Are you working from home too because of the COVID-19 pandemic? Most of the work environments are arranging virtual meetings using different video conferencing tools. One of the popular tools that most of the work environments are adopting is Zoom. Zoom provides a platform for audio, video conferencing, chats, and webinars and supports up to 100 users for free. It can be installed on Windows, Linux, macOS systems as a desktop client and as an app on smartphones and tablets running the Android or IOS. You can also use the Zoom through its web interface without needing to install it.
In this article, we will explain how to install Zoom on the Ubuntu system. We will explain the installation of Zoom through the following ways:
- Through APT package manager (Command Line)
- Through Snap package (Command Line)
- Through Ubuntu Software Center (Command Line)
We will be using the command line Terminal application for the installation process. To open the command line Terminal, you can use the Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut.
Note:
- We have run the procedure and commands on Ubuntu 20.04 LST OS. More or less the same procedure can be followed in the Debian and previous Ubuntu releases.
- For installing or removing any package in Ubuntu, you must be root user or a standard user with sudo privileges
Installing Zoom through Apt Package Manager (Command Line)
For users who prefer command line for performing every task, here is the procedure to do so:
We will install the Zoom application through the command line using the Apt package manager.
1. First, download the Zoom application for Linux from the following link:
https://zoom.us/download?os=linux
Choose your Linux distribution from the drop-down list. Then choose your OS architecture and version and click the Download button.
Alternatively, you can use the following command in Terminal to download Zoom deb package on your system:
$ wget https://zoom.us/client/latest/zoom_amd64.deb
2. Now, install the downloaded Zoom deb package. Use the below command in Terminal to do so:
$ sudo apt install ./zoom_amd64.deb
When prompted for the password, enter the sudo password.
Now you will be asked if you want to continue the installation or not. Hit y to continue the installation process
Once installed, you can launch Zoom application using the following command in Terminal:
$ zoom
This is the Zoom default window when you first launch it. From here, you can sign in to your Zoom application and start using it.
Uninstall Zoom
In case, you want to remove the Zoom application from your system, you can do so with the following command in Terminal:
$ sudo apt remove zoom
Installing Zoom through Snap Package (Command Line)
Zoom is also available as a snap package bundled with all its dependencies. In order to install the Zoom snap package, you must have the snapd installed on your system. If it is not already installed on your system, you can install it using the following command in Terminal:
$ sudo apt install snapd
Once you have snapd, you can install the Zoom snap package. Issue the following command in Terminal to do so:
$ sudo snap install zoom-client
Once installed, you can launch Zoom application using the following command in Terminal:
$ zoom
Uninstall Zoom
In case, you want to remove the Zoom snap application from your system, you can do so with the following command in Terminal:
$ sudo snap remove zoom
Installing Zoom through Ubuntu Software Center (GUI)
If you are not comfortable with the command line, you can use the GUI method for installing the Zoom application in your system. Follow the below steps to do so:
1. First, download the Zoom application for Linux from the following link:
https://zoom.us/download?os=linux
Choose your Linux distribution from the drop-down list. Then choose your OS architecture and version and click the Download button.
2. Right-click the downloaded deb package and select Open With Software Install.
3. The Zoom deb package will open in the Ubuntu Software Center window and you will see the following view. Click the Install button in order to install the Zoom package.
4. The following authentication dialog box will appear. Enter the password for authentication and click the Authenticate button, after that installation of Zoom will be started.
Once the installation is completed, you will see the following window.
5. You can launch Zoom application by simply typing the following command in the Terminal:
$ zoom
In order to launch Zoom from GUI, hit the super key on your keyboard and type zoom in the search bar that appears. When the search result appears, click on the Zoom application icon to launch it.
Uninstall Zoom
In case, you want to remove the Zoom application from your system, you can do so through the Ubuntu Software Center.
First, launch Ubuntu Software Center in your system. Go to the Installed tab. Here you will see a list of installed applications. Click the Remove button in front of the Zoom application.
When you will be asked for confirmation, click the Remove button.
Then the following authentication dialog will appear. Provide the authentication password and click the Authenticate button, after which the Zoom application will be removed from your system.
That is all there is to it! In this article, you have learned how to install Zoom in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. We have discussed the installation of Zoom in different ways including both the command line and the GUI. You can use either of them based on your convenience and ease of installation.