WordCraft runs on 64-bit Intel and AMD (x86_64) and ARM64 (aarch64) Linux, and there are RISC-V builds too. If you’re not sure which package to choose, take the AppImage: it runs on most distributions without installing anything.
Before you start
- Your architecture. Run
uname -m. If it printsx86_64, use the x86_64 column above; if it printsaarch64, use ARM64. - glibc 2.35 or newer. The x86_64 and ARM64 builds are made on Ubuntu 22.04, so they run on Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12 and newer distributions.
ldd --versionshows your glibc version. The RISC-V builds need glibc 2.39 (Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 13 or newer).
Which package to choose
| Package | Good for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AppImage | Any distribution, or just trying WordCraft | One file, nothing to install. Can update itself with AppImageUpdate |
| Flatpak | Distributions with Flatpak, if you want a sandbox | Sees only your Documents and Pictures folders and the files you open; no network access |
| .deb | Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS | Installs wordcraft and wordcraft-cli in /usr/bin |
| .rpm | Fedora, RHEL, openSUSE | Same files as the .deb |
| Tarball | Any distribution, without root | A plain folder with bin/ and share/ |
| AUR | Arch Linux | Maintained by community members, not the WordCraft team |
Install
The commands use the x86_64 file names. On ARM64, replace x86_64 with aarch64. Run them in the folder you downloaded to.
AppImage
chmod +x wordcraft-0.7.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./wordcraft-0.7.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage
Flatpak
flatpak install --user wordcraft-0.7.0-linux-x86_64.flatpak
flatpak run ai.storyteller.wordcraft
If the Freedesktop runtime that WordCraft needs isn’t installed yet, Flatpak fetches it from Flathub. The Flatpak build opens files anywhere through your desktop’s file chooser.
Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint
sudo apt install ./wordcraft-0.7.0-linux-x86_64.deb
apt also installs what the package depends on, including the graphics libraries. On a minimal system without graphics drivers, install your distribution’s Mesa drivers too; the package recommends mesa-vulkan-drivers.
Fedora and RHEL
sudo dnf install ./wordcraft-0.7.0-linux-x86_64.rpm
On openSUSE, use sudo zypper install ./wordcraft-0.7.0-linux-x86_64.rpm. The Linux packages aren’t signed; the release signs only the Windows and Mac files. If your package manager warns about that, check the file’s SHA-256 against the release instead (see the end of this page).
Tarball
tar xzf wordcraft-0.7.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
./wordcraft-0.7.0-linux-x86_64/bin/wordcraft
Arch Linux
yay -S wordcraft-bin
Community members maintain three AUR packages: wordcraft-bin installs the release build and is the quickest, wordcraft builds the latest release from source, and wordcraft-git builds the current development branch. The WordCraft team doesn’t publish to the AUR itself.
Wayland
On a Wayland desktop, WordCraft runs through XWayland when it’s available, because the windowing library it uses supports dragging files into a window only on X11. To use native Wayland instead, which gives sharper text with fractional scaling but no drag and drop, start it like this:
WORDCRAFT_WAYLAND=1 wordcraft
Where settings and logs are kept
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Settings | ~/.config/wordcraft (or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/wordcraft) |
| Log file | ~/.config/wordcraft/logs/wordcraft.log |
| Flatpak | ~/.var/app/ai.storyteller.wordcraft/config/wordcraft |
The log file is what to attach to a bug report, and it never contains the text of your documents. For more detail, start WordCraft with RUST_LOG=debug wordcraft.
Uninstall
| Package | How |
|---|---|
| AppImage | Delete the file |
| Flatpak | flatpak uninstall --user ai.storyteller.wordcraft |
| .deb | sudo apt remove wordcraft |
| .rpm | sudo dnf remove wordcraft |
| Tarball | Delete the folder |
| AUR | sudo pacman -R wordcraft-bin |
Your settings stay in ~/.config/wordcraft; delete that folder too if you want them gone.
Updating
- AppImage: AppImageUpdate downloads only what changed, using the
.zsyncfile published with each release. You can also download the new AppImage and delete the old one. - .deb and .rpm: install the new package with the same command. It replaces the old version.
- Flatpak: install the new bundle the same way. If Flatpak says WordCraft is already installed, uninstall it first; your settings stay.
- AUR: your AUR helper updates it along with the rest of the system.
If something goes wrong
The WordCraft README doesn’t list Linux start-up fixes beyond the Wayland note above. If WordCraft doesn’t start or draws incorrectly, run it from a terminal with RUST_LOG=debug, then report it on GitHub Issues with the log file attached.
Before you rely on it
WordCraft is alpha software. Its developers estimate it is about 60% of the way to replacing Word for real work, and crashes and freezes reported by users are high on their own list of gaps. Keep copies of important documents, and check a file in Word or another app before you send it. The features page lists what isn’t supported yet.