or you could just use the official browser extension or just the web app
this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2026
12 points (92.9% liked)
linux4noobs
4360 readers
1 users here now
linux4noobs
Noob Friendly, Expert Enabling
Whether you're a seasoned pro or the noobiest of noobs, you've found the right place for Linux support and information. With a dedication to supporting free and open source software, this community aims to ensure Linux fits your needs and works for you. From troubleshooting to tutorials, practical tips, news and more, all aspects of Linux are warmly welcomed. Join a community of like-minded enthusiasts and professionals driving Linux's ongoing evolution.
Seeking Support?
- Mention your Linux distro and relevant system details.
- Describe what you've tried so far.
- Share your solution even if you found it yourself.
- Do not delete your post. This allows other people to see possible solutions if they have a similar problem.
- Properly format any scripts, code, logs, or error messages.
- Be mindful to omit any sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, IP addresses, etc.
Community Rules
- Keep discussions respectful and amiable. This community is a space where individuals may freely inquire, exchange thoughts, express viewpoints, and extend help without encountering belittlement. We were all a noob at one point. Differing opinions and ideas is a normal part of discourse, but it must remain civil. Offenders will be warned and/or removed.
- Posts must be Linux oriented
- Spam or affiliate links will not be tolerated.
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
So, the desktop app is useless?
on desktop, yes, I think it is useless.
are you talking like the bitwarden-cli? yeah that's in the arch repos. other than that you'd just install the extension on whatever browser you use.
Looking for GUI. Want to autofill. Desktop app cannot do that?
not yet, desktop app isn't integrated into the system secrets and i don't know if they have plans to ever support that. the browser plugins are the closest you can get to autofill on linux atm
no. either you have to use the CLI or the browser extension. If you use qutebrowser there's a script that will tie into the bitwarden-cli and that would autofill for you. if you have multiple logins for something then it just opens dmenu or rofi or whatever you use and you can select your login from there.
You can always use the appimage. But the functionality of the desktop app is very limited. There is no autofill on Linux (sidenode: I'd love to see a xdg-portal for that) so I just use the browser extension.
If it's in the Arch or CachyOS repos, it should be perfectly fine. The Arch packages are maintained by trusted devs, and unless the CachyOS team has been backdooring all their optimized builds this entire time with nobody noticing, they seem to be trustworthy, too.
Generally, if you can get it via pacman, you shouldn't have to worry.
That said, it sounds like you would want password autofill and easy adding. For that, don't bother with the desktop app and just use the extension in your browser of choice. There's no autofill via the desktop app.
Thank you for the insight.
Yes. I do want to use autofill feature.
Then what's the point of Desktop app?
You can manage your logins, which I've done before (like importing and exporting records). For general use and autofill, you can exclusively use the web extension.
You can probably run the official version using DistroBox (https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Distrobox). It's pretty straightforward to setup using one of the GUI tools (both of which are available as flatpak). Once you have it all installed you can export a desktop shortcut and you wont even know its in a container.