AppManager

AppManager is a GTK/Libadwaita developed desktop utility in Vala that makes installing and uninstalling AppImages on Linux desktop painless. It supports both SquashFS and DwarFS AppImage formats, features a seamless background auto-update process, and leverages zsync delta updates for efficient bandwidth usage. Double-click any .AppImage to open a macOS-style drag-and-drop window, just drag to install and AppManager will move the app, wire up desktop entries, and copy icons.

Features

• Drag-and-drop installer: Mimics the familiar macOS Applications install flow.
• Smart install modes: Can choose between portable (move the AppImage) and extracted (unpack to ~/Applications/.installed/AppRun) while letting you override it.
• Desktop integration: Extracts the bundled .desktop file via 7z or dwarfs, rewrites Exec and Icon, and stores it in ~/.local/share/applications.
• Simple uninstall: Right click in app drawer and choose Move to Trash, can uninstall in AppManager or simply delete from ~/Applications folder.
• Install registry + preferences: Main window lists installed apps, default mode, and cleanup behaviors, all stored with GSettings.
• Background app updates: Optional automatic update checks with configurable interval (daily, weekly, monthly) and notifications when updates are found.

Requirements

• valac, meson, ninja
• Libraries: libadwaita-1 (>= 1.6), gtk4, gio-2.0, glib-2.0, json-glib-1.0, gee-0.8, libsoup-3.0
• Runtime tools: 7z/p7zip-full, dwarfs, dwarfsextract

Install

Simply download latest app version, enable execute and double click to install it.

Build

Install development dependencies

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Install the development packages required to build AppManager on each distribution:

• Debian / Ubuntu:

sudo apt install valac meson ninja-build pkg-config libadwaita-1-dev libgtk-4-dev libglib2.0-dev libjson-glib-dev libgee-0.8-dev libgirepository1.0-dev libsoup-3.0-dev p7zip-full cmake desktop-file-utils jq

• Fedora:

sudo dnf install vala meson ninja-build gtk4-devel libadwaita-devel glib2-devel json-glib-devel libgee-devel libsoup3-devel p7zip p7zip-plugins cmake desktop-file-utils jq

• Arch Linux / Manjaro:

sudo pacman -S vala meson ninja gtk4 libadwaita glib2 json-glib libgee libsoup p7zip cmake desktop-file-utils jq

Default setup

meson setup build --prefix=$HOME/.local

Build and install

meson compile -C build
meson install -C build

CLI helpers

• Install an AppImage: app-manager install /path/to/app.AppImage
• Uninstall by path or checksum: app-manager uninstall /path/or/checksum
• Check if installed: app-manager --is-installed /path/to/app.AppImage
• Run a background update check: app-manager --background-update
• Show version or help: app-manager --version / app-manager --help

Translations

AppManager supports multiple languages. Want to help translate to your language? See the translation guide for instructions.

Currently supported: German, Spanish, Estonian, Finnish, French, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Latvian, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Swedish, Chinese (Simplified).

Minimum Requirements & Supported Distributions

Minimum Requirements

Component	Minimum Version
libadwaita	>= 1.6
glibc	>= 2.38
GTK	4.x

Supported Distributions

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The following table shows compatibility with the top 10 most popular Linux distributions. Support depends on the availability of libadwaita >= 1.6 and a compatible glibc version.

Distribution	Version	libadwaita	glibc	Supported
Ubuntu	24.04 LTS (Noble)	1.5	2.39	❌
Ubuntu	24.10+	1.6+	2.40	✅
Fedora	40+	1.6+	2.39+	✅
Linux Mint	22+	1.5	2.39	❌
Debian	12 (Bookworm)	1.2	2.36	❌
Debian	13 (Trixie/Testing)	1.6+	2.40	✅
Arch Linux	Rolling	1.6+	2.40+	✅
Manjaro	Rolling	1.6+	2.40+	✅
openSUSE Tumbleweed	Rolling	1.6+	2.40+	✅
openSUSE Leap	15.6	1.4	2.38	❌
Pop!_OS	24.04+	1.5	2.39	❌
Zorin OS	17+	1.5	2.39	❌
elementary OS	8+	TBD	TBD	⏳
EndeavourOS	Rolling	1.6+	2.40+	✅

Legend: ✅ Supported | ❌ Not Supported | ⏳ Pending/TBD Note: Rolling release distributions (Arch, Manjaro, openSUSE Tumbleweed, EndeavourOS) generally have the latest packages and are fully supported. Fixed-release distributions may need to wait for newer versions that include libadwaita >= 1.6.

License

GPL-3.0-or-later. See LICENSE.