Linux Mint

How to Enable Snap Applications Support in Linux Mint 20 (Recommended Method)

Snap is a package manager for Linux-based distributions, and snaps refer to the application packages that are available for IoT, cloud, and desktop. Snaps are multi-platform, easy to install, secure, and dependency-free applications. One of the biggest advantages of snap applications is that they update automatically.

On Linux Mint 20, the snap support is disabled by default. There could be a situation that you are interested in installing any particular application, and the application version is only available from the snap application manager. In this situation, you will require to enable and install the snap-on Linux Mint 20.

Enabling snap application support in Linux Mint 20

Initially, if you try to install the snap-in Linux Mint 20, you will get the error.

To enable snap on Linux Mint 20, we need to delete the /etc/apt/preferences.d/nosnap.pref file.

Fire up the terminal and remove the nosnap.pref file with the command:

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

Once the nosnap.pref file is removed, update the apt cache using the command:

$ sudo apt update

Next, we are ready to install the snapd with the command:

$ sudo apt install snapd

Once the snap is successfully installed, verify the installation and check the installed version with the command:

$ snap version

The output shows that snap 2.48 is installed.

Installing the snap packages in Linux Mint 20

Now, we have enabled and installed the snap-in Linux Mint; therefore, we can install any application on Linux Mint 20 which is available from the snap application manager as follows:

$ sudo snap install <application-name>

Let’s install the popular VLC media player snap application on Linux Mint:

$ sudo snap install vlc

Remove the snapd from Linux Mint 20

At any point, if you wish to remove the snapd application manager from your Linux Mint 20 system, type the below-given command to do so:

$ sudo apt remove --autoremove snapd

Press ‘y’ to continue removing the snap application manager.

Conclusion

Snap comes disabled on Linux Mint 20 by default. Therefore, we need to enable and install the snap manually on Linux Mint 20. This post explains the recommended method for enabling and installing snap on Linux Mint 20.

About the author

Kamran Sattar Awaisi

Kamran Sattar Awaisi

I am a software engineer and a research scholar. I like to write article and make tutorial on various IT topics including Python, Cloud Computing, Fog Computing and Deep Learning. I love to use Linux based operating systems.