GitHub Desktop for Linux: is it available, and what to use on Ubuntu instead

No, there is no official GitHub Desktop for Linux. GitHub’s installation guide says “Linux is not yet supported”, and the team’s pinned answer on the request for a Linux version, open since 2017, is that it has no immediate plans for one. A community fork packages GitHub Desktop for Ubuntu, but GitHub does not support it and it lags well behind. For a native app released for Linux by its own developer, our pick, with an obvious bias, is GitTree: a free Git GUI with a .deb for Ubuntu and Debian, a commit graph, and GitHub pull requests you can review and merge without leaving the app.

A quick note: GitTree’s maker wrote this post, so weigh our recommendation accordingly. Every claim about GitHub Desktop below comes from GitHub’s own documentation, repository and issue tracker, listed in the sources at the end.

Is GitHub Desktop available for Linux? What GitHub’s own pages say

GitHub Desktop is actively developed: version 3.6.6 shipped on 21 September 2026, one of 14 stable releases between March and September. All of them target macOS and Windows only, with no Linux build. Evidence, as of October 2026:

• The documentation. GitHub’s supported operating systems page lists macOS 12.0 or later and 64-bit Windows 10 or later, and nothing for Linux. The installation guide says “Linux is not yet supported”.
• The repository. The desktop/desktop README says “Linux is not officially supported” and points Linux users to a community fork.
• The issue tracker. “GitHub Desktop for Linux?” (#1525) has been open since May 2017 with more than 3,000 thumbs-up. The pinned team reply: “no immediate plans to support an official Linux version”.

GitHub Desktop on Ubuntu: what the community fork is

The fork GitHub’s README points to is shiftkey/desktop, a community project rather than a GitHub product. It adapts GitHub Desktop’s open-source code for Linux and publishes .deb, .rpm and AppImage packages, plus community package feeds. Ubuntu install guides generally use it. Know what you are getting:

• It trails GitHub. Its latest release, 3.4.13-linux1, came out on 9 February 2025, about 19 months before GitHub’s 3.6.6, so it lacks newer features such as worktrees and Copilot conflict resolution (both new in 3.6.0).
• GitHub does not support it. Linux problems go to the fork’s own issue tracker, and GitHub’s documentation does not cover it.
• You choose whom to trust. Install it only from the fork’s GitHub releases or the feeds its README lists, and compare the published SHA-256 checksums.

If you need GitHub Desktop’s exact workflow and can live with the lag, the fork is the closest you will get.

What GitHub Desktop does, and what you would be replacing

GitHub Desktop is GitHub’s free Git client, open source under the MIT licence and built with Electron. Its design document says that when it must choose between advanced and beginner workflows, it prioritizes beginners. It covers the everyday loop well:

• Clone from your GitHub.com or GitHub Enterprise account, or work locally without signing in.
• Commit whole files or selected lines; branch, merge, and reorder, squash or cherry-pick commits by dragging.
• List pull requests, check them out and re-run failed checks; creating one opens GitHub in the browser.
• Draft commit messages and merge conflict resolutions with GitHub Copilot, which needs Copilot access (a free tier exists; paid plans start at $10 a month as of October 2026).
• Manage Git worktrees (new in 3.6.0), with Git and Git LFS bundled, so there is nothing else to install.

Where GitHub Desktop stops

• No commit graph. History is a linear list for the selected branch; a graph request is still open.
• No full interactive rebase. No reword of older commits, fixup or drop; in June 2026 a maintainer said the team decided against a generic interactive rebase interface.
• No three-way conflict editor. You take our or their version of a file, use your editor, or ask Copilot.
• One stash at a time, of all changes, and no blame view.
• GitHub first. Pull requests cover GitHub only, you cannot comment on one from the app, and only one GitHub.com account can be signed in at a time.
• English only. In April 2026 a maintainer said the team has no bandwidth for more languages.

GitHub Desktop alternatives for Linux that run natively on Ubuntu and Debian

A good replacement installs like any other Ubuntu program and keeps GitHub close at hand. Here are the options, starting with ours.

Git’s own tools: gitk and git gui

Git ships two small Tcl/Tk tools: gitk browses history and git gui stages and commits. They look dated and have no pull requests or interactive rebase, but they are free and in the Ubuntu and Debian archives:

sudo apt install gitk git-gui

More options, compared

Our best Git GUI for Linux round-up compares clients with Linux builds, Sourcetree for Linux covers Atlassian’s app, and GitKraken vs Sourcetree vs GitHub Desktop puts the best-known names side by side. Torn between a GUI and the terminal? Read Git GUI vs command line.

GitHub Desktop vs GitTree: how your workflow maps over

If you used GitHub Desktop on a Mac or a Windows PC and now work on Linux, most habits carry over. Our full GitHub Desktop alternative comparison goes feature by feature; here are the main ones.

Where GitHub Desktop is still ahead

• Open source and account-free. MIT-licensed, and local work needs no sign-in. GitTree is closed source and needs a free account.
• Bundled Git. A clean machine just works; GitTree needs Git 2.39 or newer installed.
• Maturity. Developed since 2016, with a public beta channel and extensive docs. GitTree is at version 1.2.9.
• Deep GitHub ties. Review and check notifications, ruleset warnings, and Copilot conflict resolution.
• Simplicity. Fewer features, fewer decisions, which suits beginners.

On a Mac or a Windows PC, those strengths can make GitHub Desktop the right choice. On Linux they only count if you accept an unofficial, older build.

On Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 12, the install fits in four commands (swap in the .deb file name you saved):

git --version
cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt install ./Git-Tree-Linux.deb
gittree

Prefer no system-wide install? The GitTree for Linux guide covers the portable AppImage, the keyring and uninstalling. If your Git prints 2.34, our guide to upgrading Git on Ubuntu 22.04 walks through the PPA.

Bring your GitHub Desktop setup with you

• Repositories are ordinary Git folders: copy them or clone them again, and their branches, tags and history come along.
• Identity lives in ~/.gitconfig. GitTree profiles keep work and personal identities apart without editing it.
• SSH keys: copy ~/.ssh, or generate a key in GitTree and upload it to GitHub from the app.
• Copilot commit messages become GitTree’s Generate commit message, run through your own AI CLI: see AI commit messages with Claude Code and Codex.

GitTree is free today, private repositories included, and the same app runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. See every capability on the GitTree features page, or, if you are new to Git, learn how to push a project to GitHub without the command line. Stuck? The GitTree support page lists every way to reach us, and every installer is on the download page.