Linux

Many, perhaps even most, installation guides for software use commands because the graphical alternatives can vary wildly between desktops and distributions. So using commands in guides is usually the more likely to work.

That said, what Mullvad does is stupid. The downloadable deb and rpm files should just initialize the update repository. That is what Google does with their Chrome download. Basically download the file, double click on it, confirm installation. That's it. Users don't need to do that manually for Chrome.

Luckily, there are only a few cases remain for this type of installation. Most regular things should be either in your distribution's regular repository or on Flathub.

While lvxferre's instructions are the ideal, there's a simpler option

Download the mullvad.deb file.

Doubleclick on it from your file manager and it should automatically instsll

Every time you start mullvad it will check if the version is current and prompt you (with a link to click on) to upgrade if it's not.

Note that works on mint, should work on ubuntu unless they've disabled dpkg

Normally you'd just run sudo apt install ... but in this case you are adding a new repository so you have to follow the extra steps of adding the signing key and so on first.

If you go to: https://mullvad.net/en/download/vpn/linux

And click the "download .deb" button (It says underneath "Works on Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+ (64bit only)". As long as your Ubuntu is up-to-date, this will work fine)

you get a file ("MullvadVPN-2023.6_amd64.deb") you can run just like on Windows (similar to MullvadVPN-2023.6.exe)

opening the file should open a GUI for installing the file

Keep in mind, to update Mullvad VPN, you would need to download a newer .deb file (after an update is released). It shows the latest version above the download buttons, below the "Mullvad VPN for Linux text" This is the same as how it is on Windows

Edit: This is not intended as good advice, just a simple way to install Mullvad VPN. The smartest solution would be to add the repo.

2nd Edit: While this is how Mullvad provides their software, it is never ideal to install random .deb packages or add third party repos without being sure that the ones who provided the package/repo is trustworthy.

Can’t I just download a file and install it?

Yes, there are instructions on the page for that, the section is titled 'Installing the app without the Mullvad repository'

Hello new Linux user! So yes, your correct when installing apps on Linux sometimes you might need to do it via command line other times you'll get a nice install file you can double click. It's really down too the software manufacturers on how they choose to package it.

In general with Linux you'll find there's still a lot of command line usage compared to Windows or osx. On those platforms for most users they would barely touch a terminal except in some kind of bug fixing emergency.

Some distros come with their own app store built in (like the windows or osx app store) and allow you to install a bunch of apps via the gui.

What version of Linux did you go for out of interest? Some are much more beginner and use friendly than others.

Also note that Mullvad has a pretty technical user base and target audience, and thus their documentation is likely geared towards them. You could also consider using Mozilla VPN, which offers pretty much the same advantages (they use Mullvad's servers), at the same price if you pay annually, and is easier to use.