Install Krita on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
If you’ve ever tried to set up a drawing app on a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 install, you’ll know that the default repos can be hit or miss. In this post I’ll walk you through all the ways to get Krita—the open‑source painting powerhouse—up and running without wasting time chasing broken packages.
Why the official Ubuntu repo is usually fine
Ubuntu’s 22.04 LTS ships with a reasonably recent Krita version in its universe repository, so for most users a single `apt` command will do. The advantage? It pulls dependencies directly from the same source as everything else, so you’re less likely to run into mismatched libraries.
sudo apt update sudo apt install krita
That’s it. No extra keys or PPAs to bother with. If your system is clean and up‑to‑date, this method will give you a stable build that matches the rest of your OS.
When you want the latest features: add the official PPA
Sometimes the repository lags behind the bleeding‑edge releases. If you need a newer version—say the 5.1 release with its updated brush engine—you can add Krita’s own Personal Package Archive (PPA).
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kritalime/ppa sudo apt update sudo apt install krita
The `add‑apt‑repository` command grabs the signing key automatically, so you don’t need to manually fetch a .gpg file. I’ve seen users hit a “dependency hell” after upgrading from 5.0 to 5.1 without adding this PPA; the version in Ubuntu’s repo simply can’t satisfy the new library requirements.
Snap is another quick route
Snap packages bundle everything they need, which means fewer dependency conflicts but a slightly larger disk footprint. If you already have snaps on your system and don’t mind the extra storage, the following works instantly:
sudo snap install krita --classic
The `--classic` flag tells Snap to use the classic confinement, giving Krita full access to your filesystem—necessary for a painting program that needs to read and write image files anywhere. On systems where snaps are disabled by default (like some minimal installs), this is a handy fallback.
Flatpak: the sandboxed alternative
Flatpak is similar to Snap but uses a different sandboxing model. If you prefer Flatpak, first make sure it’s installed:
sudo apt install flatpak
Then add Flathub, Krita’s official source, and install:
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo flatpak install flathub org.kde.krita
Flatpak packages are usually a bit newer than the Ubuntu repo but not always as up‑to‑date as the PPA. They’re great if you want to keep Krita isolated from the rest of your system.
Common pitfalls and quick fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “Failed to find a suitable Qt5 configuration” | Older Qt libraries bundled with the repo version | Switch to the PPA or Snap, which include newer Qt 5.15 |
| “Krita crashes on startup after an upgrade” | Incompatible GPU driver | Update your graphics stack (`sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall`) before reinstalling Krita |
| “Cannot write to ~/Pictures” | Snap confinement restrictions | Use the `--classic` flag or move the image to a location within the allowed directories |
A quick note: if you run into an error that mentions `libgdk-pixbuf`, it’s usually because Ubuntu 22.04 ships with an older libgdk‑pixbuf that Krita expects a newer one. The PPA resolves this by pulling in a more recent version.
Bottom line
- For most people, a single `sudo apt install krita` will get you where you need to be.
- If you want the newest features or run into dependency issues, add the official Krita PPA.
- Snap and Flatpak are solid alternatives if you like sandboxed packages or already use those ecosystems.
Pick the method that feels most comfortable for your setup, install, then start sketching.
