How to Install Snap on Elementary OS Juno

By default, Snap is not available on Elementary OS Juno. Snap is a simple way to install application in Linux environment. Forget about a complex building package manually. With Snap, we can easily install various applications on Linux. This article will guide you how to install Snap on Elementary OS Juno. Before we can use Snap utility, we need to install the snapd package in Juno. 

Enable Snap support on Elementary OS Juno

Open Terminal and then execute this command to install snapd

sudo apt install snapd

Now, your system has Snap support enabled. And then we can install software using snap command. For more information, please read this Snap user guide. It’s a complete information you need to know how to use Snap. 

Install Software using Snap

For example, I want to install Skype using Snap. The command below should works

sudo snap install skype --classic

It will start downloading and compiling packages for Skype installation. In few moments, Skype is ready for use in your Elementary OS Juno. 

Find Package Using Snap

In case you want to find or search package using Snap, use this command below

sudo snap find spotify

Output

elementary@elementary:~$ sudo snap find spotify
Name Version Publisher Notes Summary
spotify 1.0.93.242.gc2341a27-15 spotify✓ - Music for everyone
tizonia 0.15.0 tizonia - Tizonia command-line cloud music player.
vsslagent 1.18 vssl - VSSL REST api.
musixmatch 0.21.3 musixmatch - Musixmatch Desktop App
magnesium 1.6.17 robblue2x - magnesium

You can also visit the Snap Store website to see what packages are available there.

Possible Issues

In most cases, after installing a software using Snap, you will not find any shortcut in your Application menu. If you have this issue, log out and re-login will solve the problem.

Also, the direct command to open the application doesn’t work. For example, after installing Skype, the following command will return error:

skype

Error output:

Command 'skype' is available in '/snap/bin/skype'
The command could not be located because '/snap/bin' is not included in the PATH environment variable.
skype: command not found

As you can see, the command is available in /snap/bin/skype. You have to add the complete path to the command to make it work. So, instead of typing skype, use this command to run Skype

/snap/bin/skype

How to Fix the PATH issue

It is not convenient at all. So, I would suggest to add the /snap/bin to the PATH environment. Do the following to add the /snap/bin to PATH environment on your Linux

PATH=/snap/bin:$PATH

Done. Now, we can run Skype with single command:

skype

without having to add the complete /snap/bin path in front of it. 

How to Update Snap Package

By default, Snap software will update itself automatically. But, in case you want to manually update it, use this command. 

sudo snap skype

It will update Skype to the latest version.

Remove Snap Package

In case you want to remove the snap application, this command should do

sudo snap remove skype

Done

Final Words

Snap is very easy to use and it is another great way to install software in Linux. When you cannot find the software you want in the default Software Center, try to find it using Snap.