Ubuntu Linux: How Do I install .deb Packages?

Ubuntu Linux: How Do I install .deb Packages?

by Nix Craft on June 22, 2006 · 63 comments· LAST UPDATED August 11, 2013

in Debian / Ubuntu, Package Management, Ubuntu Linux

 

I am a new Ubuntu Linux user. I need to install a package called package.deb. I know I can use Synaptic front-end package management tool to install packages from the CD or Internet. But, I would like to install a special .deb file. How can I install .deb package from the terminal using command line option in Ubuntu Linux or Debian Linux?
Tutorial details   Difficulty Easy (rss) Root privileges No Requirements dpkg Estimated completion time 1m

You need to use the dpkg command, which is a package manager from shell/command prompt for Debian and Ubuntu Linux. You can use this tool to install, build, remove and manage packages. dpkg itself is controlled entirely via command line parameters.

 

Syntax

The syntax is as follows:

 
dpkg -i package-name-here.deb
dpkg --install package-name-here.deb
dpkg -i -R /path/to/dir/name/with/lots/of/dot-deb-files/
dpkg -i --recursive /path/to/dir/name/with/lots/of/dot-deb-files/
 

Where,

1. -i or --install : Install the package.
2. -R or --recursive : Recursively installed all *.deb files found at specified directories and all of its sub-directories. /path/to/dir/name/with/lots/of/dot-deb-files/ must refer to a directory instead of package-name-here.deb file name.

How do I install .deb file?

To install a single package file called /tmp/package.deb type the following commands. Open a terminal and then cd to directory where package.deb is kept. In this example, package.deb is kept in /tmp directory:
$ cd /tmp
Type the following command to install the package:
$ sudo dpkg -i package.deb
OR
# dpkg -i package.deb

Install all packages from /nfs/pkgs/ubuntu-builds directory

Recursively handle and install all regular files matching pattern *.deb found at /nfs/pkgs/ubuntu-builds/ directory and all of its subdirectories, type:
$ sudo dpkg -i -R /nfs/pkgs/ubuntu-builds/
OR
# dpkg -i -R /nfs/pkgs/ubuntu-builds/