Install LibreSprite on Linux

#Version by install method

Versions from Repology and Flathub, checked November 1, 2026. Not packaged for Debian, Ubuntu, Homebrew or winget at that date.

#AppImage (1.3, any distribution)

1. Download it

   Get libresprite-v1.3-linux-x86_64.AppImage (93.5 MB) from the download page. It bundles everything it needs.

2. Make it executable and run it

   TerminalCopy

   chmod +x libresprite-v1.3-linux-x86_64.AppImage
   ./libresprite-v1.3-linux-x86_64.AppImage

   Or right-click the file → Properties → Permissions → “Allow executing file as program”, then double-click it.

3. Done

   LibreSprite opens on its Home tab.

   

“No suitable fusermount binary found”

If FUSE is missing (common on fresh Ubuntu 24.04 installs and in containers), the 1.3 AppImage prints Error: No suitable fusermount binary found on the $PATH and then starts anyway: it unpacks itself to a temporary folder instead of mounting. We saw exactly that. Installing FUSE (sudo apt install fuse3 on Ubuntu) removes the message and the extra start-up time.

Add it to your applications menu

Move the file somewhere permanent, then create a launcher:

mkdir -p ~/Applications ~/.local/share/applications
mv libresprite-v1.3-linux-x86_64.AppImage ~/Applications/
cat > ~/.local/share/applications/libresprite.desktop <<'EOF2'
[Desktop Entry]
Name=LibreSprite
Exec=$HOME/Applications/libresprite-v1.3-linux-x86_64.AppImage %F
Type=Application
Categories=Graphics;2DGraphics;
MimeType=image/x-aseprite;
EOF2
sed -i "s|\$HOME|$HOME|" ~/.local/share/applications/libresprite.desktop

Tools like Gear Lever or AppImageLauncher do the same with a click.

#Flatpak from Flathub

flatpak install flathub com.github.libresprite.LibreSprite
flatpak run com.github.libresprite.LibreSprite

What we saw with the Flathub build: it has access to your home folder, X11/Wayland and the GPU; it keeps its settings in ~/.var/app/com.github.libresprite.LibreSprite/config/libresprite/; and on first start it opened as a small window with the interface at 300 % scale (fix it in Edit → Preferences → General → UI Elements Scaling). 1.3 fixed that first-run scaling, but the Flatpak doesn’t have it yet.

#Distribution packages (tested)

Each of these was installed in a clean official container on November 1, 2026:

sudo pacman -S libresprite

sudo dnf install libresprite

sudo zypper in libresprite

sudo xbps-install -S libresprite

doas apk add libresprite

#Wayland: “Unable to create a user-interface display”

A reported problem on pure Wayland sessions (sway and similar, issue #453): LibreSprite stops with Unable to create a user-interface display. Details: failed to create an EGL window surface and Error initializing module: gui. The usual workaround is to make SDL use X11 through XWayland:

We tested on X11 only, so treat this as the reported fix. GNOME and KDE Wayland sessions include XWayland by default.

#Settings folder

Or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/libresprite if you set that variable. It holds libresprite.ini (written when you quit), palettes/default.ase, scripts/, sessions/ (crash recovery), data/skins/ for themes, and files/ with per-file settings. The Flatpak keeps its own copy under ~/.var/app/com.github.libresprite.LibreSprite/.

#Running without a display

For servers and CI, the batch command line works without a desktop. The AppImage ran headless in our tests; distribution builds stopped with “Could not initialize SDL2” until we added SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy:

All options are on the command line page.

#Uninstall

AppImage: delete the file (and the .desktop launcher if you made one). Flatpak: flatpak uninstall com.github.libresprite.LibreSprite. Packages: sudo pacman -R libresprite, sudo dnf remove libresprite, and so on. Delete ~/.config/libresprite to remove your settings.

#FAQ

Found something wrong or out of date? Tell us: hello@libresprite.dev. We fix mistakes within a day.