How to Install Sublime Text 3 on Linux

To install Sublime Text 3 on Linux, download the archived Linux package for your distribution and install that local file. The official archive still offers Sublime Text 3.2.2, Build 3211, released October 1, 2019. This is a legacy release: Sublime Text 4 is the current version. The current Linux repository instructions follow the live release channel, so use the archived download page when you specifically need version 3.

1. Confirm you need the archived release

Open the official Sublime Text 3 downloads page and check that it shows Build 3211. If your project does not require version 3, install the current stable release from the current download page instead; it includes newer fixes and Linux support updates.

Sublime Text can be evaluated without an enforced time limit, but a license is required for continued use. See the official previous-version guidance for license and archive details.

2. Download the package that matches your Linux distribution

The Build 3211 page lists 64-bit packages for Debian and Ubuntu (.deb), Fedora and openSUSE (RPM), and Arch Linux (.pkg.tar.xz). It also provides a generic Linux tarball. A 32-bit tarball is listed separately; do not install a 64-bit package on a 32-bit system. Download the package, its matching signature when offered, and the publisher key from the same official page.

3. Verify the download before installing

The archive page links a public key and detached signatures for the Debian, Arch, and tarball downloads; the RPM is signed. In the directory containing the downloaded files, import the key and check the signature that matches your package:

gpg --import sublimehq-pub.gpg
gpg --verify sublime-text_build-3211_amd64.deb.sig sublime-text_build-3211_amd64.deb

For an Arch package, use its .pkg.tar.xz.sig file in the same command; for the generic tarball, use its .tar.bz2.asc file. On RPM systems, import the supplied key with sudo rpm --import sublimehq-pub.gpg, then check the package with rpm -Kv sublime-text-3211-1.x86_64.rpm. Continue only when the signature check succeeds. Replace the example file names if your browser saved the downloads under different names.

4. Install the local package for your distribution

Ubuntu or Debian

Open a terminal in the folder containing the downloaded .deb, usually Downloads, and run:

sudo apt install ./sublime-text_build-3211_amd64.deb

The ./ tells APT to install the local file. If you run the command from another directory, give APT the full path to the package.

Fedora or openSUSE

For Fedora, install the downloaded RPM with DNF:

sudo dnf install ./sublime-text-3211-1.x86_64.rpm

For openSUSE, use Zypper with the same RPM:

sudo zypper install ./sublime-text-3211-1.x86_64.rpm

Run the command from the download folder or replace the relative path with the full file path.

Arch Linux

Download the package, its matching signature, and the publisher key from the official archive. Add and locally sign the key using Sublime Text’s Pacman instructions:

sudo pacman-key --add sublimehq-pub.gpg
sudo pacman-key --lsign-key 8A8F901A

Then install the local package:

sudo pacman -U ./sublime-text-3211-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz

Other Linux distributions

Use the generic .tar.bz2 archive. Extract it in a folder you own, open the extracted sublime_text_3 directory, and run its sublime_text executable. This portable install is not managed by your system package manager. If you want the subl terminal command, follow the Linux section of Sublime's command-line documentation and point the link to the executable's actual location.

5. Launch Sublime Text 3 and confirm the build

For package installs, search the desktop application menu for Sublime Text or launch it from a terminal. The packaged install provides the subl command, so you can check the version with:

subl --version

Confirm that the output says Sublime Text Build 3211. If it reports a different build, the system may be launching an existing installation or a newer package.

Troubleshooting and using Sublime Text 3 with version 4

• Package not found: check the filename and run the install command from the directory where the file is saved. Include ./ for local APT, DNF, and Zypper packages.
• Architecture mismatch: choose the package matching the system architecture. The archived .deb, RPM, and Arch packages are 64-bit; the download page lists the 32-bit build as a tarball.
• Existing Sublime Text install: if you already use version 4, avoid replacing its package unintentionally. Sublime Text 4 can reuse Sublime Text 3's Linux data directory. To keep settings separate, create the version 4 data directory before launching it, as described in the official side-by-side guide.

Because Build 3211 dates to 2019, choose it only when you need the older release. The official download page and Linux repository documentation are the best places to check package availability and current install instructions.