How to Install the Latest Version of Handbrake on Ubuntu-based Linux Distributions [Quick Tip]

This quick tutorial shows how to install the latest version of HandBrake on Ubuntu-based distributions using its official PPA.

HandBrake is one of the most popular open source video converter for Linux, Windows and macOS.

This GUI application enables you to convert videos from one format to another in just a few clicks. You can also customize the output video as per your requirement.

HandBrake is available in the universe repository of Ubuntu but it might not always provide the latest version. Let me show you how you can get the latest HandBrake on Ubuntu and other Ubuntu-based distributions like Linux Mint, Linux Lite, elementray OS etc.

Installing the latest HandBrake on Ubuntu based Linux distributions

The developers of HandBrake maintain an official PPA. Using this PPA, you can easily install the latest version of HandBrake on your Ubuntu based distribution.

Open a terminal and use the following command to add the PPA repository. Press enter when asked for it:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stebbins/handbrake-releases

You may have to update the local package cache (not required in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher version):

sudo apt update

Now install the latest version of the HandBrake using this command:

sudo apt-get install handbrake-gtk

The best thing is that this method removes the older handbrake package on your system and thus avoiding installing two different instances of handbrake.

Enjoy the latest and greatest HandBrake and convert videos on your Linux system.

Uninstall HandBrake from your system

For some reasons, if you don’t like HandBrake and want to remove it, here’s what you need to do.

Open a terminal and use the following command to uninstall HandBrake:

sudo apt remove handbrake-gtk

Now that you have removed the application, it will be a good idea to remove the PPA that you added as you don’t need it anymore.

sudo add-apt-repository -r ppa:stebbins/handbrake-releases

Confirm when asked for it.

In this quick Ubuntu tutorial, you learned the steps for installing the latest HandBrake using PPA. You also learned the steps for removing it properly.

I hope you find this quick tip useful. If you have questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.