How to Install VLC Media Player on Ubuntu 20.04

VLC is the most popular open-source and cross-platform multimedia player. Using it you can play most type of multimedia files.
In this guide we will show you how to install VLC media player on Ubuntu 20.04.

You can install VLC using apt or as a snap package via the Snapcraft store. Let’s see both of the ways to install VLC.

Install VLC Media Player as a Snap Package#

By default the all dependencies are included in Snaps as those are self-contained. It’s simple to upgrade the snap packages. Snaps have a larger disk footprint and longer application startup time. The VLC snap packages are regularly update with the latest security and critical bug fixes.

You can install the snap packages via the Ubuntu software application or using command-line.

Let’s install VLC via command-line, type the following command:

sudo snap install vlc

The VLC is installed on your Ubuntu system, you can start using it.

Once a new version is available the snap will will be automatically update in the background.

If you would like to install visually, just open Ubuntu Software and search for “VLC” term and install the application.

Install VLC with apt#

By default the VLC includes in standard Ubuntu repositories. Open your terminal using either the Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or by clicking on the terminal icon. Run the following command as root or user with sudo privileges:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install vlc

When a new version is available, you can update VLC through the command-line or your desktop Software Update tool.

Launch VLC#

Click on Activities and type “VLC” and click on the icon to launch the application.

When you start the player for the first time, a window like the following will appear:

Conclusion#

You have learned how to install VLC player on Ubuntu 20.04 desktop. To get more information about VLC, visit the VideoLAN’s Documentation page.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.