Linux Installation Instructions
BC version 3 or later
Index:
See also Tips for using BC on Linux.
Debian, Ubuntu
Beyond Compare 4.1 and newer require matching package and OS architecture (amd64.deb or i386.deb). Beyond Compare 3 - 4.0.7 require the i386.deb package on all supported versions of Debian and Ubuntu (32-bit and 64-bit).
Graphical InstallDouble-click the .deb package to install using the graphical package manager.
Terminal Install
wget https://www.scootersoftware.com/files/bcompare-5.0.4.30422_amd64.deb
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ./bcompare-5.0.4.30422_amd64.deb
sudo apt remove bcompare
Installing Beyond Compare's .deb package will add the Scooter Software repository to your system, allowing automatic software updates. To prevent the repository from being added, create an empty /etc/default/bcompare file before installation of the .deb.
sudo touch /etc/default/bcompare
sudo apt install ./bcompare-5.0.4.30422_amd64.deb
wget https://www.scootersoftware.com/DEB-GPG-KEY-scootersoftware.asc
sudo cp DEB-GPG-KEY-scootersoftware.asc /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/
wget https://www.scootersoftware.com/scootersoftware.list
sudo cp scootersoftware.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/
sudo apt update
Redhat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, CentOS
Beyond Compare 4.1 and newer require matching package and OS architecture (x86_64.rpm or i386.rpm). Beyond Compare 3 - 4.0.7 require the i386.rpm package on all supported versions of RHEL, Fedora and CentOS (32-bit and 64-bit).
Graphical InstallDouble-click the .rpm package to install using the graphical package manager.
Terminal Install
wget https://www.scootersoftware.com/files/bcompare-5.0.4.30422.x86_64.rpm
su
rpm --import https://www.scootersoftware.com/RPM-GPG-KEY-scootersoftware
yum install bcompare-5.0.4.30422.x86_64.rpm
su
yum remove bcompare
wget https://www.scootersoftware.com/scootersoftware.repo
sudo cp scootersoftware.repo /etc/yum.repos.d/
openSUSE (partially supported)
Beyond Compare 4.1 and newer require matching package and OS architecture (x86_64.rpm or i386.rpm). Beyond Compare 3 - 4.0.7 require the i386.rpm package on all versions of openSUSE (32-bit and 64-bit). Beyond Compare on OpenSUSE doesn't support SMB network drives due to a missing gvfs-smb dependency. When prompted for the missing dependency during RPM installtion, select option 2 to install without network drive support.
Terminal Install
su
rpm --import https://www.scootersoftware.com/RPM-GPG-KEY-scootersoftware
zypper refresh
zypper install https://www.scootersoftware.com/files/bcompare-5.0.4.30422.x86_64.rpm
Problem: nothing provides 'gvfs-smb' needed by the to be installed bcompare
Solution 1: do not install bcompare-5.0.4.30422.x86_64
Solution 2: break bcompare-5.0.4.30422.x86_64 by ignoring some of its dependencies
Choose from above solutions by number or cancel [1/2/c/d/?] (c): 2
su
zypper remove bcompare
Installation using .tar.gz
This is the only install method that allows installation by non-root users. It is also appropriate for Linux distributions that don't support .deb or .rpm packages. This method requires manual installation of dependencies, so if your distribution supports .deb or .rpm, you should use those packages instead of .tar.gz.
If you run the .tar.gz installer as root, Beyond Compare is installed system wide. If you run the .tar.gz installer as a normal user, it is installed in the current user's home directory.
BC version 5
Version: 5.0.4, build 30422, released Nov. 25, 2024
64-bit TAR.GZ format
21626kb
BC version 4
Version: 4.4.7, build 28397, released Oct. 19, 2023
64-bit TAR.GZ format
20405kb
32-bit TAR.GZ format
13662kb
BC version 3
Version: 3.3.13, build 18981, released Oct. 1, 2014
TAR.GZ format
10175kb
tar zxvf bcompare-4.4.7.28397.i386.tar.gz
cd bcompare-4.4.7.28397
./install.sh
$HOME/lib/beyondcompare/uninstall.sh
su
/usr/lib/beyondcompare/uninstall.sh
