I installed Calibre 8.8.0 on a Ubuntu Linux system through the Ubuntu App Center (I had to filter by Debian packages rather than by Snap packages in the App Center to see Calibre packages as there isn't a Snap package for the software). But when I checked to see if that was the latest version on the Calibre website, I found the latest version is 8.16.2. Also, the Calibre Download for Linux page states "Please do not use your distribution provided calibre package, as those are often buggy/outdated. Instead use the Binary install described below." So I uninstalled the version I installed.
jim@blackfyre:~$ sudo apt remove calibre [sudo: authenticate] Password: The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required: calibre-bin python3-chm fonts-lyx python3-contourpy g++ python3-css-parser g++-15 python3-cycler g++-15-x86-64-linux-gnu python3-decorator g++-x86-64-linux-gnu python3-dnspython gcc python3-executing gcc-15 python3-feedparser gcc-15-x86-64-linux-gnu python3-fonttools gcc-x86-64-linux-gnu python3-fs isa-support python3-html2text isympy-common python3-html5-parser isympy3 python3-ifaddr javascript-common python3-inflate64 libasan8 python3-ipython libb2-1 python3-jedi libcc1-0 python3-jeepney libchm1 python3-kiwisolver libgcc-15-dev python3-legacy-cgi libglut3.12 python3-lxml-html-clean libhwasan0 python3-lz4 libitm1 python3-markdown libjpeg-turbo-progs python3-matplotlib libjs-jquery python3-matplotlib-inline libjs-jquery-ui python3-mechanize libjs-sphinxdoc python3-mpmath libjs-underscore python3-msgpack liblsan0 python3-multivolumefile libmng2 python3-netifaces libqt6core6t64 python3-numpy libqt6dbus6 python3-numpy-dev libqt6gui6 python3-packaging libqt6multimedia6 python3-parso libqt6multimediawidgets6 python3-platformdirs libqt6network6 python3-pooch libqt6opengl6 python3-prompt-toolkit libqt6openglwidgets6 python3-pure-eval libqt6positioning6 python3-py7zr libqt6printsupport6 python3-pyppmd libqt6qml6 python3-pyqt6 libqt6qmlmeta6 python3-pyqt6.qtmultimedia libqt6qmlmodels6 python3-pyqt6.qtqml libqt6qmlworkerscript6 python3-pyqt6.qtquick libqt6quick6 python3-pyqt6.qtsvg libqt6quickwidgets6 python3-pyqt6.qttexttospeech libqt6spatialaudio6 python3-pyqt6.qtwebchannel libqt6sql6 python3-pyqt6.qtwebengine libqt6sql6-sqlite python3-pyqt6.sip libqt6svg6 python3-pyzstd libqt6svgwidgets6 python3-regex libqt6test6 python3-repoze.lru libqt6texttospeech6 python3-requests-toolbelt libqt6waylandclient6 python3-routes libqt6waylandcompositor6 python3-scipy libqt6webchannel6 python3-sgmllib3k libqt6webchannelquick6 python3-six libqt6webengine6-data python3-stack-data libqt6webenginecore6 python3-sympy libqt6webenginecore6-bin python3-texttable libqt6webenginequick6 python3-tqdm libqt6webenginewidgets6 python3-traitlets libqt6widgets6 python3-typeshed libqt6wlshellintegration6 python3-ufolib2 libqt6xml6 python3-unicodedata2 libquadmath0 python3-wcwidth libstdc++-15-dev python3-webob libts0t64 python3-xxhash libtsan2 python3-zeroconf libturbojpeg0 qt6-gtk-platformtheme libubsan1 qt6-image-formats-plugins libxcb-cursor0 qt6-qpa-plugins optipng qt6-speech-flite-plugin pyqt6-dev-tools qt6-svg-plugins python-matplotlib-data qt6-translations-l10n python3-apsw qt6-wayland python3-asttokens sse3-support python3-bcj unicode-data python3-brotlicffi webp Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them. REMOVING: calibre Summary: Upgrading: 0, Installing: 0, Removing: 1, Not Upgrading: 0 Freed space: 65.9 MB Continue? [Y/n] y (Reading database ... 246057 files and directories currently installed.) Removing calibre (8.8.0+ds-3build1) ... Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.18-2) ... Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.36.0-3ubuntu2) ... Processing triggers for man-db (2.13.1-1) ... Processing triggers for shared-mime-info (2.4-5build2) ... Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.28-1) ... jim@blackfyre:~$
I then reinstalled the software using the command provided on that
Calibre webpage, sudo -v && wget -nv -O- https://download.calibre-ebook.com/linux-installer.sh | sudo sh /dev/stdin - a command that
can be run on any version of Linux.
jim@blackfyre:~$ sudo -v && wget -nv -O- https://download.calibre-ebook.com/linux-installer.sh | sudo sh /dev/stdin [sudo: authenticate] Password: Using python executable: /usr/bin/python3 2026-01-18 15:54:28 URL:https://download.calibre-ebook.com/linux-installer.sh [35050/35050] -> "-" [1] Installing to /opt/calibre Downloading tarball signature securely... Will download and install calibre-8.16.2-x86_64.txz Downloading calibre-8.16.2-x86_64.txz 100% [======================================================================] Downloaded 182529320 bytes Checking downloaded file integrity... Extracting files to /opt/calibre ... Extracting application files... Creating symlinks... Symlinking /opt/calibre/ebook-device to /usr/bin/ebook-device Symlinking /opt/calibre/ebook-meta to /usr/bin/ebook-meta Symlinking /opt/calibre/ebook-convert to /usr/bin/ebook-convert Symlinking /opt/calibre/ebook-polish to /usr/bin/ebook-polish Symlinking /opt/calibre/markdown-calibre to /usr/bin/markdown-calibre Symlinking /opt/calibre/web2disk to /usr/bin/web2disk Symlinking /opt/calibre/calibre-server to /usr/bin/calibre-server Symlinking /opt/calibre/lrf2lrs to /usr/bin/lrf2lrs Symlinking /opt/calibre/lrs2lrf to /usr/bin/lrs2lrf Symlinking /opt/calibre/calibre-debug to /usr/bin/calibre-debug Symlinking /opt/calibre/calibredb to /usr/bin/calibredb Symlinking /opt/calibre/calibre-parallel to /usr/bin/calibre-parallel Symlinking /opt/calibre/calibre-customize to /usr/bin/calibre-customize Symlinking /opt/calibre/fetch-ebook-metadata to /usr/bin/fetch-ebook-metadata Symlinking /opt/calibre/calibre-smtp to /usr/bin/calibre-smtp Symlinking /opt/calibre/calibre to /usr/bin/calibre Symlinking /opt/calibre/lrfviewer to /usr/bin/lrfviewer Symlinking /opt/calibre/ebook-viewer to /usr/bin/ebook-viewer Symlinking /opt/calibre/ebook-edit to /usr/bin/ebook-edit Setting up command-line completion... Installing zsh completion to: /usr/share/zsh/vendor-completions/_calibre Installing bash completion to: /usr/share/bash-completion/completions/ Setting up desktop integration... Creating un-installer: /usr/bin/calibre-uninstall Run "calibre" to start calibre jim@blackfyre:~$
I could then see that version 8.16.2 was installed, though it wasn't installed as a Debian package.
jim@blackfyre:~$ which calibre /usr/bin/calibre jim@blackfyre:~$ calibre --version calibre (calibre 8.16.2) jim@blackfyre:~$ dpkg -s calibre dpkg-query: package 'calibre' is not installed and no information is available Use dpkg --info (= dpkg-deb --info) to examine archive files. jim@blackfyre:~$