This guide walks the reader through installing NixNote on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS with minimal hassle. After updating and upgrading packages, you pull a list of Electron‑dependent libraries that the installer will need before fetching the latest .deb file from GitHub. The package is then installed via dpkg, followed by an apt fix for any missing dependencies, and you launch NixNote which automatically creates its local database and sync folder. For convenience, a desktop shortcut can be added manually, and the author notes that resolving any library issues on older Ubuntu releases restores full functionality.

How to Install NixNote on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS – No‑Bloat, Straight‑Forward

Ever heard the phrase “free is good but it can be a headache”? That’s exactly what I felt when I tried to get NixNote (the open‑source Evernote clone) running on my freshly minted Ubuntu 22.04. The following steps got me up and running in under ten minutes, with no extra fuss.

1. Prepare your system

Ubuntu 22.04 ships with a lot of modern libraries already, but NixNote still needs a few extras. First thing’s first: make sure your package lists are fresh.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

If you skip the `update`, you might end up pulling in an older version of `libsqlite3` that won’t satisfy NixNote’s runtime check. The `upgrade` guarantees all dependencies are at least as recent as they should be.

2. Install required libraries

NixNote is built on Electron, so it relies on a handful of Qt and Node packages. Pull them in with:

sudo apt install -y \
    libgconf-2-4 \
    libappindicator3-1 \
    libasound2 \
    libatk1.0-0 \
    libc6 \
    libcairo2 \
    libcolord2 \
    libdbus-1-3 \
    libexpat1 \
    libfontconfig1 \
    libfreetype6 \
    libgcc-s1 \
    libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0 \
    libglib2.0-0 \
    libgtk-3-0 \
    libnspr4 \
    libnss3 \
    libpango-1.0-0 \
    libpangocairo-1.0-0 \
    libqt5core5a \
    libqt5gui5 \
    libqt5widgets5 \
    libx11-6 \
    libxcb-render-util0 \
    libxtst6

> These are the libraries that Electron (and by extension NixNote) asks for. Skipping any will give you a cryptic “cannot open shared object file” error later on.

3. Download the latest NixNote package

Head over to the official GitHub releases page, grab the `.deb` file for Linux, and pull it into your home directory:

cd ~
wget https://github.com/niklasb/nixnote2/releases/download/v1.6.0/nixnote_1.6.0_amd64.deb

I pulled version 1.6.0 because that’s the most recent stable build at the time of writing. If you see a newer release, just swap out the URL.

4. Install the package

Now let apt do its thing:

sudo dpkg -i nixnote_1.6.0_amd64.deb || sudo apt -f install -y

The `||` part is a safety net: if there are missing dependencies, the second command tells apt to fix them automatically.

5. Run NixNote

You can start it from the terminal or by searching for “NixNote” in Activities:

nixnote

If everything went right, you’ll see the familiar note‑taking interface pop up. The first time you run it, it will create a local database and sync folder.

6. (Optional) Create a desktop shortcut

If you prefer a clickable icon in your dock, drop this into `~/.local/share/applications/nixnote.desktop`:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=NixNote
Comment=Take notes with an open‑source Evernote clone
Exec=nixnote %U
Icon=nixnote
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Office;Utility;

Then hit `Alt+F2`, type `nixnote.desktop`, and press Enter to add it to the dock. That’s all.

Real‑world tweak

I once tried installing NixNote on an older Ubuntu 18.04 system that had a broken `libqt5widgets5`. The installer failed with “Missing library libqt5widgets5.so.5”. After a quick `sudo apt install libqt5widgets5`, the package worked flawlessly. So, if you hit similar messages, give your libraries a second look.

That’s it—no more driver wars or dependency hell. NixNote should now be sitting in your dock like any other app. Happy note‑taking!