How to Install VLC Media Player on Linux?

This article provides a quick, straightforward guide on how to install the VLC media player on various Linux distributions. Whether you are using Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch Linux, or an independent distribution, you will find the precise terminal commands and package manager instructions needed to get VLC up and running on your system.

Installing VLC via Universal Package Managers

Universal package managers are the easiest way to install the latest version of VLC across almost any Linux distribution, as they include all necessary dependencies.

Method 1: Using Snap

Snap is pre-installed on Ubuntu and can be enabled on most other distributions. To install VLC via Snap, open your terminal and run:

sudo snap install vlc

Method 2: Using Flatpak

Flatpak is another excellent universal packaging system. First, ensure Flatpak and the Flathub repository are configured on your system, then execute:

flatpak install flathub org.videolan.VLC

Installing VLC via Native Package Managers

If you prefer using your distribution’s native repositories, you can install VLC using the standard package manager built into your specific Linux flavor.

Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint

Update your local package index and install VLC using the Advanced Package Tool (APT):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install vlc

Fedora and RHEL

Use the DNF package manager to install VLC. Note that on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), you may need to enable the EPEL or RPM Fusion repositories first.

sudo dnf install vlc

Arch Linux and Manjaro

Arch-based users can sync the official repositories and install VLC using Pacman:

sudo pacman -S vlc

OpenSUSE

For openSUSE Leap or Tumbleweed, use the Zypper command-line tool:

sudo zypper install vlc