How do I install Twitch on Linux?

Question

When I go onto the Twitch website and download it, it downloads the Windows version and as a result, won't open. How do I install Twitch on Linux 18.2?

Answer 1

The best way to install an application is from repositories

In general the Windows executables don't work on Ubuntu. Some Windows software works through Wine. See How to install and configure Wine? for more on how to use Wine. But this is the last resort. You should try to find and install the native version if available.

See How do I install applications in Ubuntu? for general instructions regarding how to install software in Ubuntu.

Install gnome-twitch from the repositories

Gnome-twitch is available in the Ubuntu Universe repository. To make sure the Universe repository is enabled, Open Software & Update app and mark the check box next to universe.

See How do I enable the "Universe" repository?

Open a terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T and enter:

sudo apt install gnome-twitch

Alternatively, install the snap version of gnome-twitch

The version of software such as gnome-twitch is often not the latest in the repositories. snap is a different method of software installation and management for Ubuntu that often contains the most recent version. There is a beta version of gnome-twitch available via snap. To install this version, enter the following command in the open terminal:

sudo snap install --beta gnome-twitch

On my Ubuntu 16.04 LTS this is the only thing I needed to do. If you have not used a snap version of any software before, you may need to install snapd and associated software with the following command before installing gnome-twitch:

sudo apt install snapd snapd-xdg-open

On my computer I did not need to install Gnome 3.24 and you shouldn't need to install the snap version of Gnome 3.24 for Ubuntu 18.04, as it comes with Gnome 3.28 by default.

To start gnome-twitch search for it in the Dash and click on it:

Reference: Ubuntu Handbook