How to Install Snap on Linux Mint?

Snap is the cross-distribution application manager that is containerized with all its dependencies. The packages are known as “snaps” and are managed by a tool called “snapd”. Snaps are the most secure and scalable way to embed applications on Linux distributions like Mint, Ubuntu, and others. Snaps can be easily discovered and installed from the Snap Store.

In this blog, we will cover the complete installation procedure of Snap on Linux Mint.

How to Install Snap on Linux Mint System?

The snap store support is available through the default repository list of Linux Mint. Let’s see how it can be installed:

Step 1: Remove “nosnap.pref” File

The snap services are disabled on the system because of the “nosnap.pref” configuration file. The “nosnap.pref” file prevents the apt from installing the snaps with selected packages. Thus, it must be removed before going forward.

Execute the “sudo rm” command along with the default path of the “nosnap.pref” configuration file for removing purposes:

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sudo rm /etc/apt/preferences.d/nosnap.pref

Step 2: Update Linux Mint System Packages

Use the given command to update the system packages:

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sudo apt update

Step 3: Install Snap Daemon

Run the below-stated command to install the snap daemon (known as “snapd”). Snapd refers to a background service to manage and handle the snap packages:

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sudo apt install snapd -y

Step 4: Verify Installation

Run the below-provided command to verify the installation:

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snap version

Step 5: Enable Snapd Service

Then, run the following command to enable the snapd. By doing this, the snapd service starts automatically on the system at the boot time:

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sudo systemctl enable snapd

Note: This service may be already set, but it is always ideal for running the command to ensure it is set.

How to Install Snap Applications on Linux Mint?

Once the snap support is activated, you can install any application from the snap repository but make sure that the particular package exists on the online snap store.

Run the “sudo snap install” command to install your desired application from the snap store, i.e., discord in our case:

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sudo snap install discord

Note: You can also search packages from the snap store by executing the provided command:

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sudo snap search <pkg-name>

How to Remove\Delete Snap Packages From Linux Mint?

If you want to remove a particular snap package from Linux Mint, then you need to run the below-mentioned command:

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sudo snap remove <pkg-name>

Replace the “<pkg-name>” with the particular package name. For instance, we have removed the “discord”:

How to Remove\Delete “snapd” From Linux Mint?

The snapd would terminate all the ongoing snap store operations on the system. As the absence of the service does not allow any dependent operations. You can perform this with a snap as well. For instance, to remove the snapd from Linux Mint, use the command:

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sudo apt autoremove snapd

That’s all! You have learned the easiest way of installing the snap on Linux Mint.

Final Thoughts

Snap is a widely used package manager supported by Linux Mint (and most of the Linux distributions). To install the snap, update the system repositories and execute the “sudo apt install snapd -y” command. The snaps on Linux Mint are backed up by the service snapd. So, ensure the snapd service is running in an active state to install/remove/update snaps. This article has described the procedure for installing the snap on Linux Mint.