Linux Installation
Instructions for installing Jan on Linux.
Install Jan
Flatpak is the recommended way to install Jan on Linux. It runs on any distribution and updates automatically through Flathub. Use the .deb or AppImage only if you can't use Flatpak.
Install from Flathub:
flatpak install flathub ai.jan.JanThen launch it:
flatpak run ai.jan.JanIf you don't have the Flathub remote set up yet:
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepoDownload the .deb, then install it:
sudo apt-get install ./jan-linux-amd64-{version}.debOr with dpkg:
sudo dpkg -i jan-linux-amd64-{version}.debDownload the AppImage, then run it:
chmod +x jan-linux-x86_64-{version}.AppImage
./jan-linux-x86_64-{version}.AppImageUpdating Jan
How Jan updates depends on which package you installed:
Flatpak updates through Flathub along with the rest of your system. The in-app updater is disabled — your package manager handles it:
flatpak update ai.jan.JanThe AppImage supports Jan's built-in auto-updater. When a new release is available, Jan downloads and applies it in place, then restarts.
The .deb package is not updated by the in-app updater — the auto-updater only ships the AppImage as the Linux update artifact. Update the .deb manually by downloading the latest package and reinstalling:
sudo apt-get install ./jan-linux-amd64-{version}.debYour data folder (~/.local/share/Jan) and configuration (~/.config/Jan) are preserved across reinstalls.
Compatibility
- OS: Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora/RHEL, Arch, openSUSE
- CPU: AVX2 required — Intel Haswell (2013+), AMD Excavator (2015+)
- Memory: 8GB minimum (16GB recommended)
- GPU: 6GB VRAM minimum
- Storage: 10GB free space minimum
Jan Data Folder
Jan stores all your data locally — downloaded models, conversation threads, settings, and logs generated from using the app. Nothing is sent to the cloud.
Default location (resolves via XDG_DATA_HOME):
~/.local/share/Jan/dataThe path to Jan's per-user configuration file (which records the data folder location) lives at ~/.config/Jan/.
See Jan Data Folder for details.
GPU Acceleration
Configuration for GPU support:
Step 1: Verify Hardware & Install Dependencies
1.1. Check GPU Detection
lspci | grep -i nvidia1.2. Install Required components
NVIDIA Driver:
- Install the NVIDIA Driver, ideally via your package manager.
- Verify:
nvidia-smiCUDA Toolkit:
- Install the CUDA toolkit, ideally from your package manager (11.7+)
- Verify:
nvcc --versionAdditional Requirements:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gcc-11 g++-11 cpp-11
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/local/cuda/lib64Step 2: Enable GPU Acceleration
- Navigate to Settings () > Model Providers > Llama.cpp
- Select an appropriate backend in Backend. Details in our llama.cpp guide.
CUDA offers better performance than Vulkan.
Requires Vulkan support.
- Navigate to Settings () > Hardware > GPUs
- Select appropriate backend in llama-cpp Backend. Details in our guide.
Requires Vulkan support.
- Navigate to Settings () > Hardware > GPUs
- Select appropriate backend in llama-cpp Backend. Details in our guide.
Uninstall Jan
Removal commands:
flatpak uninstall ai.jan.Jan
rm -rf ~/.local/share/Jan # data folder (models, threads, logs)
rm -rf ~/.config/Jan # app configurationsudo apt-get remove jan
rm -rf ~/.local/share/Jan # data folder (models, threads, logs)
rm -rf ~/.config/Jan # app configurationrm jan-linux-x86_64-{version}.AppImage
rm -rf ~/.local/share/Jan # data folder (models, threads, logs)
rm -rf ~/.config/Jan # app configurationThese commands permanently delete application data.