sudo snap remove github-desktop sudo flatpak remove io.github.shiftkey.GitHubDesktop # Then retry the .deb installation This is a classic Electron + Wayland issue. Debian Bookworm defaults to Wayland, but GitHub Desktop runs better on X11.
Historically, GitHub Desktop’s core team focused on Electron’s auto-updater, which worked seamlessly on macOS and Windows but had fragmented support on Linux. For years, the "official" Linux version was community-maintained via a separate repository. As of 2023–2024, GitHub has improved its stance, but . github desktop deb free
github-desktop --no-sandbox --disable-gpu-sandbox To make it permanent: sudo snap remove github-desktop sudo flatpak remove io
Remove all other versions first.
sudo nano /usr/share/applications/github-desktop.desktop # Change the Exec line to: Exec=/usr/bin/github-desktop --no-sandbox --disable-gpu-sandbox %F If, after all this, you decide GitHub Desktop is not for you, here are other fantastic free Git clients that provide native .deb packages. sudo nano /usr/share/applications/github-desktop