--- title: "How to Get Started With Gedit Linux" description: "Discover how to maximize your use of the Gedit Linux text editor and take control of files on Linux in this tutorial by ATA Learning!" canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/gedit-linux/" --- # How to Get Started With Gedit Linux > Discover how to maximize your use of the Gedit Linux text editor and take control of files on Linux in this tutorial by ATA Learning! Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/gedit-linux/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![How to Get Started With Gedit Linux](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/How-to-Get-Started-With-Gedit-Linux.jpg) # How to Get Started With Gedit Linux [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2788bb1a3f735603f81eca51d68daec56a9d97e805a10268fb2c20afcc76b81b?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Nicholas Xuan Nguyen](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/nicholas-xuan-nguyen/)14 November 20224 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[Linux](/tag/linux/) Table of Contents * [Prerequisites](#prerequisites) * [Installing the Gedit Linux Text Editor via Ubuntu Software](#installingthe-gedit-linux-text-editor-via-ubuntu-software) * [Installing the Gedit Linux Text Editor via APT Package Manager](#installingthe-gedit-linux-text-editor-via-apt-package-manager) * [Installing Gedit Plugins Package](#installing-gedit-plugins-package) * [Installing Gedit Plugins Individually](#installing-gedit-pluginsindividually) * [Conclusion](#conclusion) Are you looking for a lightweight but excellent text editor for Linux? If so, you may want to check out the Gedit Linux text editor. A simple yet powerful editor that supports plugins, allowing customization and expansion, making it an excellent choice for developers of all levels of experience. If you’re interested, then you’re in luck. This tutorial will show you how to start with Ubuntu’s Gedit Linux text editor. You’ll learn to install Gedit, use its basic features, and extend its functionality with plugins. Ready? Read on to get started! ## Prerequisites This tutorial will be a hands-on demonstration. If you’d like to follow along, be sure you have an Ubuntu Linux machine handy. This tutorial uses [Ubuntu 20.04](https://adamtheautomator.com/install-ubuntu/) but should also work with recent Ubuntu releases. Related:[How to Install Ubuntu 20.04 \[Step-by-Step\]](https://adamtheautomator.com/install-ubuntu/) ## Installing the Gedit Linux Text Editor via Ubuntu Software Ubuntu Software is a graphical application for installing, updating, and managing software on Ubuntu. If you prefer a GUI application for installing Gedit, then this application is the way to go. To install the Gedit Linux Text Editor using Ubuntu Software: 1\. Click Activities in the upper-left corner of your screen and software & update in the search bar. Click the first result, Software & Update, as shown below. ![Opening the Software & Updates application](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-93.png) Opening the Software & Updates application 2\. Click on the Ubuntu Software tab. Tick the first four checkboxes, as shown below. This step ensures you can install the latest software from all sources. Click Close. ![Configuring Ubuntu software sources](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-94.png) Configuring Ubuntu software sources 3\. Enter the password for your user account and click Authenticate. ![Authenticating the user.](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-95.png) Authenticating the user. Click Reload to reload the available source repositories. ![Reloading the available repositories](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-96.png) Reloading the available repositories 5\. Click Activities, type _ubuntu software_ into the search bar, and click the Ubuntu Software icon. ![Launching Ubuntu Software](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-97.png) Launching Ubuntu Software 6\. Click the search icon on the upper-left corner and type gedit into the search bar. Click Text Editor, which is the name of Gedit. ![Searching for Gedit Linux text editor](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-98.png) Searching for Gedit Linux text editor 7\. Click the Install button to begin the installation. ![Install Gedit Linux text editor](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-99.png) Install Gedit Linux text editor ![Click the green Install button](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-100.png) Click the green Install button 8\. Enter your password and click Authenticate. ![Authenticating the user](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-95.png) Authenticating the user The installation starts, and a status bar shows you the progress. ![Gedit Linux installation progress](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-103.png) Gedit Linux installation progress 9\. After the installation, click the Permissions button. ![Open Gedit permissions](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-104.png) Open Gedit permissions 10\. The below screenshot shows the default permissions Gedit has, which are sufficient in most cases. But feel free to enable or disable permissions as you see fit. Click Close once you’re satisfied with the permissions set. ![Inspecting the default Gedit permissions](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-105.png) Inspecting the default Gedit permissions 11\. To launch Gedit, click Activities → search for _gedit_ in the search bar → click the Text Editor icon. ![Launching Gedit](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-106.png) Launching Gedit The main Gedit window appears on your screen, as shown below. ![Gedit Linux text editor window](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-107.png) Gedit Linux text editor window ## Installing the Gedit Linux Text Editor via APT Package Manager If you’re more comfortable working with the command line, you can install Gedit using the APT package manager. Related:[Learning Ubuntu Apt Get Through Examples](https://adamtheautomator.com/ubuntu-apt-get/) 1\. Open a terminal window and run the following command to update your system’s package index. ```bash sudo apt update -y ``` 2\. Now that your system’s package index is up-to-date install Gedit by running the following command. ```bash sudo