Install Sigil in Ubuntu 20.04

Pablo · 11-25-2025, 11:15 AM

I'm trying to install a more or less current version of Sigil in my old Ubuntu 20.04 LTS laptop. The version offered by the distribution is very old, so I have to do something else...

I've tried flapak/flathub but it doesn't work.
Any ideas?

Thanks!!

theducks · 11-25-2025, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pablo

I'm trying to install a more or less current version of Sigil in my old Ubuntu 20.04 LTS laptop. The version offered by the distribution is very old, so I have to do something else...

I've tried flapak/flathub but it doesn't work.
Any ideas?

Thanks!!

DISTRO VERSIONS ARE FREQUENTLY OBSOLETE DAY !
Uninstall the distro version. The library will remain.

Use the command line shown on the Calibre Linux download page

Pablo · 11-25-2025, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

DISTRO VERSIONS ARE FREQUENTLY OBSOLETE DAY !

Use the command line shown on the Calibre Linux download page

It's Sigil, not Calibre, that I want to install...

theducks · 11-25-2025, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pablo

It's Sigil, not Calibre, that I want to install...

Sorry, I slipped forums.

I think you need to build your own (for Linux users) using the instructions at
https://github.com/Sigil-Ebook/Sigil.
I think the reason was way too many Linux (quirks) variations

KevinH · 11-25-2025, 12:38 PM

Did you try our official AppImage version of Sigil for many x86_64 based Linux distributions? It is available on our Releases page for the last couple of Sigil releases.

https://github.com/Sigil-Ebook/Sigil/releases

It is how we now support Sigil on Linux directly.

If your distribution is too old for even that to work, your only option is to build it from source as long at you can get a version of Qt >= Qt 6.4 installed on your system.

Pablo · 11-25-2025, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinH

Did you try our official AppImage version of Sigil for many x86_64 based Linux distributions? It is available on our Releases page for the last couple of Sigil releases.

https://github.com/Sigil-Ebook/Sigil/releases

It is how we now support Sigil on Linux directly.

If your distribution is too old for even that to work, your only option is to build it from source as long at you can get a version of Qt >= Qt 6.4 installed on your system.

I tried using the AppImage version. When I execute the file, I get a ton of errors because of missing libraries...

I thought AppImages where self contained.

KevinH · 11-25-2025, 01:18 PM

They are self-contained for the most part. That AppImage works on many different Linux distributions.

So just how old is your system? Have you thought about updating it?
What version of glibc does it have?

Update:

Based on our github workflows that AppImage is built on: ubuntu:22.04 from April of 2022.

Your version was released in April of 2020 and out of support after May 2025.

So it looks like you will need to upgrade to at least the 22.04 Ubuntu to get things to work.

Code:

22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish)          Apr 2022	Apr 2027
20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa)              Apr 2020	May 2025

Pablo · 11-25-2025, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinH

They are self-contained for the most part. That AppImage works on many different Linux distributions.

So just how old is your system? Why haven't you updated it?
What version of glibc does it have?

Do any on the libraries listed as missing exist in your official distribution package manager? If so, have you tried updating those libraries?

Update:

Based on our github workflows that AppImage is built on: ubuntu:22.04 from April of 2022.

Your version was released in April of 2020 and out of support after May 2025.

So it looks like you will need to upgrade to at least the 22.04 Ubuntu to get things to work.

Code:

22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish)          Apr 2022	Apr 2027
20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa)              Apr 2020	May 2025

I will have to upgrade my Ubuntu then...
Thanks!!

DiapDealer · 11-25-2025, 08:45 PM

I would have loved to make the AppImage work on 20.04, but it just wasn't feasible. 22.04 is the oldest LTS version of Ubuntu that is still in support. And the oldest still supported LTS is the minimum that is recommended for AppImages to support in general.

Pablo · 12-01-2025, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I would have loved to make the AppImage work on 20.04, but it just wasn't feasible. 22.04 is the oldest LTS version of Ubuntu that is still in support. And the oldest still supported LTS is the minimum that is recommended for AppImages to support in general.

