On Ubuntu 22.04 you can install the lightweight paint program Pinta straight from the default repositories after running an apt update to keep your package list fresh. For users who prefer sandboxed packages, Snap and Flatpak offer alternative installation paths that bundle dependencies or isolate the app, though Snap may need a permission tweak for removable media access. The post even includes a quick sanity check by opening an image, resizing it while toggling “Maintain aspect ratio,” to confirm Pinta is working correctly. If launch problems arise—often due to leftover broken packages from older releases—a simple purge followed by re‑installation typically clears the issue.

How to Install Pinta on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

If you’re looking for a lightweight paint program that feels more like Microsoft Paint than GIMP, Pinta is the one‑liner solution. In this post I’ll walk you through installing it from the official repositories, via Snap, and via Flatpak—plus a quick troubleshooting tip when things go sideways.

1. Make sure your package list is fresh

sudo apt update

Why bother? If your package cache is stale, `apt` might try to pull an old version or fail outright because it can’t find the repository metadata. Running this first guarantees you’ll get the latest Pinta build that ships with Ubuntu 22.04.

2. Install from the default Ubuntu repositories

sudo apt install pinta

That’s all there is to it. The `pinta` package lives in the universe repository, which is enabled by default on most installations. Once the command finishes, you can launch Pinta either from the Activities menu or by typing `pinta` at a terminal prompt.

3. Install via Snap (if you prefer containerised packages)

sudo snap install pinta

Snap bundles everything it needs so that updates are handled automatically and won’t interfere with other software on your system. I’ve seen people run into permission snags when opening files from the file manager, but the `snap connect` command can fix those quickly:

sudo snap connect pinta:removable-media :removable-media

That gives Pinta access to external drives and USB sticks—useful if you’re editing images off a memory card.

4. Install via Flatpak (for users who want the latest bleeding‑edge release)

First add Flathub, the Flatpak repository that hosts Pinta:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Then install:

flatpak install flathub org.pinta_project.Pinta

Launch it with:

flatpak run org.pinta_project.Pinta

Flatpak keeps Pinta isolated from the rest of your system, which is handy if you’re experimenting with beta releases.

5. A quick sanity check

Open a screenshot or image that looks a little off, like one that got corrupted after a recent driver update. In Pinta, go to Image => Resize and set “Maintain aspect ratio” to the correct value. If it snaps back to a normal shape, you’ve confirmed that Pinta is functioning correctly.

6. Common hiccups and how I fixed them

I once upgraded from Ubuntu 20.04 to 22.04 and accidentally left behind a broken `pinta` package from the previous release. The system would refuse to launch it, saying “could not find executable”. Running:

sudo apt purge pinta
sudo apt install pinta

cleaned out the old files and installed a fresh copy that worked without a hitch. If you hit a similar error, purging first is usually the easiest fix.

That’s all there is to it—Pinta is now ready for whatever doodles or quick edits you need.