apt install gedit -y ``` ![Installing Gedit using APT](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-108.png) Installing Gedit using APT 3\. Confirm that the installation was successful by checking the Gedit version. As of this writing, the latest version is _3.36.2_. ![Checking the Gedit version](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-109.png) Checking the Gedit version ```bash Checking the Gedit version ``` 4\. Finally, run the following command to launch Gedit. ```bash gedit & ``` > _Note: The_ _&_ _at the end of the command tells_ _gedit_ _to launch as a background process, leaving the terminal available. If you close the terminal window, the Gedit process will also terminate._ ![Launching the Gedit Linux text editor from the terminal](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image.gif) Launching the Gedit Linux text editor from the terminal ## Installing Gedit Plugins Package Gedit comes with a few essential plugins enabled by default. But there are many other plugins available that can extend Gedit’s features. 1\. Run the below command to install all of the gedit-plugins package for Gedit. ```bash sudo apt install gedit-plugins -y ``` ![Installing Gedit plugins](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-110.png) Installing Gedit plugins 2\. The previous command installed the plugins, but those plugins are not enabled by default. To enable a plugin for Gedit, open the main Gedit window → click the menu button → Preferences. ![Opening the Gedit preferences window](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-111.png) Opening the Gedit preferences window 3\. Click on the Plugins tab. Scroll through the list of available plugins and tick the checkbox next to the ones you wish to enable. To disable a plugin, untick the checkbox next to it instead. To demonstrate, enable the Embedded Terminal plugin, then close the Preferences window. ![Enabling a plugin for Gedit](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-112.png) Enabling a plugin for Gedit 4\. To test the plugin, click the menu button → View → Bottom Panel. ![Click View](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-113.png) Click View 5\. Under View, tick the Bottom Panel checkbox, and the embedded terminal appears in the bottom panel, as you can see below. ![Show the embedded terminal plugin](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-114.png) Show the embedded terminal plugin ## Installing Gedit Plugins Individually Instead of installing an entire pack of Gedit plugins, you can also install individual plugins manually. This method allows you to install only the plugins you need. Moreover, this method ensures that you’re installing the latest plugin version, which can be important for security reasons. Where can you find these plugins? An excellent place to start is the official [Gnome plugins page](https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gedit-plugins). In this example, you’ll install the **Code Folding** plugin, which is unavailable in the Ubuntu repositories. This plugin helps you better organize your code by allowing you to collapse code blocks. 1\. First, create a directory to store the plugin files. This example creates the folder /.local/share/gedit/plugins in your home directory. ```bash mkdir -p ~/.local/share/gedit/plugins && cd ~/.local/share/gedit/plugins ``` 2\. Next, clone the plugin repository to your computer. Related:[Save the Day With Git and Remove From Commit History](https://adamtheautomator.com/git-and-remove-from-commit/) ```bash git clone https://github.com/aeischeid/gedit-folding ``` ![Downloading the plugin files](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-115.png) Downloading the plugin files 3\. Now, open Gedit Preferences → Plugins. Look for the Folding plugin on the list, enable it, and close the Preferences window. ![Enabling the plugin](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-116.png) Enabling the plugin 4\. Next, open an existing code or type a new one. Highlight a section of code that you want to collapse and press Alt+Z. To unfold the code, press Alt+Z again. ![Folding an unfolding code in Gedit ](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/image-1.gif) Folding an unfolding code in Gedit ## Conclusion In this tutorial, you have learned how to install Gedit Linux on your Ubuntu system in several ways. You have also learned how to install plugins to add additional functionality to Gedit. Now that you know the basics of working with Gedit, you can start using it for your development projects. If you get bored with the Gedit interface, you may want to install the [GtkSourceView style schemes](https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/GtkSourceView/StyleSchemes) to enhance your text editor experience. Happy coding! Share this article [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fgedit-linux%2F&text=How%20to%20Get%20Started%20With%20Gedit%20Linux)[Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fgedit-linux%2F)[Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fgedit-linux%2F) ## Related Posts ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Practical-Linux-Unix-Tee-Commands-for-the-Linux-Admin.jpg) ### [Master Unix tee Commands for Real-World Linux Admin Tasks](/unix-tee/) Simplify Linux output management and streamline your workflow with the “Unix tee” command. This tutorial guides you through its practical applications. ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/openldap-4.jpg) ### [How to Install and Configure an OpenLDAP Ubuntu Server](/openldap/) Unlock the power of OpenLDAP on Ubuntu for centralized user authentication, seamless access control management, and enhanced directory services! ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/pipe-command-in-linux-1.jpg) ### [Unleashing the Power of the Pipe Command in Linux](/pipe-command-in-linux/) Unlock the prowess of the pipe command in Linux to streamline tasks, boost productivity, and simplify complex operations effortlessly! ## Categories * [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) * [Cloud](/category/cloud/) * [DevOps](/category/devops/) * [Home Ops](/category/home-ops/) * [Information Security](/category/infosec/) * [Software Development](/category/software-development/) ## Site * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Copyright 2026© ATA Learning | [Privacy Policy](/privacy/)