How to install Wireshark on Ubuntu

Wireshark is a network analysis program for Linux, as well as other platforms. It can be used to capture and dissect network traffic. In this guide, we’ll show you how you can get Wireshark up and running on Ubuntu. 

How to install Wireshark on Ubuntu – Ubuntu Software Center

If you’re looking to get Wireshark working on Ubuntu Linux, the quickest and easiest way to go about it for most users is by making use of the Ubuntu Software Center. 

The Ubuntu Software Center is a software app store for Ubuntu that distributes software from the Ubuntu package archive as well as the Snap app store (as well as Flatpak if configured correctly.)

To install the Wireshark app on Ubuntu by way of the Ubuntu Software Center, start by launching your computer application. You can launch the Ubuntu Software Center by searching for “Ubuntu Software” or “Software” in your app menu.

Once the app is open, follow along with the step-by-step instructions outlined below. 

Step 1: Open up the app and find the search button. The search button is located in the top left-hand corner of the app. Click on the search button. When you do, a search box will appear in the middle of the screen at the top of the window.

Step 2: In the search box, type out “Wireshark.” When you’ve typed out the “Wireshark” search phrase, search results will begin to appear. At the top of the results, you should see the Wireshark app.

Step 3: Click on the Wireshark icon in the search results using the mouse. When you click on “Wireshark” in the search results, it will take you to the Wireshark app page in Ubuntu Software Center.

Step 4: On the Wireshark app page, you will see a brief description of the application, as well as screenshots, user reviews, etc. You’ll also notice an “Install” button. Click on the “Install” button with the mouse.

Step 5: After clicking on the “Install” button with the mouse, a pop-up window will appear on the screen. This pop-up window is a password prompt. Enter your user account password into the prompt.

Once you’ve entered your password, the Wireshark application will install onto your computer. Be patient, as it may take a couple of minutes, depending on your network speed.

Step 6: During the installation, a second pop-up window will appear. This pop-up window will ask if non-superusers should be able to capture packets. Select the box if you’d like to enable this feature. Then, click “Next.”

After configuring the package capture settings, Wireshark will be installed on your Ubuntu PC through the Ubuntu Software Center!

How to install Wireshark on Ubuntu –  Terminal command-line

If you prefer the Linux command-line, you’ll be happy to know that it is possible to install the Wireshark app on Ubuntu using the Ubuntu package manager (Apt). To start the installation process on your Ubuntu system, open up a terminal window.

To open up a terminal window on the Ubuntu desktop, press the Ctrl + Alt + T keyboard combination. Alternatively, open up a terminal window in the app menu by searching for “Terminal.”

Once the terminal window is open, use the apt install command below to install the “wireshark” package onto your computer. 

sudo apt install wireshark

After entering the command above in your terminal window, you will be prompted to enter your password. Enter your user accounts password. Then, press the Enter key on the keyboard to confirm.

With your password entered, Ubuntu will collect all dependencies required to install Wireshark. It will then prompt you to confirm if you want to begin the installation press the Y button to confirm. 

Once you confirm, the installation of Wireshark will begin. When the process is complete, close the terminal window. 

How to install Wireshark on Ubuntu – Flatpak

While it is possible to get Wireshark working on Ubuntu using the Software Center or the Apt package manager tool in the terminal, Wireshark is also available as a Flatpak. 

If you’d like to install the Wireshark app on Ubuntu as a Flatpak package, here’s what to do. To start, you must install the Flatpak runtime on Ubuntu. To do that, install the “flatpak” package on your computer. 

Note: need help setting up the Flatpak runtime on your Ubuntu Linux PC? We’ve got you covered! Follow along with our in-depth guide on how to get it working.

Once the Flatpak runtime is installed onto your computer, you can use the flatpak remote-add command and the flatpak install command to get Wireshark working on Ubuntu via Flatpak.

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