Install Telegram Desktop on Ubuntu 24.04 — 3 Methods

Telegram Desktop is a free, open-source messaging app that syncs across all your devices. It encrypts everything in transit using 256-bit AES, 2048-bit RSA, and Diffie–Hellman key exchange. It also handles files of any type up to 2GB, supports bots, channels, and group calls, and has been a reliable daily driver on Linux since long before most apps bothered with a proper desktop build. This guide covers the three clean ways to install it on Ubuntu 24.04 (and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS) in 2026.

:::note[TL;DR]

Snap is the simplest — one command, auto-updates, verified by Canonical
Flatpak is the Snap alternative — good if you prefer Flathub or avoid snaps
Official tarball is the portable option — no package manager involved
Skip any third-party PPAs; the ones floating around are unmaintained :::

Prerequisites

Ubuntu 24.04, 22.04, or any Ubuntu-based distro (Mint, Pop!_OS, Zorin, etc.)
Terminal access
sudo privileges

Method 1: Install Telegram with Snap

The fastest route. Snap is pre-installed on Ubuntu and the Telegram package is maintained by Canonical.

sudo snap install telegram-desktop

Once it finishes, launch Telegram from your app launcher or run:

telegram-desktop

Snap packages auto-update in the background whenever a new version ships. You don’t need to think about it.

Verify the install

snap list telegram-desktop

If it returns a version number, it’s installed. Opening Telegram and seeing the QR login screen is the other confirmation.

The Scenario: You just set up a fresh Ubuntu install and you want Telegram running before you’ve finished setting up anything else. One command, 30 seconds, done. That’s why Snap is Method 1.

Method 2: Install Telegram with Flatpak

If you avoid Snap or prefer Flathub, Flatpak is the clean alternative. On Ubuntu 24.04, you may need to install Flatpak first.

Step 1 — Install Flatpak

sudo apt install flatpak

Step 2 — Add the Flathub repository

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

Step 3 — Install Telegram

flatpak install flathub org.telegram.desktop

Run Telegram

flatpak run org.telegram.desktop

Or launch it from your app menu — Flatpak apps appear there after a log out and back in.

Update Telegram via Flatpak

flatpak update org.telegram.desktop

The Scenario: You’re on a distro that ships without Snap pre-installed, or you’ve disabled snapd because of the auto-mount behaviour. Flatpak gives you the same clean install path without touching any Snap infrastructure.

:::tip If you install Flatpak for the first time, log out and back in before launching the app — the app menu entry sometimes doesn’t appear until you do. :::

Method 3: Use the official Telegram tarball

Telegram ships a standalone Linux binary that doesn’t go through any package manager. It’s portable — you can put it anywhere and run it.

Download the tarball

Get the 64-bit build directly from Telegram:

Telegram for Linux (64-bit .tar.xz)

Extract and run

tar -xf tsetup*.tar.xz
cd Telegram
./Telegram

That’s it. Telegram launches. On first run, it adds itself to your app launcher automatically.

:::warning Don’t delete or move the extracted folder after this. The app launcher shortcut points to the binary inside it. Move the folder and the shortcut breaks. :::

Update via tarball

Telegram’s built-in updater handles this for tarball installs. When a new version is available, Telegram prompts you to update and does it in-app. You don’t need to re-download manually.

The Scenario: You’re setting up a machine that you don’t fully control — maybe a work laptop with restricted package managers. You download the tarball to your home folder, extract it, and Telegram runs. No sudo, no package manager, nothing to explain to IT.

Remove Telegram

If you used Snap:

sudo snap remove telegram-desktop

If you used Flatpak:

flatpak uninstall org.telegram.desktop

If you used the tarball: Delete the extracted folder. If Telegram added a .desktop file to ~/.local/share/applications/, delete that too.

A note on third-party PPAs

Older Ubuntu guides recommended adding a PPA like ppa:atareao/telegram and installing via apt. Don’t do this. That PPA hasn’t been updated in years and installs an outdated version. The Snap and Flatpak options are both current and maintained. There’s no good reason to use a third-party PPA for Telegram in 2026.

Summary

Snap — one command, auto-updates, works on any Ubuntu 22.04+: sudo snap install telegram-desktop
Flatpak — clean alternative for non-Snap setups, sourced from Flathub
Tarball — portable, no package manager needed, self-updating in-app
Avoid all third-party PPAs — they’re stale

FAQ

Does Telegram Desktop work on Ubuntu 22.04? Yes. All three methods — Snap, Flatpak, and the official tarball — work on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

Which install method gets the most up-to-date version? The official tarball and Snap both ship the latest release quickly. Flatpak on Flathub is usually a day or two behind but stays current. All three are fine for day-to-day use.

Can I have two methods installed at the same time? Technically yes, but you’ll end up with duplicate app launcher entries and potential config conflicts. Pick one and stick with it.

Is the Snap version sandboxed? Yes. Snap packages run in a restricted environment. For Telegram this doesn’t cause any practical issues, but it’s worth knowing if you’re connecting Telegram to other tools via the filesystem.

Does the tarball version auto-update? Yes. Telegram’s built-in updater handles tarball installs. You don’t need to re-download manually.