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Supported Distributions

FocusMe targets Debian-based distributions — Ubuntu 20.04 and later, Linux Mint, Debian 11 and later, Pop!_OS and similar derivatives. The bundle includes the Qt libraries it needs, so no extra packages are required.

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Installation

Download the .bin installer from focusme.com/download/linux, then:
The installer needs root for the background service and elevates itself — through a graphical password prompt (pkexec) when you run it from a desktop session, otherwise through sudo. Running it with sudo directly also works. It asks you to accept the licence agreement, then:
  • Installs FocusMe into a FocusMe folder in your home directory
  • Adds an application-menu entry and an autostart entry so FocusMe starts when you log in
  • Installs and starts a background systemd service that relaunches FocusMe if it is closed
  • Connects the browser addon for Chrome, Chromium, Brave, Firefox and their Snap builds
Installer options: Running the installer over an existing installation updates it and keeps your settings and plans.

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Display Server Support

If application blocking is unreliable on Wayland, log in with an X11 (Xorg) session instead.

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Quitting and Restarting

FocusMe runs from the tray icon; closing the window does not stop it. Quit from the tray menu is refused while any plan is enabled. When you do quit, FocusMe stays stopped until you start it again from the menu or log in again — the background service does not relaunch it after a deliberate quit. Restart in the tray menu (available an hour after launch) relaunches FocusMe into the same state, plans included.
Start at Logon in Settings → General is disabled on Linux; the installer’s autostart entry handles this instead.

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Browsers on Linux

  • Install the addon from Settings → Browsers as on other platforms
  • Flatpak builds of Firefox-based browsers — Firefox, Zen, LibreWolf — work with the addon
  • Flatpak builds of Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Chromium, Brave and others) cannot host the addon. FocusMe reports The Flatpak version of this browser can’t support our addon and, at the Basic verification level or above, closes the browser. Install the distribution’s standard (.deb) package of the browser instead
  • Snap builds of Firefox and Chromium are supported
Flatpak applications in general are detected for application blocking.

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Uninstalling

This stops and removes the service, the autostart and menu entries, the browser connection files and the FocusMe folder. Protect Uninstall is not offered on Linux. See Uninstall FocusMe.

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Troubleshooting

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Window detection not working

  1. On Wayland, try an X11 session (see above)
  2. Some tiling window managers expose windows differently; use Helper from the sidebar to see what FocusMe can identify and pick a target type that is populated (for example Process Name rather than Window Title)

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Browser addon not connecting

  1. Check the browser is not a Chromium Flatpak (see above)
  2. Reinstall FocusMe with the installer — it rewrites the files that connect the browser to the app
  3. Restart the browser

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Support needs logs

Use Save Diagnostics in Settings → General. It produces a single archive that includes the service status and browser connection details as well as the logs. See Update FocusMe.