Just came back to say I upgraded my 12-year old notebook to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and was able to use the AppImage, among other benefits.
The AppImage is great!!
Today I upgraded Sigil to 2.7.0. I thought I would have to re-install the plugins, but that was not the case... that came as a surprise. The only change I made was in my .desktop file to fix Sigil to the dock.

Thanks again!!

DiapDealer · 12-01-2025, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pablo

Just came back to say I upgraded my 12-year old notebook to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and was able to use the AppImage, among other benefits.
The AppImage is great!!
Today I upgraded Sigil to 2.7.0. I thought I would have to re-install the plugins, but that was not the case... that came as a surprise. The only change I made was in my .desktop file to fix Sigil to the dock.

Thanks again!!

You're welcome. The decision was made to use the same preferences as the regular Sigil to make it easy to migrate. Make sure the plugin preference has the "Use bundled Python" box checked. It defaults to that if no preferences exist, but it will still continue to use the system python otherwise. Running the regular Sigil will uncheck that box again. So if you're ready to commit fully to the AppImage, I recommend uninstalling the regular version of Sigil to avoid the confusion.

Pablo · 12-04-2025, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

You're welcome. The decision was made to use the same preferences as the regular Sigil to make it easy to migrate. Make sure the plugin preference has the "Use bundled Python" box checked. It defaults to that if no preferences exist, but it will still continue to use the system python otherwise. Running the regular Sigil will uncheck that box again. So if you're ready to commit fully to the AppImage, I recommend uninstalling the regular version of Sigil to avoid the confusion.

I have no "regular Sigil" installation anymore... I made a new Ubuntu 24.04 install from scratch (tried the upgrade path first, but it didn't work as expected). The Sigil upgrade I was talking about was from a previous AppImage version to the current one. So I gather the plug-in information is stored in a file somewhere.

DiapDealer · 12-04-2025, 05:24 PM

It uses the same prefs directory as any previous install or AppImage of Sigil. The plugins (and plugin prefs) are stored in Sigil's prefs directory.

11-25-2025, 11:15 AM	#1
Pablo Guru Posts: 980 Karma: 4999999 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Rosario, Argentina Device: SONY PRS-T2, Kindle Paperwhite 11th gen	Install Sigil in Ubuntu 20.04 I'm trying to install a more or less current version of Sigil in my old Ubuntu 20.04 LTS laptop. The version offered by the distribution is very old, so I have to do something else... I've tried flapak/flathub but it doesn't work. Any ideas? Thanks!!

11-25-2025, 12:38 PM	#5
KevinH Sigil Developer Posts: 9,131 Karma: 6565346 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: many	Did you try our official AppImage version of Sigil for many x86_64 based Linux distributions? It is available on our Releases page for the last couple of Sigil releases. https://github.com/Sigil-Ebook/Sigil/releases It is how we now support Sigil on Linux directly. If your distribution is too old for even that to work, your only option is to build it from source as long at you can get a version of Qt >= Qt 6.4 installed on your system. Last edited by KevinH; 11-25-2025 at 12:42 PM.

11-25-2025, 01:18 PM	#7
KevinH Sigil Developer Posts: 9,131 Karma: 6565346 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: many	They are self-contained for the most part. That AppImage works on many different Linux distributions. So just how old is your system? Have you thought about updating it? What version of glibc does it have? Update: Based on our github workflows that AppImage is built on: ubuntu:22.04 from April of 2022. Your version was released in April of 2020 and out of support after May 2025. So it looks like you will need to upgrade to at least the 22.04 Ubuntu to get things to work. Code: 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) Apr 2022 Apr 2027 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) Apr 2020 May 2025 Last edited by KevinH; 11-25-2025 at 01:30 PM.

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11-25-2025, 08:45 PM	#9
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,943 Karma: 207302948 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I would have loved to make the AppImage work on 20.04, but it just wasn't feasible. 22.04 is the oldest LTS version of Ubuntu that is still in support. And the oldest still supported LTS is the minimum that is recommended for AppImages to support in general.

12-04-2025, 05:24 PM	#13
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,943 Karma: 207302948 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	It uses the same prefs directory as any previous install or AppImage of Sigil. The plugins (and plugin prefs) are stored in Sigil's prefs directory.

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