Install Kimochi on Linux
There are a few ways to install Kimochi on Linux, and the best one depends on your system. Pick yours below and follow along. It only takes a couple of minutes.
Steam Deck
Install Kimochi once from Desktop Mode. After that it lives in your Steam library, and you can open it in Gaming Mode right alongside your game.
Switch to Desktop Mode
Press the Steam button, choose Power, then Switch to Desktop.
Open Konsole
Open the app launcher in the bottom-left corner, then go to System and choose Konsole. It’s the terminal, where you’ll paste one line.
Paste the installer and press Enter
curl -fsSL https://kimochiapp.com/install.sh | shEasiest if you open this page on the Deck itself. To paste in Konsole, press Ctrl Shift V, or right-click (the left trigger) and choose Paste. Steam + X brings up the on-screen keyboard.
Add Kimochi to your Steam library
Kimochi opens when it’s installed. Its welcome guide offers to add it to your Steam library, so it shows up in Gaming Mode with its own artwork. Say yes.
Read in Desktop Mode or in Gaming Mode
You can keep using Kimochi in Desktop Mode. Or double-click Return to Gaming Mode on the desktop and launch Kimochi from your library. It runs alongside your game: click both sticks to open its radial menu.
Kimochi気持ちUbuntu, Debian, Mint and Pop!_OS
Two good options. The one-line installer is the quickest, and Kimochi then updates itself quietly.
The one-line installer
Open a terminal, paste this line and press Enter. It installs Kimochi in your home folder, adds it to your app menu, and opens it. No admin password needed.
curl -fsSL https://kimochiapp.com/install.sh | shOr install the .deb
If you’d rather use your package manager, download the .deb for your computer:
Then, from the folder you saved it to (usually Downloads), install it:
cd ~/Downloads && sudo apt install ./[Kk]imochi_*.debThe .deb gets updates inside Kimochi too; each one asks for your password before it installs.
Fedora, Arch, openSUSE and everything else
Kimochi runs on most other distributions as an AppImage, a single file that keeps itself up to date.
The one-line installer
Open a terminal, paste this line and press Enter. It installs the AppImage in your home folder, adds Kimochi to your app menu, and opens it.
curl -fsSL https://kimochiapp.com/install.sh | shOr download the AppImage yourself
Make it executable and run it from the folder you saved it to:
cd ~/Downloads && chmod +x ./[Kk]imochi_*.AppImage && ./[Kk]imochi_*.AppImageNothing happens? See If Kimochi won’t start.
Updating
Kimochi updates itself when a new version comes out. If you used the one-line installer, that happens quietly; running the installer again also brings you up to date. If you installed the .deb, Kimochi asks for your password before each update.
To install or update without Kimochi opening afterwards, add --no-launch:
curl -fsSL https://kimochiapp.com/install.sh | sh -s -- --no-launchUninstalling
If you used the one-line installer (including on a Steam Deck), run it with --uninstall. Your settings and dictionaries are kept, in case you come back.
curl -fsSL https://kimochiapp.com/install.sh | sh -s -- --uninstallIf you installed the .deb:
sudo apt remove kimochiIf Kimochi won’t start
The AppImage needs FUSE 3, which desktop installs usually come with (the Steam Deck does). The one-line installer checks for it and, if it’s missing, sets Kimochi up to run without it; it just starts a little slower. If you downloaded the AppImage yourself and it doesn’t open, install FUSE 3 and try again:
- Ubuntu, Debian, Mint
sudo apt install fuse3- Fedora
sudo dnf install fuse3- Arch
sudo pacman -S fuse3- openSUSE
sudo zypper install fuse3
Still stuck? Open an issue on GitHub with your distribution and what you see, and we’ll help.
On macOS or Windows? Download Kimochi from the home page.