

sudo apt install handbrake -y

Install HandBrake – APT with PPA Method

The second option is to use the LaunchPAD PPA APT repository by Rob Savoury. This PPA contains the latest version of HandBrake at all times and is probably the best option for Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish users to add to grab the newest version without resorting to third-party package managers.

Import the PPA using the following command.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/handbrake -y
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/ffmpeg4 -y

Ensure you also import the FFMpeg 4 repository, or else you may not be able to install HandBrake.

Lastly, to run HandBrake properly with full support, it is highly advised to import the other repositories by Rob Savoury to ensure HandBrake works to its fullest potential.

I would suggest taking backups before installing the following repositories on critical systems, as you should be doing when installing large amounts of software that change many background dependencies just in case something breaks. These are very commonly used repositories, so for the most part, they should work great for most modern systems.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/backports -y
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/fonts -y
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/graphics -y
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/multimedia -y

Next, perform an APT update to sync the new PPA.

sudo apt-get update

Before you install HandBrake, given that you have imported the repositories with many dependencies, I suggest you do an upgrade first.

sudo apt upgrade

Since some of these upgrades may require a restart, reboot your system.

reboot

Now install HandBrake from the PPA using the following apt install command.

sudo apt install handbrake -y

Install HandBrake – Flatpak Method

The third option is to use the popular package manager Flatpak. Users who have used other Linux distributions such as Fedora, Linux Mint, or Pop!_OS, to mention a few, would be familiar with Flatpak packages as they feature on more operating systems. By default, Ubuntu distributions do not come with Flatpak installed due to it being the main competitor of snaps (Snapcraft).

First, install Flatpak unless you have it installed already.

sudo apt install flatpak -y

The next step is to reboot your system if you have re-installed Flatpak; if not, skip it.

reboot

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

Now begin the installation using the following flatpak command.

flatpak install flathub fr.handbrake.ghb -y

How to Launch HandBrake

With the installation complete from either method, you can run the application in a few different ways.

First, while you are in your terminal, you can use the following command:

handbrake

Flatpak users will need to launch using the command below from a terminal instance:

flatpak run fr.handbrake.ghb

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

Activities > Show Applications > HandBrake.

Alternatively, if you cannot find it, use the search function in the Applications menu if you have many applications installed.

Example:

Now open Handbrake to the default landing screen. From here, you can begin using the transcoding software.

Example:

How to Update/Upgrade HandBrake

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

How to Remove (Uninstall) HandBrake

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

APT Remove Method

sudo apt autoremove handbrake --purge -y

Note that autoremove will also delete any unused packages from HandBrake and other leftovers from previous applications. This is usually safe and should be done to keep your system from bloating.

Lastly, Rob Savory removes the PPA from users that installed HandBrake from the PPA using the following command.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/handbrake -y

Flatpak Remove Method

flatpak remove  --delete-data fr.handbrake.ghb -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

Comments and Conclusion

HandBrake is a simple online tool that allows users to create high-quality videos without special skills. It offers everything you would expect from an editing platform but in a minimalistic way that doesn’t require much time or effort.

For more informatyou’reisit the official Handbrake documentation.