Installing Applications from Snap Store

Rowan Puttergill, Fedora Documentation Team Version F42 and newer Last review: 2026-05-08
This page explains how to install and manage containerized applications from Snap Store using the Snap package format.

What is Snap Store

Snap Store is a centralized repository of Snap applications, providing thousands of applications packaged using the Snap format. Snaps are containerized, self-contained applications that include all necessary dependencies and can run on any Linux system that has Snapd installed.

Understanding Snaps

A Snap (or "Snapcraft" package) is a universal application package format that bundles an application with its dependencies in a compressed, self-contained archive. Snaps aim to provide consistent application behavior across different Linux distributions and versions.

Snaps are similar to Flatpaks and AppImages in that they are designed to be distribution-agnostic and include all necessary dependencies. Snaps differ from Flatpaks in that they use a different packaging format and have different mechanisms for updates and confinement. Snaps are developed and maintained by Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, but they can be used on any Linux distribution that supports Snapd, including Fedora.

Snaps are not enabled by default on Fedora, but you can easily install the Snapd daemon to use them.

Installing Snapd

To use Snaps on Fedora, install the Snapd daemon:

$ sudo dnf install snapd

Then enable the Snapd socket:

$ sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket

After installation, you may need to reboot or log out and back in for Snap support to work properly.

Finding and installing applications

Using Snap Store (GUI)

On Fedora, you can install the Snap Store graphical application:

$ sudo snap install snap-store

Then:

  1. Open Snap Store from your Applications menu

  2. Search for the application you want to install

  3. Click Install to begin the installation

  4. The application automatically downloads and installs

Using the command line

Search for applications:

$ snap find application_name

Install an application:

$ snap install application_name

For example, to install Visual Studio Code:

$ snap install code --classic
Some Snaps require the --classic flag to run outside the confinement environment for full functionality.

Managing Snap applications

Launching applications

Installed Snap applications appear in your Applications menu and launch like any other application. You can also run them from the command line using their name:

$ application_name

Updating applications

Snaps update automatically in the background. To manually check for updates:

$ snap refresh

Update a specific Snap:

$ snap refresh application_name

Removing applications

Remove an installed Snap:

$ snap remove application_name

Listing installed applications

View all installed Snaps:

$ snap list

Snap confinement levels

Snaps use different confinement levels that control system access:

Strict

The most restrictive mode. The Snap runs in a sandbox with minimal access to the system. Most Snaps use strict confinement.

Classic

The least restrictive mode. The Snap has full access to the system like a traditionally installed application. Some Snaps require classic confinement to function properly.

Devmode

Used during development. Runs in strict confinement but with warnings instead of denials.

Snap channels

Snaps can offer multiple versions through different channels:

Stable

The default channel, containing fully released and tested versions.

Candidate

Pre-release versions near completion, good for testing before general release.

Beta

Early testing versions, may contain bugs or incomplete features.

Edge

Development versions, the newest code but potentially unstable.

To install from a specific channel:

$ snap install application_name --channel

For example:

$ snap install application_name --beta

Finding more information

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