How to listen to podcasts on Linux with Gpodder

Gpodder is an open source podcast management tool for Linux, Mac, and Windows. On the Linux platform specifically, it is known as one of the oldest and most reliable podcast clients. The app, though popular, doesn’t come pre-installed on any Linux distributions. Though, because it is open source, it is incredibly easy to use it to listen to podcasts on Linux. It is available on every mainstream Linux OS, and even Flatpak.

The tool has a pretty easy to understand user interface, and it’s very welcoming to use. Despite this, some Linux users aren’t quite sure how to use it to subscribe to their favorite podcasts. So, In this guide, we’ll go over how to get the latest version of Gpodder on your Linux PC, how to subscribe to your favorite podcasts with it, and even how to back up subscriptions in the cloud.

Install Gpodder

Gpodder has been around on Linux for quite a while, so nearly every distribution of note has it in their software repositories. To install it, open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. From there, follow the detailed instructions that match the Linux operating system you use.

Ubuntu

sudo apt install gpodder

Debian

sudo apt-get install gpodder

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S gpodder

Fedora

sudo dnf install gpodder

OpenSUSE

sudo zypper install gpodder

Flatpak

Flatpak is an excellent option to install the Gpodder podcast client on Linux if you find yourself in a situation where you can’t find the program in your distribution’s software repository. Though, keep in mind, you must have the Flatpak runtime set up on your Linux operating system to install apps with Flatpak.

To get the Flatpak runtime set up on your Linux distribution, head over to our guide on how to set up Flatpak on Linux. After that, enter the commands below to get the latest release of Gpodder from Flathub.

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

flatpak install flathub org.gpodder.gpodder

Sign up for Gpodder.net

Having an account on Gpodder.net will allow you to keep your subscriptions in sync, without much effort easily. To create a new account on Gpodder.net, click here.

After setting up your account on the website, you’ll need to activate the account. To do this, log into your email account and check your messages for the activation email.

With the account active, launch Gpodder on your Linux desktop.

Subscribe to podcasts with Gpodder

The Gpodder podcast app works by parsing RSS feed links. To add a new podcast to the program, follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Step 1: Head over to the website of the podcast you’d like to listen to and copy the RSS feed to your clipboard.

Can’t find the RSS feed? Try searching for it on iTunes, then, use this website to extract the RSS feed from the iTunes link.

Step 2: In the Gpodder podcast application, find the “Subscriptions” button and select it with the mouse. After that, find the “Add podcast via URL” button and select it to bring up the URL subscription box.

Alternatively, the URL subscription box can quickly be opened with the Ctrl + L keyboard combination.

Step 3: Gpodder should automatically detect the podcast RSS feed in your clipboard. If not, press Ctrl + V to paste it into the subscription box.

Step 4: Click the “Add” button to load your new podcasts into Gpodder.

As soon as you add in the new feed to Gpodder, a download box will appear. Use the download box to check (or uncheck) episodes of the podcast you’d like to listen to.

To play a podcast with Gpodder, select the podcast in your list, followed by the downloaded episode.

Back up podcasts with Gpodder

One of the best aspects of Gpodder is its ability to back up your subscriptions to the cloud. To make a backup, ensure that you’re signed into Gpodder with your Gpodder.net account.

Unsure about how to sign in to Gpodder? click the “gPodder” menu button, then “Preferences.” Once inside the “Preferences” area, click on “gpodder.net,” and fill out your username and password.

After filling out your username and password on the “gpodder.net” page in “Preferences,” check the box on that page that says “Synchronize subscriptions and episode actions”.

To restore your backup, install Gpodder and sign into your account. They should automatically appear.

Backup via OPML

Backing up your Gpodder podcasts to Gpodder.net isn’t the only way to save your podcasts. If you dislike the cloud method, back up to an OMPL file instead.

To back up your podcasts via OPML, find the “Subscriptions” menu button and click it with the mouse. Once in the “Subscriptions menu,” select the “Export to OPML file” option to export your podcasts subscriptions.