How to install MyPaint on Linux
MyPaint an open-source, fast painting program that centers around full-screen use, with the idea that the user should focus on the art rather than the interface. MyPaint is feature-filled, and a go-to for many artists on Linux, especially ones that use drawing tablets. In this guide, we’ll show you how to get MyPaint up and running on Linux.
Ubuntu installation instructions
The MyPaint application is available to all Ubuntu Linux users running Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, and the latest release of the operating system Ubuntu 19.10. However, users will not be able to install the MyPaint software without first enabling the Ubuntu “Universe” software repository.
To enable the Ubuntu “Universe” software repository, start by launching a terminal window. To launch a terminal window, press Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, with the terminal window open, make use of the apt-add-repository command to subscribe to the “Universe” repo.
sudo apt-add-repository universe
After adding the “Universe” repository to your Ubuntu Linux PC, use the update command to refresh software sources.
sudo apt update
Finally, install the MyPaint app on your Ubuntu PC with the following commands.
sudo apt install mypaint-data mypaint
Debian installation instructions
The MyPaint app is readily available to install on all Debian Linux releases (10, 9, 8, SID). To get it working on your system, start by launching a terminal window on the desktop by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, with the terminal window open on the desktop, use the apt-get command below to get the MyPaint tool working.
sudo apt-get install mypaint mypaint-data
Please keep in mind that Debian is not a “fresh” Linux distribution. It centers around the idea of stability, which means that the programs available are behind on updates, compared to other Linux OSes. If you need a newer release of MyPaint on Debian, consider following the Flatpak instructions instead.
Arch Linux installation instructions
MyPaint is available to install for all Arch Linux users via the “Community” software repository. To start the installation on Arch Linux users, you must enable the “Community” software repository if you haven’t already.
To enable “Community,” open up Pacman.conf in the Nano text editor with the following command below.
sudo nano -w /etc/pacman.conf
Scroll through the file for “Community” and remove the “#” symbol from in front of it. Be sure also to do this for any lines directly below it. Then, save the edits in Nano by pressing Ctrl + O on the keyboard. Press Ctrl + X to exit.
After exiting the Nano text editor, re-sync Pacman with the Arch servers.
sudo pacman -Syy
Finally, install the MyPaint app.
sudo pacman -S mypaint
Fedora installation instructions
On Fedora Linux, users can get MyPaint working from the Fedora repos, so long as they’re using Fedora 30, 31, or Rawhide. To start the installation on your Fedora PC, launch a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, use the dnf command below to install the latest release of MyPaint.
sudo dnf install mypaint
Having issues using the Fedora release of MyPaint? Try out the Flatpak version instead!
OpenSUSE installation instructions
Those on OpenSUSE Leap can get their hands on the MyPaint application with ease. However, not all versions of Leap have MyPaint in the repos. Instead, only those running the latest release of Leap (version 15.1) will be able to install it.
To start the installation of MyPaint on OpenSUSE Leap 15.1, open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. After that, use the Zypper command below.
sudo zypper install mypaint
Are you using an older release of OpenSUSE Leap? Don’t feel like upgrading? Try using the Flatpak version of MyPaint instead! It’ll run just as well, with no requirement of upgrading your operating system!
Flatpak installation instructions
Those looking to use MyPaint on Linux but can’t find the app in their distribution’s software repository are not out of luck. As it turns out, MyPaint is available as a Flatpak in the Flathub app store. To get it working, do the following.
First, follow our guide to learn how to get the Flatpak runtime up and running on your Linux PC. Then, open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T and use the flatpak remote-add command to add the Flathub app store to your system.
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
After adding the Flathub app store to your system, you’ll be able to start the installation of the MyPaint program. Using the flatpak install command, get MyPaint installed.
sudo flatpak install org.mypaint.MyPaint
When the installation is complete, you’ll be able to instantly execute MyPaint via Flatpak by executing the flatpak run command below.
flatpak run org.mypaint.MyPaint
