Short, straight answers to the questions people ask most about GitHub Desktop on Linux: whether it exists, what it supports, and how sign-in and updates work.
Is GitHub Desktop available for Linux?
Not officially. GitHub publishes GitHub Desktop only for Windows and macOS. Because the app is open source (MIT), community builds exist for Linux. This site offers one that tracks upstream: GitHub Desktop 3.6.10 as a .deb package and an AppImage for 64-bit x86_64 Linux.
Is this an official GitHub build?
No. It is an unofficial build made from the open-source GitHub Desktop code, with Linux packaging added. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by GitHub, Inc. Report problems to the fork (github.com/yehudah/desktop), not to the official project.
Which Linux distributions are supported?
Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04 and Debian 12 are built and tested in CI. Distributions based on them, such as Linux Mint and Pop!_OS, use the same .deb. Other 64-bit distributions with glibc 2.34 or newer, such as Fedora and Arch Linux, can use the AppImage, but are not tested.
Is there an .rpm, Flatpak, Snap or AUR package?
No. This build ships only a .deb and an AppImage. On Fedora, openSUSE or Arch, use the AppImage. The GitHub Desktop packages in the AUR (github-desktop, github-desktop-bin and github-desktop-git) all package shiftkey/desktop, which stopped at 3.4.13 and 3.4.14.
Does it work on ARM (arm64) or Raspberry Pi?
No. Only 64-bit x86_64 (amd64) builds are produced. They will not run on ARM devices.
Does GitHub Desktop for Linux update automatically?
No. The built-in updater only works for official Windows and macOS builds. Download each new release yourself. With the .deb, installing the new file with apt upgrades the app in place and keeps your settings.
Why does the GitHub sign-in page show a different app name?
Unofficial builds can't use GitHub's production OAuth credentials, so this build uses the development OAuth app that is included in GitHub Desktop's public source code. The browser therefore shows that app's name. Sign-in itself works normally on github.com.
Why does sign-in do nothing, or why am I signed out after a restart?
Sign-in needs two things on Linux: a handler for x-github-client:// links (the .deb registers it; the AppImage needs a launcher) and a running, unlocked Secret Service keyring such as GNOME Keyring or KeePassXC with Secret Service enabled, which stores your token.
Is it safe to install?
The builds are made by public GitHub Actions workflows from public source, and every file has a published SHA-256 checksum. They are not code-signed, so verify the checksum with sha256sum -c before installing, and review the build scripts in the repository if you want more assurance.
How is this different from shiftkey/desktop?
shiftkey/desktop was the long-standing Linux fork and pioneered running GitHub Desktop on Linux. It ships more formats (x86_64, arm64 and armhf .deb, .rpm and AppImage), but its latest release is 3.4.13 from February 2025. This build is a separate fork of upstream desktop/desktop that follows current releases, but only ships x86_64 .deb and AppImage.
Can I use it with GitLab, Bitbucket or any Git server?
Yes, for basic work. GitHub Desktop can clone, commit, push and pull with any Git remote over HTTPS or SSH. Features such as pull requests, issues and sign-in are GitHub-specific (GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise).