v1.5.0 Released • 6 Distros • 100% Rootless PRoot Subsystem

Run Full Linux Desktops & Multi-Distro CLI on Android

Complete Linux Installer brings 6 official Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, Alpine, Arch, Kali, Void), concurrent multi-tab terminal emulation, XFCE desktop GUI, and one-click developer stacks directly to your Android device - 100% rootless!

Want pre-release builds? Join Open Beta Testing Track
Linux on Android Multi-Container Dashboard
6
Linux Distros (Ubuntu, Alpine, Arch, ...)
Multi-Tab
Concurrent POSIX PTY Terminals
100%
Rootless User-Space PRoot Engine
XFCE4
Graphical Desktop GUI (VNC / noVNC)

Explore Linux on Android in Action

From multi-container management to concurrent terminal tabs and 1-click desktop stacks, explore the native Android interface.

Linux on Android Multi-Container Dashboard
CONTAINER MANAGEMENT

Multi-Container Dashboard

Manage multiple isolated Linux environments on a single Android device. Start, stop, monitor, or launch interactive sessions for each container independently with clear status indicators and quick action shortcuts.

Run multiple distributions side-by-side (e.g. Ubuntu + Alpine)
Instant status badges displaying running vs stopped container states
One-tap quick actions for Terminal, Hardware Overview, and Settings
Fast container setup wizard via the prominent + New Container button
1 of 6

Everything You Need for Mobile Desktop & CLI

Turn any Android phone or tablet into a full graphical desktop environment or portable Linux development workstation.

🔒

100% Rootless Security

Operates entirely in Android user-space via native PRoot ptrace system call interception. No root access, bootloader unlocking, or Knox tripping required.

🐧

6 Official Linux Distros

First-class support for Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12, Alpine Linux 3.20, Arch Linux, Kali Linux, and Void Linux with automatic mirror detection and rootfs SHA256 integrity verification.

Concurrent Multi-Tab Terminal

Built-in VT100/XTerm terminal emulator supporting multiple simultaneous POSIX PTY shell sessions, live process switching, ANSI colors, and a custom hardware toolbar (Ctrl, Alt, Esc, Tab, Arrows).

🖥️

Full Graphical Desktop (GUI)

One-click installation of a lightweight XFCE 4 desktop environment with TigerVNC server and web-based noVNC streaming for windowed desktop productivity on phone or tablet screens.

📊

Real-Time System Telemetry

Live hardware gauges displaying instantaneous CPU utilization, RAM consumption dials, internal storage tracking, and active listening port detection.

📁

Storage & SD Card Mounting

Automatic mounting of Android storage (/sdcard) and external SD cards (/media/sdcard) alongside Link2Symlink SELinux compatibility for easy file sharing.

Choose Your Preferred Linux Distribution

Deploy the ideal operating system for your workflow, from ultra-lightweight containers to bleeding-edge rolling environments.

U

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Noble Numbat • APT

The standard in Linux computing. Features Long-Term Support stability, an enormous software package repository, and broad toolchain compatibility.

D

Debian 12

Bookworm • APT

The rock-solid universal operating system. Renowned for mission-critical reliability, predictable packages, and rock-solid system stability.

A

Alpine Linux 3.20

musl libc • APK

Ultra-compact, security-oriented distribution based on musl libc and busybox. The rootfs is roughly 5MB, making it lightning-fast to download and launch.

A

Arch Linux

Rolling Release • Pacman

Bleeding-edge rolling release distribution delivering the latest upstream Linux software packages and kernels via the blazing fast pacman package manager.

K

Kali Linux

Rolling • Security Tools

The gold standard in information security, penetration testing, and digital forensics. Access thousands of ethical hacking and security auditing packages on your phone.

V

Void Linux

Independent • XBPS

An independent, general-purpose Linux distribution built from scratch. Utilizes the lightweight XBPS package manager and minimalist runit init architecture.

Pre-Configured Desktop & Developer Workstations

Install complete desktop environments and CLI developer stacks with a single tap in the Software Hub.

