Install Light Share on Linux

Light Share for Linux is a single AppImage file that runs on most 64-bit distributions. AppImages need FUSE 2, which Ubuntu 22.04 and later no longer install by default, so set that up first, then download and run the app.

Requirements

A 64-bit Intel or AMD PC (x86_64). There is no ARM build yet.
A desktop distribution such as Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Fedora, Arch or openSUSE.
FUSE 2, which step 1 installs.

Install

Open a terminal and follow the steps in order.

1Install FUSE 2

AppImages use FUSE 2 to open themselves. Run the command for your distribution. If FUSE 2 is already installed, the command says so and changes nothing.

sudo apt install libfuse2t64 || sudo apt install libfuse2

Ubuntu 24.04 and later, Debian 13 and Linux Mint 22 call the package libfuse2t64; older releases call it libfuse2. The command tries both. It also works on Pop!_OS, elementary OS and Zorin OS.

On Ubuntu, Debian and Mint, install only libfuse2t64 or libfuse2. Don't install the package named fuse: apt would remove fuse3, which the desktop depends on.

2Download Light Share

Download the zip and extract it, for example by double-clicking it in your file manager. It holds one file, LightShare-x86_64.AppImage. Move that file to a folder you keep, such as Applications in your home folder: Light Share updates this file in place.

Download for Linux

x64 AppImage in a zip

Or download and extract it from the terminal:

mkdir -p ~/Applications && cd ~/Applications
curl -fLO https://download.lightshare.markloc.tech/LightShare-Linux.zip
unzip -o LightShare-Linux.zip && rm LightShare-Linux.zip

3Run Light Share

Make the file executable and start it:

chmod +x ~/Applications/LightShare-x86_64.AppImage
~/Applications/LightShare-x86_64.AppImage

From the file manager instead: right-click the file, open Properties, turn on Allow executing file as program (the wording varies by desktop), then double-click it.

Update

Light Share updates itself. When a new version is out, the app offers it, downloads and verifies it, replaces the AppImage file in place and restarts. Keep the file in a folder you can write to, such as ~/Applications.

Uninstall

Quit Light Share, then delete the AppImage:

rm ~/Applications/LightShare-x86_64.AppImage

To also remove its settings, paired devices and transfer history:

rm -rf ~/.lightshare ~/.java/.userPrefs/markloc

Files you received stay where they were saved, by default Documents/LightShare/Received in your home folder.

Troubleshoot

dlopen(): error loading libfuse.so.2

FUSE 2 is missing. Some AppImages report this as AppImages require FUSE to run. Install it with step 1. If you can't install packages, for example on a locked-down or container system, run the AppImage without FUSE. It then unpacks itself to a temporary folder on every launch, so it starts more slowly:

~/Applications/LightShare-x86_64.AppImage --appimage-extract-and-run

Unable to locate package libfuse2

On Ubuntu the package comes from the universe repository. Turn it on, then run step 1 again:

sudo add-apt-repository universe && sudo apt update

Permission denied

The file isn't marked as executable. Run the chmod +x command from step 3, or allow executing it in the file's Properties.

Still stuck? Email support@markloc.tech with your distribution and the error you see.

Light Share also runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.

All downloads