How to Install Postman on Ubuntu Linux

Setting up an Ubuntu desktop for API work means choosing how to install Postman. Postman is a desktop application for building and testing API requests, then inspecting the responses.

This guide walks through installing Postman with Snap or its official Linux archive and launching it as your regular user.

TL;DR: Install Postman on Ubuntu

Postman recommends Snap for Linux because the package includes the libraries the desktop app needs. Its official download page also offers a Linux archive for manual installation.

• Use Postman’s Snap installation instructions for the store-managed route.
• Choose the archive when you want to place and maintain the app yourself.
• Launch Postman as your regular desktop user, never with sudo.

What Is Postman for Linux?

Postman is a desktop application for building and testing API requests. It lets you set a request method and URL, send the request, then inspect the response without composing the exchange by hand in a terminal.

The Linux desktop app is one way to use Postman. Postman also offers a web app, though its documentation lists desktop-only features such as proxy configuration and performance testing. Ubuntu is among the Linux distributions in Postman’s current system requirements.

Postman recommends Snap on Ubuntu because its dependencies are bundled and updates are handled by the store. The archive suits users who want to manage the app directory themselves.

If Snap is new to you, our guide to installing Snap on Linux explains snapd and Snap packages. Readers comparing desktop packaging options can also review our guide to setting up Flatpak. Postman’s current Linux installation page does not list Flatpak as an official method.

How to Install Postman on Ubuntu Linux

Both installation routes need a graphical Linux session, and Postman’s Linux guidance requires the app to run as your normal user.

Step 1: Check Ubuntu and Snap support

Postman’s requirements page lists Ubuntu 18.04 and later as supported. The Snap command works only when snapd is set up on the system. A customized Ubuntu installation may not include Snap support.

snap version

The read-only command prints the installed Snap and snapd versions when available. If the shell reports that snap cannot be found, follow the official Ubuntu Snap setup instructions or use Postman’s archive route.

Check the architecture before downloading an archive. Postman’s download page presents the Linux build it supports for your device, so use that page rather than renaming a package or assuming that an x86-64 archive will run on an ARM system. If the offered build does not match your machine, use another supported access route listed by Postman.

Step 2: Install Postman with Snap

With Snap available, install the Postman package from the Snap Store using the command below. The install changes system state, so run it on the Ubuntu machine where you want Postman, not in a read-only shell or server job.

sudo snap install postman

After installation, Postman appears in the desktop application grid. Open it from your regular user session.

Give the first launch time to initialize its user-level files. If the window does not appear, check whether Postman is already running and whether the desktop session can open other graphical applications. A terminal launch can expose an error message, but do not add sudo to the command as a workaround.

Step 3: Launch Postman from the desktop

Open the application grid and start Postman from your signed-in user session. A terminal launch uses:

postman

Sign in if you want account features, or choose an available unregistered mode in the app. Postman’s documentation notes that some functionality differs between desktop and web versions, so check its installation overview if you are deciding between them.

Step 4: Install the official Linux archive instead

Choose the archive if you want to control where Postman lives or do not use Snap. Download the current Linux package from the official Postman downloads page. Select the Linux option offered for your machine, then open a terminal in the directory containing the downloaded file.

Postman’s Linux documentation instructs users to unpack the archive with tar. Substitute the downloaded archive’s actual filename if it differs from the example:

tar -xzf linux_64

The extraction creates the Postman application directory. Postman’s updater needs write access to the extracted application directory. Launch the Postman executable inside that directory, or use Postman’s documented launcher setup to add an application-grid entry.

install -t ~/.local/share/applications/ /path/to/Postman/app/resources/Postman.desktop

Replace the example path with the location of the extracted directory. This installs a per-user desktop launcher. You can instead start the app from that directory.

The downloaded archive name and the extracted folder name serve different purposes. Run tar from the directory that contains the downloaded file, then confirm the extracted folder before building a launcher path. A launcher points to a specific executable, so moving the application later can leave the menu entry pointing at its old location.

Keep the archive until the application opens successfully. It gives you a local copy to extract again if the folder is moved or damaged. For a shared machine, place the application where its intended users can read and launch it, while keeping each person’s Postman data under that person’s account.

What to Check After Installing Postman

Check the installation method and file permissions before changing Postman’s data or reinstalling it.

If the Snap check fails, use Ubuntu’s documentation to set it up or choose the official archive. Postman’s Linux install guide documents Snap rather than an Ubuntu repository package.

Postman needs read and write access to its user settings directory. Launching with administrator privileges can leave files owned by root, so open it from your regular desktop session. Postman also lists OpenSSL as a Linux requirement.

Keep the account data separate from the application files when diagnosing a launch problem. Reinstalling the app replaces program files, but it does not necessarily reset the settings kept in your home directory. That separation lets you test a clean application install without deleting collections or other local state as a first resort.

Snap updates are managed by the store, and Postman notes that a store installation may not show its own Check for Updates control. The archive updater needs a writable app directory, as noted in Postman’s troubleshooting guide.

That difference matters when an update appears to stall. With Snap, check the package manager’s status rather than downloading a second copy over the managed installation.

With an archive, check the extracted directory’s permissions and available disk space before retrying the update. Keep one installation route as the source you launch so the desktop menu does not point to an old copy.

For an archive update failure, check write access to the extracted directory. If needed, move the app to a directory you can write to or download a fresh copy. Do not change ownership or delete app data unless you have identified the exact files.

Use the command that matches your installation. The archive commands remove the extracted app directory and optional launcher, so verify each target first.

sudo snap remove postman
rm -rf /path/to/Postman
rm ~/.local/share/applications/Postman.desktop

The archive commands leave Postman’s user settings in place. Keep them if you may reinstall or need the saved data.

Before removing an archive, close Postman and confirm the exact extracted directory and launcher you created. The sample paths are placeholders, not literal targets to paste unchanged. Removing the wrong directory can delete unrelated files, while removing only the launcher leaves the application files on disk.

For more install and update cases, consult Postman’s official troubleshooting page and Linux system requirements. They are the source to check when supported distributions or installer behavior changes.

Conclusion: Choose a Supported Install Route

On Ubuntu, Snap is Postman’s recommended Linux route and the archive is its official manual alternative. Choose one, launch Postman as your regular user, and keep removal tied to the installation method you selected.

For the current package and requirements, use the Postman Linux install guide and the official downloads page.

FAQ

These answers cover the two install choices and the desktop launch behavior.