ubuntu keepass

KeePass is a free and open-source password manager that’s mainly used on Windows. If you’re transitioning over from Windows, you’ll likely want to install KeePass2.

While this does work on Ubuntu, KeePass2 is still a version mainly intended for Windows. So unless you have an existing bias for KeePass2, the cross-platform version (KeePassXC) is the recommended option in most cases.

Install and Use KeePassXC

Unlike KeePass which requires Microsoft’s .NET framework, KeePassXC is developed in C++. This means it runs natively on Ubuntu. The Linux-specific development is also much more active compared to KeePass.

The matter of plugins is a bit dividing. KeePassXC doesn’t support plugins, and this likely won’t change in the future. Some users dislike this, but there’s a good reason for this. 

Many KeePass2 plugins have known vulnerabilities. Rather than supporting such plugins, KeePassXC includes most necessary features that you’d add through plugins out of the box.

If you prefer installing plugins after all, you can always go for KeePass2. But if you decide to go with KeePassXC, there are multiple install methods.

Install with snap

The keepassxc snap is the easiest to install and maintain. You’ll have the latest keepassxc version with it, you won’t need to worry about updating either as snaps auto-update.

sudo snap install keepassxc

You can search keepassxc from the Applications menu, or open it directly from the terminal by entering

keepassxc

Install using apt

If you don’t like snaps, you can install keepassxc using apt as well.

sudo apt install keepassxc

As earlier, you can launch it by searching or entering

keepassxc

By default, this will install the package from the universe repo. This version will be slightly outdated compared to the snap. If you need the latest version, you can add the official PPA.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:phoerious/keepassxc

Now, simply update your package index and you’ll be able to install the latest version.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install keepassxc

Unlike the snap, you’ll have to manually update keepassxc in the future. You can do this with

sudo apt install --only-upgrade keepassxc

Install and Use KeePass2

If you’d prefer to stick with keepass2, you can install it using 

sudo apt install keepass2

You’ll be prompted to install a bunch of Mono runtime libraries as dependencies. Enter y to accept.

After installing keepass2, you can launch it from the applications menu, or directly from the terminal by entering

keepass2 

KeePass2’s Linux ports lag behind the Windows releases in terms of development as Windows is the main priority for this version. But when a new version is available, you can update by running

sudo apt install --only-upgrade keepass2
Anup Thapa

Senior Writer

Anup Thapa is a Linux enthusiast with an extensive background in computer hardware and networking. His goal is to effectively communicate technical concepts in a simplified form understandable by new Linux users. To this end, he mainly writes beginner-friendly tutorials and troubleshooting guides. Outside of work, he enjoys reading up on a range of topics, traveling, working out, and MOBAs.