Linux

If you go to: https://mullvad.net/en/download/vpn/linux

And click the "download .deb" button (It says underneath "Works on Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+ (64bit only)". As long as your Ubuntu is up-to-date, this will work fine)

you get a file ("MullvadVPN-2023.6_amd64.deb") you can run just like on Windows (similar to MullvadVPN-2023.6.exe)

opening the file should open a GUI for installing the file

Keep in mind, to update Mullvad VPN, you would need to download a newer .deb file (after an update is released). It shows the latest version above the download buttons, below the "Mullvad VPN for Linux text" This is the same as how it is on Windows

Edit: This is not intended as good advice, just a simple way to install Mullvad VPN. The smartest solution would be to add the repo.

2nd Edit: While this is how Mullvad provides their software, it is never ideal to install random .deb packages or add third party repos without being sure that the ones who provided the package/repo is trustworthy.

Normally you'd just run sudo apt install ... but in this case you are adding a new repository so you have to follow the extra steps of adding the signing key and so on first.

Download the .deb from their downloads page and run it, just like you would either a .exe on Windows. Their instructions list that as an option further down on the page. Should be higher up imo

Many, perhaps even most, installation guides for software use commands because the graphical alternatives can vary wildly between desktops and distributions. So using commands in guides is usually the more likely to work.

That said, what Mullvad does is stupid. The downloadable deb and rpm files should just initialize the update repository. That is what Google does with their Chrome download. Basically download the file, double click on it, confirm installation. That's it. Users don't need to do that manually for Chrome.

Luckily, there are only a few cases remain for this type of installation. Most regular things should be either in your distribution's regular repository or on Flathub.

You can achieve this through graphical utilities.

Self-updating apps aren't a big thing on Linux, so the Windows way isn't an option...

The signing key is important for security reasons, so you definitely need to add that. After adding the repo you can just use Synaptic or whatever app store thingy Ubuntu uses.

Most of the time you shouldn't need to fiddle with the command line and the apps you will need are available through the Software Centre and the entire process will work like on Windows.

For me, Linux was the first operating system I used that had an app store or software centre and I was pretty glad to not need to...

• open a browser,
• navigate to a site,
• (hope it is the right site...)
• download a binary executable,
• open a file explorer,
• launch the binary,
• click through a list of options and agreements,
• and finally delete the binary.

Can’t I just download a file and install it?

Yes, there are instructions on the page for that, the section is titled 'Installing the app without the Mullvad repository'

Hello new Linux user! So yes, your correct when installing apps on Linux sometimes you might need to do it via command line other times you'll get a nice install file you can double click. It's really down too the software manufacturers on how they choose to package it.

In general with Linux you'll find there's still a lot of command line usage compared to Windows or osx. On those platforms for most users they would barely touch a terminal except in some kind of bug fixing emergency.

Some distros come with their own app store built in (like the windows or osx app store) and allow you to install a bunch of apps via the gui.

What version of Linux did you go for out of interest? Some are much more beginner and use friendly than others.

Also note that Mullvad has a pretty technical user base and target audience, and thus their documentation is likely geared towards them. You could also consider using Mozilla VPN, which offers pretty much the same advantages (they use Mullvad's servers), at the same price if you pay annually, and is easier to use.