How to Install Signal on Ubuntu 26.04 – Complete Setup Guide

Set up the Signal Desktop app on Ubuntu. Compare installation methods, configure autostart settings, and restore the missing tray icon on GNOME.

Signal Messenger Installation Methods Compared

Use the table below to compare the package publisher, security key validation, update system, and sandboxing behavior.

Open your terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T). Download the official security key and save it to your system’s keyring folder so Ubuntu can verify the app’s files:

wget -O- https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt/keys.asc | gpg --dearmor > signal-desktop-keyring.gpg
cat signal-desktop-keyring.gpg | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg > /dev/null
rm signal-desktop-keyring.gpg

Download the settings file directly from Signal. This tells Ubuntu exactly where to find the application files:

wget -O signal-desktop.sources https://updates.signal.org/static/desktop/apt/signal-desktop.sources
cat signal-desktop.sources | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/signal-desktop.sources > /dev/null
rm signal-desktop.sources

Under the hood, the downloaded file registers the following configurations:

Types: deb
URIs: https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt
Suites: xenial
Components: main
Architectures: amd64
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg

Note: Signal uses “xenial” as the repository suite label for all Ubuntu versions. This is correct. Do not change this label on your computer.

Update your system’s software list, check that Ubuntu sees the new repository, and install the application:

sudo apt update
apt-cache policy signal-desktop

If the policy check command prints details about updates.signal.org, run the install command:

sudo apt install -y signal-desktop

Run the snap installation command in your terminal:

sudo snap install signal-desktop

Note: The Snap version is maintained by the community (Snapcrafters). Because of this, version updates might slightly lag behind the official APT repository.

If you have not set up Flatpak on your computer, install it and add the Flathub catalog:

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

Run the Flatpak install command:

flatpak install flathub org.signal.Signal -y

Important Note on Chat History Syncing

Signal Desktop does not sync your past chat history from your phone. Because of Signal’s strict privacy design, chats are only decrypted and stored on the device that receives them. The desktop app will only show new messages sent or received after you link your phone.

Install the system tray extensions package from the Ubuntu software sources:

sudo apt install -y gnome-shell-extension-appindicator

For Ubuntu to load the extension, log out of your user account and log back in. Open the Extensions app (or install Extensions Manager from the software store), find AppIndicator and KStatusNotifierItem Support, and switch the toggle to ON.

To run Signal automatically on system startup and minimize it to the background tray, use the settings that match your package manager:

• For Snap Installations: Open your terminal and grant tray permissions directly using snapd:

  snap set signal-desktop tray-icon=true

• For APT / Flatpak Packages: Open Signal Desktop, click File > Preferences, scroll down to the startup settings, and check Start minimized.

Alternative (GUI Autostart Manager): If you want to force any version of Signal to start minimized in the tray on login without using the terminal, use Ubuntu’s Startup Applications dashboard:

1. Launch Startup Applications from your desktop Activities search.
2. Click the Add button on the right.
3. Name the entry Signal Messenger.
4. In the Command field, type: signal-desktop --use-tray-icon --start-in-tray (use flatpak run org.signal.Signal --use-tray-icon --start-in-tray for Flatpak installs).
5. Click Add and close the window to save your settings.

If your installation fails mid-way due to a broken software database, a lock file conflict, or interrupted connections, run the recovery commands below to repair the package manager:

# Clean up broken package installations
sudo apt-get install -f
# Reconfigure partially installed packages
sudo dpkg --configure -a
# Remove package locks if the updater was closed abruptly
sudo rm -f /var/lib/dpkg/lock-front /var/lib/apt/lists/lock

Once the locks are removed and broken states are resolved, resume your setup process by running: sudo apt update && sudo apt install signal-desktop.

1. For the Native APT Repository Method:

Remove the application files, delete the repository configuration and security key, and update your software list:

sudo apt purge -y signal-desktop
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/signal-desktop.sources
sudo rm -f /usr/share/keyrings/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg
sudo apt update

To clean up leftover helper software packages, check what will be deleted first, then run the cleanup:

sudo apt autoremove --dry-run
sudo apt autoremove -y

2. For the Snap Package:

Uninstall the Snap package from your computer. If your system saved an automatic backup snapshot, list and delete it to free up disk space:

sudo snap remove signal-desktop
# Optional: check and delete saved snapshots
sudo snap saved
sudo snap forget <ID>

3. For the Flatpak Package:

Remove the Flatpak files and delete its settings folder:

flatpak uninstall -y org.signal.Signal
rm -rf ~/.var/app/org.signal.Signal

Optional: Clear Personal Account Data:

Deleting the app does not remove your local chat history or configuration settings. We recommend checking if the settings folders exist before deleting them:

# Verify if the Signal configuration folders exist on your drive
find "$HOME" -maxdepth 3 \( -path "$HOME/.config/Signal" -o -path "$HOME/.var/app/org.signal.Signal" -o -path "$HOME/snap/signal-desktop" \) -print 2>/dev/null

Run the remove command only for directories that the check command prints on your screen:

# Delete native configuration
rm -rf ~/.config/Signal
# Delete snap settings backup
rm -rf ~/snap/signal-desktop