Bitwarden ships four Linux packages from the same desktop release tag. Pick the one that matches your distribution's package manager.
| Package | For | Auto-update | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| .deb | Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, Pop!_OS, Elementary | No (rerun apt) | Download .deb |
| .rpm | Fedora, RHEL, CentOS Stream, openSUSE, Rocky, Alma | No (rerun dnf/zypper) | Download .rpm |
| AppImage | Any distro (universal, no install) | No (re-download) | Download AppImage |
| Snap | Ubuntu, anywhere with snapd | Yes (snapd auto-refresh) | Open Snap Store |
# Download
wget https://github.com/bitwarden/clients/releases/latest/download/Bitwarden-amd64.deb
# Install with apt (resolves dependencies)
sudo apt install ./Bitwarden-amd64.deb
# Or with dpkg + apt -f for missing deps
sudo dpkg -i Bitwarden-amd64.deb
sudo apt -f installAfter install, Bitwarden appears in your application menu. CLI launch: bitwarden.
# Fedora / RHEL / Rocky / Alma
sudo dnf install Bitwarden-x86_64.rpm
# openSUSE
sudo zypper install Bitwarden-x86_64.rpmAppImage is a single executable that bundles the runtime — no install, no system dependencies, runs on any distro:
chmod +x Bitwarden-x86_64.AppImage
./Bitwarden-x86_64.AppImageOptionally integrate into the menu with AppImageLauncher.
sudo snap install bitwardenThe Snap is published and signed by Bitwarden directly (not third-party). Snap's auto-refresh keeps it updated. The downside is the usual Snap critique: slower cold start, sandbox restrictions on filesystem access.
Bitwarden doesn't publish an official Arch package, but the AUR has a maintained bitwarden entry that pulls from the official .deb:
yay -S bitwarden
# or with paru
paru -S bitwardenFor the official .AppImage variant: yay -S bitwarden-bin.
If you want the command-line client (bw) for shell scripts or CI pipelines — that's separate from the desktop app:
# npm
npm install -g @bitwarden/cli
# Or download native binary
wget https://github.com/bitwarden/clients/releases/latest/download/bw-linux-X.X.X.zip
unzip bw-linux-X.X.X.zip
sudo mv bw /usr/local/bin/See our CLI page for scripting examples.
If you want to run the entire Bitwarden stack (vault, identity, admin portal, database) on your own Linux server, that's covered separately on our self-host page. Docker compose, ~$5/month VPS works for personal use.
If you're on Debian/Ubuntu/Mint, the .deb. Fedora/RHEL/openSUSE, the .rpm. If you want auto-update or are on Ubuntu, Snap. If you want a no-install single-file executable, AppImage. For Arch, the AUR. None of them are "better" — they're packaging differences for the same Bitwarden code.
Yes — Electron 22+ has decent Wayland support, and Bitwarden runs fine on Sway, Hyprland, GNOME Wayland, KDE Plasma Wayland. Some browser-extension integration features (autofill, biometric handshake via fingerprint) need the desktop app to register a system-wide hotkey — XWayland fallback handles that on Wayland-only sessions.
Snap cold starts have to mount the squashfs image, set up the sandbox namespace, and bring up the runtime. ~3-5 seconds is normal on first launch after boot. Subsequent launches are sub-second. If first-launch latency annoys you, switch to the .deb or AppImage.
The community maintains a Flatpak at flathub.org/apps/com.bitwarden.desktop — not officially supported by Bitwarden but tracks the official .deb closely. Sandbox restrictions are similar to Snap.
The desktop GUI is the only non-CLI option, but on a server you almost certainly want the CLI instead. bw handles login, list, get, export — everything the GUI does, scriptable.
Yes — Mint is Ubuntu-based, and the Bitwarden .deb installs cleanly. Same for Pop!_OS, Elementary, Zorin, KDE Neon, and any other Ubuntu-derivative.
Either install AppImageLauncher (it auto-creates desktop entries), or manually create a .desktop file in ~/.local/share/applications/bitwarden.desktop pointing to the AppImage path.