Ubuntu users have two good routes to PDF Arranger: the Ubuntu software repositories, which are the fastest option, and Flatpak from Flathub, which is the route to the current 1.14.0 release. This guide covers the repository install first, explains the one caveat that comes with it — the packaged version — and then points you to Flatpak if you want the latest upstream version.
Option 1: Install from the Ubuntu repositories
PDF Arranger is packaged in the Ubuntu repositories, so a single command installs it together with its Python, GTK 3, Poppler and pikepdf dependencies. Open a terminal and run:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install pdfarrangerEnter your password when asked and confirm the package list. That is the whole installation — there is no separate download and no extra repository to add for the standard packaged build.
Prefer a graphical route? Ubuntu Software (or the App Center on newer Ubuntu releases) carries the same repository package: search for PDF Arranger there and click Install. You end up with exactly the same build the apt command installs, managed by the same system updater afterwards. The terminal route is simply faster to describe and easier to troubleshoot, which is why it is the primary method in this guide.
The version caveat, stated plainly
Repository packages are snapshots taken when an Ubuntu release was prepared, so the version in the Ubuntu repositories may lag behind the upstream 1.14.0 release, and how far behind depends on which Ubuntu version you run. For merging, splitting, reordering and rotating pages the packaged build does the job perfectly well. But if a guide or release note mentions a 1.14.0 behaviour — single-page zoom fit, the extra A0, A1 and A2 paper sizes, rebuilding outlines on export, or swapping odd and even pages — and you cannot find it, an older repository version is the most likely reason. Check what you have with:
apt show pdfarrangerOption 2: Get 1.14.0 from Flathub
If you want the current release, install the Flatpak instead. The Flathub build is verified and is already in sync with 1.14.0. Our dedicated guide walks through the whole process: see Install PDF Arranger with Flatpak. You can also keep the repository build and the Flatpak side by side while you compare them.
Launch and verify
After installing, find PDF Arranger in the Activities overview or applications grid, or start it from the terminal:
pdfarrangerOpen a PDF and confirm the page thumbnails load, then try a small test: drag one page to a new position and export the file with File > Save As. If the exported PDF opens with the pages in the new order, everything is working.
Common tips
- Updating the repository build: it updates together with the rest of your system through Software Updater or
sudo apt upgrade— but only up to the version your Ubuntu release carries. - Removing it:
sudo apt remove pdfarrangeruninstalls the repository build; your PDF files are unaffected. - Image import: importing images as PDF pages uses the optional img2pdf tool; if image import is missing, that helper is the first thing to check.
- On Linux Mint or Debian? Mint has its own short guide on this site; the apt command above is the same starting point there.