This is part of our new series geared towards Linux beginners. Our goal is to make your computing life as easy as it can be by providing you with easy to read and understand tutorials for both Windows and Linux.

Today, we’ll continue and show you how to install and remove programs in Ubuntu Linux with Synaptic Package Manager.

 

Gone are the days when installing a single package in Linux took hours and sometimes didn’t get installed at all. You needed to satisfied all dependencies for each package until all files are accounted for before you were allowed to install the program.

Today installing packages in Ubuntu Linux is like installing a program in Windows. There’s an automatic package manager that handles all package installations for you.

 

This tutorial will show you how to use Synaptic Package Manager to install and uninstall packages in Ubuntu.

 

Installing packages with Synaptic Package Manager:

 

To access Synaptic Package Manager in Ubuntu, click System –> Administration –> Synaptic Package Manager

 

 

Enter the your password to continue.

 

 

 

The default panel of Synaptic gives you quick access to available packages by categories, sections, and status. To quickly search for a package to install, type the package name in the search box and press enter.

 

 

To see all installed packages, click Sections and select Installed from the list. To the right, are all installed packages on the system. The list can be quite long.

 

 

 

Almost all packages are stored in repositories run by Ubuntu or groups affiliated with Ubuntu. In order to install a package that is not available in Ubuntu System’s repositories, you must install the repository that contains the package.

To install a repository, click Settings –> Repositories

 

 

Next select Other Software tab and click Add to add repositories. Once done click Close.

 

 

Type the package name to install and click the checkbox then select Mark for Installation. If the package needs other files to complete the installation, it will prompt you to accept to install the required files.

 

 

Click Mark to allow for additional required changes. The package manager will update, upgrade and remove packages other packages to complete the installation. Accept and continue.

 

 

Once complete, click Apply to begin the installation.

 

 

Click Apply to agree to the changes.

 

 

 

Wait and the package should get installed. That’s all it takes now to get a package in Ubuntu installed nowadays in Ubuntu.