🐦 How to Install Snap on Parrot OS (When snapd Isn't Available)

Rachael Muga — Mon, 26 May 2025 07:50:43 +0000

When trying to install Snap on Parrot OS, you might run into this frustrating error:

E: Package 'snapd' has no installation candidate

That's because Parrot OS, while based on Debian, doesn't include Snap support by default. Here's how to fix that and get Snap running smoothly.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Fix

1. Add Debian contrib and non-free Repositories

Edit your sources list:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Add the following lines (adjust if you're on a different Debian base; Parrot 6 is based on Debian 12 "bookworm"):

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm main contrib non-free
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian-security bookworm-security main contrib non-free
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm-updates main contrib non-free

💡 In nano, press Ctrl+O to save, Enter to confirm, and Ctrl+X to exit.

2. Update Your Package List

sudo apt update

3. Install snapd

sudo apt install snapd -y

4. Enable Snap Services

sudo systemctl enable --now snapd
sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap

5. Verify Installation

snap version

✅ Optional: Test Snap with Hello World

sudo snap install hello-world

🚀 You're Ready to Use Snap!

Now you can install any snap package as usual

📌 Why This Happens

Parrot OS doesn't ship with snapd or the required repos enabled. Since it's a security-focused distro, they limit packages to those they audit or support by default. But thanks to its Debian roots, you can still configure it manually.

DEV Community: Rachael Muga