How to chat in Twitch streams on the Linux desktop with Chatterino
Do you watch a lot of Twitch streamers on your Linux desktop? Don’t like keeping up with the stream chat using a web browser? Check out Chatterino! It’s a Twitch chat client that allows you to chat in your favorite Twitch streamer’s chatbox right from the Linux desktop.
Installing Chatterino on Linux
Before we can go over how to use Chatterino to chat with your favorite Twitch streamers on the Linux desktop, you’ll need to install it on your computer. To start the installation, open up a terminal window on the Linux desktop.
You can open up a terminal window on the Linux desktop by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on the keyboard. Or, search for “Terminal” in the app menu. When the terminal window is open and ready to use, follow the installation instructions below that corresponds with the Linux OS you use to get Chatterino up and running.
Ubuntu/Debian
Sadly, Chatterino doesn’t make a DEB package for Ubuntu users or Debian users to download. However, it is possible to get the app working on Ubuntu via a downloadable AppImage file. To get your hands on the AppImage, use the wget command down below.
wget https://chatterino.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com/bin/2.3.4/Chatterino-x86_64.AppImage
After downloading the AppImage file to your computer, you’ll need to create a new folder named “AppImages.” This folder will house the Chatterino AppImage.
mkdir -p ~/AppImages/
Once the AppImage folder is created, use the mv command to place the Chatterino AppImage file into the new folder. Then, use the CD command to move the terminal session into the ~/AppImages folder.
mv Chatterino-x86_64.AppImage ~/AppImages cd ~/AppImages
From here, you’ll need to update the permissions of the Chatterino AppImage using the chmod command. These permissions must be changed. Otherwise, the AppImage cannot run as a program on your Ubuntu or Debian system.
sudo chmod +x Chatterino-x86_64.AppImage
Finally, start up the Chatterino app for the first time on Debian or Ubuntu using the command below. Or, double-click on the Chatterino AppImage using the Linux file manager.
./Chatterino-x86_64.AppImage
Arch Linux
If you’re using Arch Linux, you’ll be able to get the Chatterino application up and running on your system via the Arch Linux AUR. You’ll have to install both the “git” and “base-devel” packages on your computer to start the installation process.
sudo pacman -S git base-devel
With the two packages set up on your computer, the next step is to download and install the Trizen AUR helper. This program will make setting up Chatterino on Arch Linux much more straightforward. To get it working, use the commands below.
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/trizen.git cd trizen/ makepkg -sri
Finally, install the Chatterino application on your Arch Linux system with the following trizen -S command.
trizen -S chatterino2-git
Fedora
If you’d like to install Chatterino on Fedora Linux, you’ll be happy to know it is included in the official software sources. To get it working on your computer, use the following dnf install command in a terminal window.
sudo dnf install chatterino2
OpenSUSE
Sadly, OpenSUSE Linux doesn’t have the Chatterino application in their software sources. However, as Fedora Linux is similar to Fedora (with some changes here and there), it can run Fedora RPM packages.
To install Chatterino on OpenSUSE, use the following commands below. If this installation method doesn’t work for you, try the Flatpak installation instructions instead.
wget https://download-ib01.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/releases/34/Everything/x86_64/os/Packages/c/chatterino2-2.2.2-3.fc34.x86_64.rpm sudo zypper install chatterino2-2.2.2-3.fc34.x86_64.rpm
Flatpak
The Chatterino application works on Flatpak so long as you have the Flatpak runtime configured on your computer. To set up the latest Flatpak runtime on your computer, please follow our guide on the subject.
After setting up the latest release of the Flatpak runtime on your Linux PC, the installation of Chatterino can begin. Using the two commands below, set up the app.
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo flatpak install flathub com.chatterino.chatterino
How to use Chatterino
To use Chatterino on your Linux desktop, start by opening up the app on the desktop. You can launch the app by searching for “Chatterino” in the app menu. Once it is open, follow the step-by-step instructions below.
Step 1: Find the account icon in the app (top-left corner) and click on it with the mouse. When you select this icon, the account manager will appear. From here, click on “Manage accounts.”
Step 2: After selecting the “Manage” accounts button, locate the “Add” button, and select it to add a new Twitch account. Then, select the “Log in (Opens in browser)” button.
Step 3: The Twitch website will appear when you select the “Log in (Opens in browser)” button. Connect the app to your Twitch account. Then, in the Chatterino app that opens in a new tab, click the “Copy text” button to copy the code over.
Step 4: Select the “Paste login info” button to paste the login code into Chatterino and log in.
Step 5: After logging in, click on the “empty” text box that says “Click to add split” and select it with the mouse. When you do this, a text box will appear. Select “Channel,” and paste the channel you wish to join and chat in. Select “OK” to confirm.
When you’ve joined a channel to talk inside Chatterino, you’ll start seeing stream chat appear right away. From here, just start typing to participate. Enjoy!
