How to Install Swift on Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04

• Ubuntu 26.04 or 24.04 on x86_64 or aarch64, internet access and several gigabytes of free space.
• A normal user account with sudo access for system dependencies. The commands use Bash, Ubuntu’s default shell.
• Check existing Swift installations first. Swiftly changes your shell configuration and selects a toolchain for your user.

Open Terminal and run:

cat /etc/os-release

uname -m

command -v swift || true

Confirm Ubuntu 26.04 or 24.04 and x86_64 or aarch64. If a Swift path appears, check its source before changing your setup.

The Ubuntu package named swift refers to OpenStack object storage, not the Swift programming language.

Refresh the package list and install the prerequisites. Review package changes before accepting them:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install curl ca-certificates gnupg tar

If APT reports an error, resolve it before continuing.

Create a new temporary directory. If it already exists, choose another name so the extracted executable cannot overwrite an existing file:

mkdir "$HOME/swiftly-setup" && cd "$HOME/swiftly-setup"

Download the archive for your architecture:

curl -fL -O "https://download.swift.org/swiftly/linux/swiftly-$(uname -m).tar.gz"

Before extracting the archive, verify its signature. Download the matching signature and the Swift project’s automatic signing key:

curl -fL -O "https://download.swift.org/swiftly/linux/swiftly-$(uname -m).tar.gz.sig"
curl -fL -O https://www.swift.org/keys/automatic-signing-key-4.asc

Stop if either download fails. Inspect the key fingerprint:

gpg --show-keys --fingerprint automatic-signing-key-4.asc

Compare it with Swift.org’s active signing keys. The fingerprint for Swift Automatic Signing Key #4 is E813 C892 820A 6FA1 3755 B268 F167 DF1A CF9C E069. If it differs, stop and investigate rather than importing it. Import the verified key and check the archive:

gpg --import automatic-signing-key-4.asc
gpg --verify "swiftly-$(uname -m).tar.gz.sig" "swiftly-$(uname -m).tar.gz"

A good signature from the expected key confirms that the archive matches the signature. GPG may also warn that the key is not certified by a trusted signature; that is why you compare the fingerprint separately. If verification fails or the signing key differs, do not extract or run the archive. Check the official Swiftly instructions for changes.

Extract the archive and start the interactive installer as your normal user, without sudo:

tar -xzf "swiftly-$(uname -m).tar.gz" &&

./swiftly init

Read the prompts. Swiftly installs itself and downloads a Swift toolchain. It may list additional system packages or a follow-up command: follow its instructions before continuing. The download can take time.

For the default Bash setup, load Swiftly in this terminal and clear Bash’s remembered command paths:

. "${SWIFTLY_HOME_DIR:-$HOME/.local/share/swiftly}/env.sh"

hash -r

swift --version

swiftly list

The first command uses Swiftly’s configured home if you set one. A successful version check prints a Swift version and target. If the installer printed different shell instructions, follow those instead. Open a new terminal to check that your profile loads Swiftly automatically.

Choose a new directory name. If the directory exists, choose another name before running the next command.

mkdir "$HOME/MySwiftCLI" && cd "$HOME/MySwiftCLI"

swift package init --name MySwiftCLI --type executable

Swift Package Manager creates the source files and package manifest.

Compile and run the generated executable:

swift run MySwiftCLI

The first run builds the project and prints a greeting. The build messages and time vary, but the final line normally looks like this:

Hello, world!

Later runs rebuild changed files. To build without running, use swift build.

Find the generated Swift source file from the project directory:

find Sources -type f -name '*.swift'

The filename and directory can differ between Swift versions. Open the file listed in Sources in a text editor. Find the existing print statement and change only its text to Hello from Ubuntu!; leave any surrounding function and braces in place. Save the file, then run the program again:

swift run MySwiftCLI

The final line should now read Hello from Ubuntu!.

On Linux you can build Swift command-line and server applications. Apple’s Xcode and Apple platform SDKs are separate requirements for building iOS applications.

Check what Bash resolves:

type -a swift

echo "$PATH"

If no Swift command is found, first check that the installer completed and the environment file exists:

ls -l "${SWIFTLY_HOME_DIR:-$HOME/.local/share/swiftly}/env.sh"

If the file exists, load it using Step 4 above, run hash -r, and retry swift --version. If it is missing, review the installer output and rerun ./swiftly init from the setup directory; do not guess a replacement PATH. Open a new terminal to check your profile. An older installation earlier in PATH, or a project-specific .swift-version file, can select a different toolchain. Do not delete an existing installation until you know what uses it.

A missing shared library message names the library the program could not load. Note the full error and follow the dependency instructions printed by Swiftly for your Ubuntu release. If APT cannot find a requested package, check the release and enabled repositories before retrying. Avoid replacing system libraries by hand.

For a failed or interrupted download, check available space and the connection:

df -h "$HOME"
curl -I https://www.swift.org/

A response from Swift.org shows that this HTTPS request reached the site; it does not prove that every download endpoint is available. Check the reported error, proxy and system clock. Once the problem is fixed, retry the failed download or initialization step. Never disable certificate or signature verification to bypass an error.

List the toolchains managed by Swiftly:

swiftly list

To remove one, use its exact version from the list with swiftly uninstall VERSION. This removes that toolchain, so check that your projects no longer need it. To remove every toolchain managed by Swiftly, run the following before removing the manager:

swiftly uninstall all

Review the prompt before confirming. This affects all Swiftly-managed toolchains, including versions used by other projects. Your personal project files are separate and do not need to be deleted.

For current Swiftly releases, remove the manager with the following command. Read the prompts carefully:

swiftly self-uninstall

The manager and its toolchains are separate: remove any unwanted Swiftly-managed toolchains first. Review any Swiftly-added shell profile entries afterwards. Keep project directories and files you still need. Swift installed by APT or another manager is separate and must be removed using its own method.