XFCE4 Graphical Desktop & VNC

Full-featured, lightweight graphical desktop environment with XFCE4, TigerVNC server, and browser-accessible noVNC. Includes mouse emulation, clipboard sync, and window manager.

xfce4 xfce4-terminal tigervnc-standalone-server novnc websockify
View Installation Logic →
bash: linuxonandroid

ubuntu@android:~$ vncserver :1 -geometry 1280x720

New 'android:1 (ubuntu)' desktop is android:1

ubuntu@android:~$ websockify --web /usr/share/novnc 6080 localhost:5901

WebSocket server settings:

- Listen on :6080

- Web server active at /usr/share/novnc

Node.js & Web Development

Modern JavaScript/TypeScript development runtime environment complete with Node.js LTS, npm, yarn, Git, and build essentials.

nodejs npm git curl build-essential
View Installation Logic →
bash: linuxonandroid

ubuntu@android:~$ node -v

v20.18.0

ubuntu@android:~$ npm --version

10.8.2

Python 3 Developer Stack

Modern Python development environment with Python 3, pip3, virtualenv, GCC C/C++ compiler tools, Git, and Neovim.

python3 python3-pip python3-venv build-essential git
View Installation Logic →
bash: linuxonandroid

ubuntu@android:~$ python3 --version

Python 3.12.3

ubuntu@android:~$ pip3 list

Package Version --- pip 24.0, setuptools 69.5.1

Android Developer Tools

Build and debug Android applications inside Linux on Android using OpenJDK 17, ADB, Fastboot, Gradle, and Git.

openjdk-17-jdk android-sdk-platform-tools gradle
View Installation Logic →
bash: linuxonandroid

ubuntu@android:~$ java -version

openjdk version "17.0.12" 2024-07-16

ubuntu@android:~$ adb devices

List of devices attached

NGINX Web Server & SQLite

Turn your Android phone into a local HTTP web server and embedded database system powered by NGINX and SQLite3.

nginx sqlite3 curl
View Installation Logic →
bash: linuxonandroid

ubuntu@android:~$ service nginx start

* Starting NGINX web server nginx ... [ OK ]

ubuntu@android:~$ curl -I http://localhost

HTTP/1.1 200 OK Server: nginx/1.24.0

OpenSSH Server Daemon

Access your Android Linux environment remotely from your laptop or PC command line over local Wi-Fi or LAN.

openssh-server port 2222
View Installation Logic →
bash: linuxonandroid

ubuntu@android:~$ /usr/sbin/sshd -p 2222

Server listening on port 2222.

user@desktop:~$ ssh ubuntu@192.168.1.50 -p 2222

Welcome to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (GNU/Linux aarch64)

15 Years of Innovation (2011 - Present)

From early XDA Developers root chroot scripts to a modern 100% rootless Jetpack Compose application.

2011 - 2012

Project Inception on XDA

First created on XDA Developers as the "Ubuntu Installer" and "Complete Linux Installer" project, pioneering chroot-based Linux deployments on early Android devices.

2013 - 2017

LinuxOnAndroid.com & Wide Adoption

Expanded distribution images (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch) and custom rootfs image mounting tools hosted on linuxonandroid.com.

2026 Modern Architecture (v1.5.0)

100% Rootless Multi-Distro Rebirth

Rebuilt from the ground up: complete rootless operation via PRoot ptrace, 6 official Linux distributions, concurrent multi-tab POSIX PTY terminal, Jetpack Compose Material3 UI, and arch-aware mirror automation.

Get Started in 3 Simple Steps

Setting up Linux on your Android phone takes less than 2 minutes.

01

Download on Google Play

Install Complete Linux Installer directly from the Google Play Store, or join open beta testing for pre-release builds.

Get on Google Play Store →
Join Open Beta Track →
02

Choose Distro & Architecture

Select from Ubuntu, Debian, Alpine, Arch, Kali, or Void. The wizard automatically detects your architecture (ARM64, x86_64, ARMv7) and downloads verified rootfs tarballs.

03

Open Terminal & Tools

Launch concurrent terminal sessions, monitor hardware dials in real-time, or install the XFCE desktop GUI and developer stacks in one click.