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I am a newbie in linux and I don't know how to open the Ubuntu Software Center via Terminal!! Please help

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5 Answers 5

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32

I'm not sure why you'd want to, but 

software-center

should do it. If you want to use command line to install a package then the correct way to do it would be

sudo apt-get install package-name

or 

sudo apt-get remove package-name

to remove it. If you want a text based package manager then you could have a look at aptitude:

sudo aptitude
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4
  • Want to do it because all of the searches for Software Center say to click the Ubuntu icon. But there is no such icon. Some say the Software Center is in the Launcher but where the heck is that? Your "software-center" method just yields "software-center: command not found"
    – eddyq
    Feb 13, 2019 at 1:10
  • 5
    if you are running Ubuntu under WLS (WIndows) and an X-server, you are probably not running the desktop, hence want to run the tool directly.
    – MikeW
    May 22, 2019 at 8:03
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    E: Package 'software-center' has no installation candidate
    – alper
    Nov 5, 2021 at 11:05
  • Note that this doesn't work in Ubuntu 21.10. It doesn't launch Ubuntu Software, it says command not found.
    – Flimm
    Jan 18, 2022 at 8:32
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For Gnome Software replacing the old Canonical Ubuntu Software Centre <software-centre> (Preinstalled on Ubuntu 16.04 and later)

Open the terminal Ctrl+Alt+T

Then run;

sudo apt install gnome-software
gnome-software

For the the official gui software store snap-store;

First make sure snapd is installed and enabled

sudo apt update
sudo apt install snapd

Then install Snap Store

sudo snap install snap-store
snap-store

You can also replace the stable version with the preview version by running;

sudo snap remove snap-store && sudo snap install snap-store --channel=preview/edge

To revert back to the stable build of Snap Store run;

sudo snap remove snap-store && sudo snap install snap-store --stable
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3
  • 2
    which might require a preliminary 'sudo apt-get install gnome-software'
    – MikeW
    May 22, 2019 at 8:08
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    in my WSL (windows) ubuntu, this launches something, but it I'm getting lots of errors e.g., libGL error: No matching fbConfigs or visuals found libGL error: failed to load driver: swrast etc. The GUI comes up, but there is no software listed as installed.
    – Fuhrmanator
    Jun 24, 2019 at 8:00
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    This is not the "Ubuntu Software" app that installs snaps that ships by default in Ubuntu 21.10. Instead, it will give you a "command not found" error.
    – Flimm
    Jan 18, 2022 at 8:31
10

You simply enter the terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and write:

ubuntu-software

and press Enter.

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2
  • 3
    That just gives "software-center: command not found"
    – eddyq
    Feb 13, 2019 at 1:11
  • In Ubuntu 21.10, this answer doesn't work. It gives a "command not found" error. Ubuntu 21.10 doesn't ship with either ubuntu-software or software-center
    – Flimm
    Jan 18, 2022 at 8:34
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+50

Times have changed, and with them, the answer to this question. In desktop Ubuntu 21.04, it is still possible to install Ubuntu Software Center. Since that is the program specified by the original question, the answer is that you run it from the command line, first by installing it via:

sudo apt install gnome-software

and then by running it via the following command, with or without sudo:

gnome-software

You can also run it by using Show Applications → Software icon (white suitcase with aqua circle).

Since Ubuntu Software Center is no longer installed by default, this question (if asked today) would refer, instead, to the Snap Store. If it was not present, it would reportedly be installed via:

sudo snap install snap-store

In that case, the answer is that you run it via

snap-store

Or you could click on the suitcase icon, in this case an orange one bearing the letter A (short for "Snap" in Latin, perhaps), whose tool tip says (of course) "Ubuntu Software".

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  • 1
    This worked in Ubuntu 21.10
    – Flimm
    Jan 18, 2022 at 8:34
3

I use the snap-store and don't usually have an issue.

snap-store
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2
  • This worked for me, but as soon as I click on an app I get Segmentation fault (core dumped) in Ubuntu 22.04
    – Paul
    Jun 8, 2022 at 10:52
  • The SegFault might be GPU driver related. I used a nvidia-driver and switched to x.org nouveau-driver and it works now
    – Paul
    Jun 9, 2022 at 10:08

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