OpenShot is officially distributed on Linux as an AppImage (and also as a PPA). This document will assist with downloading, installing, running, and uninstalling the OpenShot AppImage.

The key idea of the AppImage format is one app = one file. Every AppImage contains an app and all the files the app needs to run. In other words, each AppImage has no dependencies other than what is included in the targeted base operating system(s). Learn more about the AppImage project.

Grab the latest build from the official OpenShot website.

Right click on the AppImage file, view the permissions, and mark it as Executable.

Or open a terminal and type:

$ chmod a+x OpenShot*.AppImage

Right click on the AppImage file, and choose Execute or Run. Or open a terminal and type:

$ ./OpenShot*.AppImage

Please verify that the libfuse2 library is installed, which is required to mount and read an AppImage. On newer versions of Ubuntu (i.e. 22.04+), libfuse2 is not installed by default.

sudo apt install libfuse2

If you plan on using OpenShot often, you will probably want an integrated launcher for our AppImage. We recommend using AppImageLauncher, which is the officially supported way to launch (and manage) AppImage files on your Linux desktop. If you are on a Debian-based distro (Ubuntu, Mint, etc...), there is an official AppImageLauncher PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:appimagelauncher-team/stable
sudo apt update
sudo apt install appimagelauncher

Once AppImageLauncher is installed, it will now assist you when launching an AppImage. You will receive this prompt on first launch of the OpenShot*.AppImage. Click the Integrate and Run button to install a launcher (*.desktop) on your Linux desktop for future use. Or click "Run Once" to launch the AppImage without installing a launcher.

Search your installed applications on your Linux distro, and you should see OpenShot Video Editor in the list of applications, with the OpenShot icon.

If you would like to remove the installed OpenShot AppImage from your Linux desktop, simply right click on OpenShot in your distros launcher, and choose "Remove AppImage from System". This option is provided by the AppImageLauncher mentioned previously in this guide.

Once you click "Remove AppImage from System", it will display the following confirmation. Note: Only "installed" AppImage applications can be removed using this method. If you are not using AppImageLauncher, and/or did not choose to install the AppImage, you can simply delete the AppImage file.