Install Slack on Ubuntu 18.04: Deb Package Install Guide

Slack is one of the most popular collaboration platforms in the world. Teams use it to organize conversations in channels — one for each project, team, or topic, so information stays easy to find. Within those channels, you can search the full history of every message and file ever shared, which makes it easy to catch up on anything you missed.

Beyond text, Slack supports audio and video calls directly from the app, and lets you share documents, images, videos, and other files without leaving the conversation. It is available as a native desktop application on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Slack is not open-source and is not included in Ubuntu’s default repositories. You install it by downloading a .deb package directly from Slack’s website.

This guide shows you how to install Slack on Ubuntu 18.04. The same steps work on Ubuntu 16.04 and any Debian-based distribution, including Kubuntu, Linux Mint, and Elementary OS.

Prerequisite: You need sudo access.

Install Slack on Ubuntu: Download and Install the Deb Package

Open your terminal and download the latest Slack .deb package using wget:

bashwget https://downloads.slack-edge.com/linux_releases/slack-desktop-4.0.2-amd64.deb

Once the download is complete, install it using apt. Using apt instead of dpkg automatically resolves any missing dependencies:

bashsudo apt install ./slack-desktop-*.deb

Enter your password when prompted. The installation takes only a moment.

Launch Slack and Connect to a Workspace

Once installed, open Slack from the application menu via Activities > Slack, or run slack in your terminal.

The first time you open Slack, a sign-in screen appears. From here, you can:

• Sign in to an existing workspace: enter your workspace URL or the email address associated with your account. If you are signing in for work, ask your administrator for the workspace URL — it usually follows the format yourcompany.slack.com
• Create a new workspace: start fresh and invite teammates to join

Channels can be public (visible to all workspace members) or private (invite-only). You can create as many as you need and mute the ones you check less often. Direct messages let you talk one-on-one with any teammate without creating a channel. Slack also supports audio and video calls from any conversation, with screen sharing available during calls.

Update Slack with the Official Repository

During installation, Slack automatically adds its official Linux repository to your system’s apt sources. Verify it with:

bashcat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/slack.list

deb https://slack.com/downloads/linux jessie main

This means Slack updates automatically when a new version is released, just like any other apt package. You can also manually trigger an update at any time:

bashsudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

You do not need to re-download the .deb file for future updates.

Slack is now installed on your Ubuntu 18.04 desktop. Visit the Slack Help Center to learn how to set up channels, configure notifications, and connect apps. Leave a comment below if you run into any issues.