How to Install Microsoft Teams, Slack and Discord on Linux

Not so long ago, Skype was almost the only choice for calls and video communications on Linux. It was used for everything: from work calls to conversations with friends. But over time, it began to give way to more modern services — with a user-friendly interface, close integration with other tools and normal cross-platform operation.

Today, Linux users have access to full-featured solutions for work and communication, which are noticeably superior in convenience and capabilities to older proprietary applications. This is especially important given the rise of remote work, distributed teams, online learning, and activity in open communities.

A modern communication tool should be able to easily organize video calls, chats, file sharing and screen sharing. Microsoft Teams, Slack and Discord are doing just that.

Each of these services completes its own task:

• Microsoft Teams is a corporate platform for communication, meetings and collaboration in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
• Slack is a favorite of developers and distributed teams, known for its convenient organization of workspaces and integrations with GitHub, Trello, Google Drive and other services.
• Discord — began as a platform for gamers, and eventually became a home for communities: from open source projects to study groups and interest clubs, with full support for voice, video and chats.

The good news is that all three applications are officially available for Linux. What previously seemed exotic now looks quite familiar — they are installed on popular distributions and work without constant struggle with dependencies.

In this material, we will look at how to install Microsoft Teams, Slack and Discord on Linux — using the example of Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch and derivative distributions. As a result, you will have a complete set of tools for work, communication and collaboration right on your Linux desktop.

1. Install Microsoft Teams on Linux

Several years ago, Microsoft released a separate Teams desktop client for Linux in the following formats: .deb And .rpm. However, this version was officially deprecated at the end of 2022 and no longer receives updates or security patches.

Now for Linux the company offers to use Progressive Web App (PWA) or Teams web version. In terms of capabilities, they are not inferior to the classic client, and in terms of performance and relevance of functions, they even win. The main advantage is that it works the same in all modern browsers.

PWA behaves like a regular application: you can pin it to the menu, launch it in a separate window and not have to keep an extra browser tab.

Brief steps to install PWA:

1. Open Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
2. Go to the Microsoft Teams web portal.
3. Sign in to your account.
4. After the page loads, the browser will offer to install the application as a PWA.
5. Confirm installation.

After this, Teams will appear in the application menu of your environment and will launch as a separate program.

If you don’t want to install PWA, you can simply use the web version: go to the Microsoft Teams portal, log in and, if necessary, give access to the microphone and camera.

2. Installing Slack on Linux

Slack remains one of the main tools for teams, especially in the IT field. Channels, threads, fast file sharing and deep integration with other services make it a convenient working environment.

Official Slack packages are available on the developer’s website — there you can download:

• .deb for Debian-like systems (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc.),
• .rpm for distributions based on Fedora and RHEL.

After downloading the file, open a terminal, go to the directory where the package was saved (usually ~/Downloads), and install.

For Debian/Ubuntu and derivatives:

sudo apt install ./slack-desktop-*.deb

For Fedora/RHEL and compatibles:

sudo dnf install ./slack-*.rpm

After installation, Slack can be launched through the application menu or with the command:

slack

If the application starts with a blank window or does not start correctly, try this option:

slack --no-sandbox

3. Install Discord on Linux

Discord has long gone beyond the scope of a purely “gamer chat”. Now it is actively used by open source communities, teachers, developers and thematic groups. The service supports voice and video calls, text channels, screen sharing and separate private servers for communities.

Officially, the developers offer for Linux:

• .deb package for Debian/Ubuntu and derivatives;
• .tar.gz-archive for other distributions.

Installation from .deb package (Debian/Ubuntu)

You can download and install Discord like this:

wget -O discord.deb "https://discord.com/api/download?platform=linux&format=deb"

sudo apt install ./discord.deb

Installation from .tar.gz archive (other distributions)

For systems where .deb cannot be used, the following archive is suitable:

wget -O discord.tar.gz "https://discord.com/api/download?platform=linux&format=tar.gz"

tar -xvzf discord.tar.gz

cd Discord

sudo cp -r * /opt/discord/

sudo ln -sf /opt/discord/Discord /usr/bin/discord

After this, Discord will be launched with the command:

discord

Installing Discord on Arch Linux and Manjaro

In Arch and Manjaro everything is even simpler: the package is in the official repositories.

sudo pacman -S discord

Installing Discord via Flatpak (recommended method)

If uniform installation of applications on different distributions and timely updates are important to you, it makes sense to install Discord via Flatpak from the repository Flathub. This is one of the most convenient and up-to-date ways to install applications on Linux.

First make sure Flatpak is installed.

For Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install flatpak

For Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install flatpak

For Arch/Manjaro:

sudo pacman -S flatpak

Then add the Flathub repository (if it’s not already connected):

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Now you can install Discord with one command:

flatpak install flathub com.discordapp.Discord

Once installed, launch Discord either from the applications menu or through the terminal:

flatpak run com.discordapp.Discord

If Discord doesn’t see your microphone or doesn’t play sound, go to User Settings → Voice & Video and check which devices are selected for audio input and output. Also make sure that the system is installed and working PulseAudio or PipeWire — it is through them that Discord gains access to audio devices.

Conclusion

Now you have a working set of Microsoft Teams, Slack and Discord on Linux — three key tools for modern communication.

• Teams suitable for business meetings, corporate communication and integration with Microsoft 365.
• Slack will help you build convenient team correspondence and connect chats with development and task management services.
• Discord will connect communities and projects, offering flexible work with voice, video and thematic channels.

Unlike the era when you had to put up with the limitations of Skype, today these applications work confidently on Linux and allow you to easily call, discuss tasks and collaborate without leaving your favorite distribution.

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