How to Install Zoom on Fedora 37/36/35

Zoom is a communications technology platform that provides video telephony and real-time online chat services through a cloud-based peer-to-peer software platform. The client can be used in various ways to improve communication and collaboration. Its easy-to-use platform lets users connect with colleagues, classmates, and customers in real time from any device.

The following tutorial will teach you to install Zoom on Fedora 37/36/35 Linux using the flatpak package manager or manually downloading the official RPM package and installing it on your Fedora desktop.

Recommended Steps Before Zoom Installation

Before you begin, ensure your system is up-to-date to avoid any conflicts during the installation, and for good practice, use the terminal command as follows.

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

#1st Method: Install Zoom Client – Download Zoom RPM

The first method is to install the RPM directly from the Zoom download center. While this is often the best for users who do not want to use a third-party repository such as Flatpak, you will need to download the RPM manually each time Zoom releases a binary update which is the only drawback.

First, ensure the wget package is installed on your Fedora desktop.

sudo dnf install wget -y

Ensure you visit the Download center to grab the latest version. Below is an example command only, and it will not work. I have done this since many blindly copy these commands, sometimes up to a year out of date.

Check the download center for the latest link!

wget https://zoom.us/client/{version}/zoom_x86_64.rpm

Now install the Zoom client using the following command.

sudo dnf install zoom_x86_64.rpm

Alternatively, you can install Zoom with Flatpak, which is pre-installed on Fedora desktops.

#2nd Method: Install Zoom Client – Flatpak with Flathub Repository

The second best option is to use the Flatpak package manager. This comes installed on Fedora unless you remove it. This is another popular option similar to Snap but is featured amongst many distributions as an alternative third-party installation package manager for the latest packages.

First, re-install the Flatpak manager; this can be skipped if you already have it installed.

sudo dnf install flatpak -y

Ideally, you should reboot at this stage; if you skip this and notice icons not appearing, the reboot will generate the paths required for the future. Please note this can be ignored if you had Flatpak installed, which for most users should be the case.

reboot

Next, you need to enable Flatpack using the following command in your terminal.

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Now run the installation using the following flatpak command.

flatpak install flathub us.zoom.Zoom -y

Troubleshoot

First, the most common error when installing a Flatpak from Flathub is the following error output.

"error: Unable to load summary from remote flathub: Can't fetch summary from disabled remote 'flathub,"

The fix is simple, run the following command to enable Flathub.

flatpak remote-modify --enable flathub

This will fix the issue the above issue. The next issue can be access to system files. I would only recommend using the following command if you have access permission with your installation accessing files; use the override command below.

sudo flatpak override us.zoom.Zoom --filesystem=host

Please do not use this command by default unless it is needed.

Launch Zoom Client

Now that you have the software installed, you can launch the pixel software immediately using the following terminal command.

flatpak run us.zoom.Zoom

Most desktop users prefer to open the Zoom application icon in the following path. A hot tip is to right-click the application icon and

Activities > Show Applications > Zoom

Example:

Once you open the client, you will see the first default landing screen. From here, you can join a meeting or sign in for account holders.

Example:

Example:

Additional Commands & Tips

Update Zoom Client

Updates should appear in notifications, but if these fail to show sometimes, it is recommended to check using the terminal regardless.

For Flatpak installations, use the following command.

flatpak update

Remove (Uninstall) Zoom Client

Use one of the following commands if you no longer require the application.

flatpak remove  --delete-data us.zoom.Zoom -y

Next, run the following command for any leftover clean-ups required, similar to the autoremove command described for the DNF remove example command.

flatpak remove --unused

Comments and Conclusion

Zoom is a powerful videoconferencing and online chat platform that can be used for business or educational purposes. The tutorial has demonstrated how to install the client on your Fedora desktop using CLI commands with alternative methods and how to keep it up-to-date or remove it down the line.