How to Enable Contrib and Non-Free on Debian 12

Introduction

Before we begin talking about how to enable Contrib and Non-Free on Debian 12, let's briefly understand – What is Contrib and Non-Free?

Contrib and Non-free are software repositories in the Debian distribution. Contrib includes software that depends on certain non-free components, while Non-free contains software that does not comply with Debian's free software guidelines.

These repositories provide users with additional software options, but come with licensing restrictions. Expand your software choices with Contrib and Non-free on Debian.

In this tutorial, you will enable Contrib and Non-Free on Debian 12. We will also address a few FAQs on how to enable Contrib and Non-Free on Debian 12.

Enable Contrib and Non-Free on Debian 12

On Debian, there are several methods for enabling the non-free and contrib repositories. We will investigate two approaches: the graphical user interface through the Synaptic Package Manager and the command line.

Method 1: Using the Command Line with Text Editor

Step 1: Modifying the Sources List File

First things first, start your terminal. This is where you enter the command:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

This command opens the sources.list file and launches the nano text editor. This file is essential because it contains a complete list of all the software repositories that are currently available for your Debian operating system.

Step 2: Tweaking the Sources List File and Consolidating the Changes

Look for the lines in the sources.list file that begin with deb and include main. Enabling the non-free and contrib repositories is the aim here. You add contrib non-free after main on each relevant line to accomplish this.

For example, a changed line might resemble this:

Bookworm and onwards:

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bookworm main contrib non-free-firmware

For Debian 10 Buster, Debian 11 Bullseye, and all previous versions:

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bookworm main contrib non-free

After making the necessary adjustments, save the file and combine it (Ctrl+O). After that, hit Ctrl+X to close the text editor. Next, you need to use the following command to update the repositories:

sudo apt update

This command makes sure that the changes you make are appropriately updated and reflected.

Method 2: The Command Line Alternative

For many Linux users, particularly those who are unfamiliar with the environment, an alternative approach that makes use of the command line is a more effective and straightforward route. Using this method, you can enable the non-free and contrib repositories on Debian with just one command.

Step 1: Assuring the Installation of Required Packages

Start by executing the following command:

sudo apt install software-properties-common -y

Using this command, the software-properties-common package is found. An indispensable tool for managing software repositories directly from the command line is this package.

Step 2: Enabling Contrib and Non-Free

Upon confirmation of the package installation, you can make Debian's non-free and contrib repositories active:

Bookworm onwards:

sudo apt-add-repository contrib non-free-firmware

Bullseye downwards:

sudo apt-add-repository contrib non-free

After the repositories have been authorized successfully, send out a brief update using:

sudo apt update

Confirm Contrib and Non-Free Repositories on Debian 12

After you have successfully enabled the contrib and non-free repositories and started a quick apt-update, you should confirm that these repositories have been included. This is an important step because it helps to confirm that the modifications have been applied correctly and that the Debian system now has access to a wider variety of software.

Confirming the Presence of the Contrib and Non-Free Repositories

Run the following command to confirm that the non-free and contrib repositories are activated:

grep -E "(contrib|non-free)" /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list

This command looks through the sources.list file for the terms non-free and contrib. Here, the command-line tool grep is used to look for lines in plain-text data sets that match a regular expression.

Verifying the activation of the non-free and contrib repositories is helpful in our situation.

FAQs to Enable Contrib and Non-Free on Debian 12

Conclusion

We hope this tutorial helped you understand how to enable Contrib and Non-Free on Debian 12.

If you have any queries, please leave a comment below, and we’ll be happy to respond to them for sure.