Install BleachBit on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 – Quick, Clean, and Reliable
If you want to install BleachBit on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04, here's how you can get it up and running in minutes.
Why You Need BleachBit
Disk space is the one thing that always seems to shrink faster than your patience after a new update. I've seen users who upgraded to 20.04 only to discover their home folder was suddenly full of old package caches, leftover thumbnails, and log files that never got cleaned out. BleachBit lets you clean those junk items with a single click (or command) without having to dig through the filesystem yourself.
Method 1 – Official Repositories
1. Open a terminal
You could run gnome-terminal, konsole, or just hit Ctrl+Alt+T. The terminal is your best friend for installing software quickly.
2. Update package lists
sudo apt update
Updating makes sure you pull the latest version from Ubuntu’s servers; otherwise you might get an older, less feature‑rich release.
3. Install BleachBit
sudo apt install bleachbit
This pulls the package that ships with your distro. It’s safe, vetted by the maintainers, and will auto‑update when you run sudo apt upgrade.
4. Launch it
Search for “BleachBit” in your activities or run bleachbit from the terminal.
That’s all there is to it. The downside? You’ll get the version that ships with Ubuntu (often a few releases behind). If that’s not enough, move on to Method 2.
Method 2 – PPA for the Latest Version
If you like staying up‑to‑date or need features only in newer builds, add the BleachBit Personal Package Archive:
1. Add the PPA
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:bleachbit/ppa
The add-apt-repository command installs the PPA key and repository file automatically.
2. Refresh package lists
sudo apt update
3. Upgrade or install BleachBit
sudo apt install bleachbit
If you already had BleachBit from the official repo, this will upgrade it to the newer PPA version.
4. Run it
Same as before; the UI is identical.
The PPA gives you the latest features and bug fixes, but remember PPAs aren’t officially supported by Ubuntu. Keep an eye on updates or remove the PPA if you run into compatibility trouble.
Method 3 – Flatpak – The Universal Option
Flatpak packages ship with all their dependencies, so they work the same way on any recent Linux distribution:
1. Install Flatpak (if you haven’t already)
sudo apt install flatpak
2. Add Flathub repository – this is where BleachBit lives
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
3. Install BleachBit from Flathub
flatpak install flathub org.bleachbit.BleachBit
4. Launch it
flatpak run org.bleachbit.BleachBit
Flatpak isolates the app, so any bugs won’t affect your system libraries. It does take up a bit more disk space upfront, but you get the newest version regardless of your Ubuntu release.
Troubleshooting Common Hiccups
- “Package not found” – Make sure you typed bleachbit correctly and that your apt sources are intact. Running sudo apt update usually fixes a stale mirror issue.
- Permission errors when cleaning system files – BleachBit needs root privileges to touch certain directories. Launch it with sudo bleachbit from the terminal or use the “Run as administrator” switch in the GUI.
- Flatpak keeps asking for a password – This is normal; Flatpak uses Polkit to authenticate. Once you grant permission, subsequent runs won’t prompt again.
If you hit a snag that none of these steps cover, feel free to ping me on the comments or drop a note on the forum.
Hope your system feels lighter now.
