How to Install AnyDesk on Ubuntu 26.04 – Complete Guide

Configure secure remote desktop access on your Ubuntu machine. Resolve default Wayland incoming session issues, clean up duplicate APT repositories, and manage local UFW firewalls.

AnyDesk Installation Methods Compared

Use the comparison table below to review features, package base, repository automation, and compatibility differences.

Note: AnyDesk does not distribute or maintain packages on the official Snap Store. For default setups on Ubuntu, configuring the native APT repository remains the most stable path.

Open a terminal session and update your local package database to prevent conflict issues, then install the necessary dependencies for key handling and repository transport:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install ca-certificates curl gpg -y

Download the official AnyDesk GPG public key and convert it to a binary keyring. We store it inside /usr/share/keyrings. The --yes flag enables the command to overwrite the keyring cleanly if you need to re-run it:

curl -fsSL https://keys.anydesk.com/repos/DEB-GPG-KEY | sudo gpg --dearmor --yes -o /usr/share/keyrings/anydesk.gpg

Note: AnyDesk recommends updating keys installed prior to February 2025 to maintain repository compatibility.

Create a new repository configuration source file named anydesk.sources inside the APT directory by executing this command:

printf '%s\n' \
'Types: deb' \
'URIs: https://deb.anydesk.com' \
'Suites: all' \
'Components: main' \
'Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/anydesk.gpg' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/anydesk.sources > /dev/null

Confirm the configuration file content is written correctly:

cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/anydesk.sources

Update your system’s package list to read the new AnyDesk repository details. Then, check that the package is available for installation:

sudo apt update
apt-cache policy anydesk

Expected output should list deb.anydesk.com as the candidate package source.

Install the AnyDesk package from the repository:

sudo apt install anydesk -y

Verify that the AnyDesk service daemon is active and running:

dpkg -l anydesk | grep '^ii'
systemctl is-enabled anydesk
systemctl is-active anydesk

If Flatpak is not already available on your system, install the package from Ubuntu’s base repositories:

sudo apt install flatpak -y

Add the Flathub repository to your Flatpak config. This enables access to Flathub’s catalog at the system scope level:

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

Confirm the Flathub remote is configured successfully:

flatpak remotes

Check the remote metadata and branch info before executing the installation commands:

flatpak remote-info flathub com.anydesk.Anydesk

Install the Flatpak package:

sudo flatpak install flathub com.anydesk.Anydesk -y

Verify the installed app package details:

flatpak info com.anydesk.Anydesk

Navigate to the official AnyDesk Linux Download Center or use wget to fetch the package directly from your command terminal:

wget https://download.anydesk.com/linux/anydesk_8.0.2-1_amd64.deb

Avoid using dpkg -i, as it may fail when missing dependencies. Instead, run apt install with the local path. This forces APT to resolve and fetch any missing helper libraries (such as libminizip1 or desktop display libraries) from the Ubuntu base repositories:

sudo apt install ./anydesk_8.0.2-1_amd64.deb -y

You can switch your current session to X11 temporarily without editing system files:

1. Save your work and log out of your current session.
2. On the GDM login interface, click your username to show the password prompt.
3. Click the **gear icon** located in the bottom-right corner of the display.
4. Select **Ubuntu on Xorg** (or **Ubuntu on X11**) from the pop-up options.
5. Enter your password and complete the login.

You can verify that your active display server has switched to X11 by running this command in your terminal:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

Expected output: x11

If you are setting up a remote server or a machine that you need to access regularly without anyone sitting at it, you can disable Wayland system-wide:

1. Open the GDM3 configuration file in your terminal editor:

   sudo nano /etc/gdm3/custom.conf

2. Locate the following configuration line:

   #WaylandEnable=false

3. Uncomment this key parameter by removing the leading hash character:

   WaylandEnable=false

4. Save changes and exit the nano editor (press Ctrl+O, then Enter, then Ctrl+X).
5. Restart your system to apply changes:

   sudo reboot

1. Register Your Commercial License:

Activate your corporate subscription directly from the terminal by piping your license key:

echo "your_license_key_here" | sudo anydesk --register-license

2. Set a Permanent Unattended Access Password:

Allow direct incoming connections without requiring manual remote confirmation (essential for headless servers):

echo "your_secure_password_here" | sudo anydesk --set-password

3. Access Client Settings from Command Line:

Open specific settings menus directly without browsing the standard graphical client window:

# Open standard settings menu
anydesk --settings

# Open administrator-level system settings
sudo anydesk --admin-settings

4. Deploying Custom Enterprise Clients (.deb):

Admins utilizing custom-branded clients with pre-configured access lists can download their unique package from the AnyDesk portal and install it cleanly:

sudo apt install ./anydesk-enterprise_*_amd64.deb -y

Choose the appropriate command blocks depending on your initial installation method:

For APT (Native Repository & Manual DEB):

sudo apt remove anydesk --purge -y

For Flatpak (Flathub):

sudo flatpak uninstall com.anydesk.Anydesk -y

If you configured the APT repository sources, remove the repository configuration and GPG key files to clean up your package lists database:

sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/anydesk.sources
sudo rm -f /usr/share/keyrings/anydesk.gpg
sudo apt update

Clear any leftover orphaned packages no longer needed by system processes:

sudo apt autoremove --purge -y

Clean up system config and remote credentials files from your system directories:

rm -rf ~/.anydesk
sudo rm -rf /etc/anydesk

Use the resources below to access official community support and developer documentation files: