How to Open a DEB File

Debian binary package files have the DEB file extension. These package files contain installable software for Debian Linux and Debian-derived distributions, such as Ubuntu. You can open a DEB file and install it on a Linux distribution that uses Debian packages with a graphical program or a terminal command. Many distributions use RPM or another package format instead of DEB files; DEB files won’t install on all Linux distributions. Even if you can’t install the DEB package, you can open it and view its contents using a file extraction program on any operating system.

Instructions

1. Graphical

   • 1
     Double-click the DEB file on your system. An installation window with information about the package appears if your Linux distribution supports DEB files.
   • 2
     Click the “Install” button in the window.
   • 3
     Type your password and press “Enter.” If you’re not using Ubuntu or an Ubuntu-derived distribution, type your root account’s password instead.

   Terminal

   • 1
     Open a terminal window from your Linux desktop’s applications menu.
   • 2
     Type the following command into the terminal if you’re using Ubuntu or an Ubuntu-derived distribution, replacing “/path/to/file.deb” with the path to the DEB file you want to install, and press “Enter”:

     sudo dpkg -i /path/to/file.deb

     Use the following command instead if you’re using Debian or another Linux distribution that doesn’t use the “sudo” command:

     su -c “dpkg -i /path/to/file.deb”
   • 3
     Type your password at the password prompt and press “Enter.” If you’re not using Ubuntu or a Ubuntu-derived distribution, type the root account’s password instead.