How to Set Up Flutter With Android Studio on Linux

Flutter has become one of the most popular frameworks for building cross-platform apps — one codebase, multiple platforms, and beautiful UIs powered by Google’s Dart language. If you’re using Linux, setting up Flutter with Android Studio gives you the ideal environment to develop, test, and build Android and web apps efficiently.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the complete setup process for Flutter on Linux, including installing dependencies, configuring Android Studio, and verifying your setup so you can start coding right away.

1. Update Your Linux System

Before installing anything, it’s always a good idea to make sure your Linux system is up to date. This ensures all required dependencies and packages are current.

Open your terminal and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Once the update completes, you’ll have the latest system packages, which helps avoid compatibility issues during installation.

2. Install Required Dependencies

Flutter needs a few tools and libraries to work smoothly on Linux. Run the following command to install them:

sudo apt install curl git unzip xz-utils zip libglu1-mesa -y

Here’s what each of these does:

git – Required for fetching the Flutter SDK.
curl and unzip – Needed for downloading and extracting files.
xz-utils and zip – Helps handle compressed archives.
libglu1-mesa – Provides OpenGL support for rendering in Android emulators.

3. Download the Flutter SDK

Now let’s download the Flutter SDK from the official Flutter website. You can either do this manually or through your terminal.

In the terminal, run:

cd ~/Downloads
curl -O https://storage.googleapis.com/flutter_infra_release/releases/stable/linux/flutter_linux_3.24.3-stable.tar.xz

Once the download finishes, extract it to the /opt directory for system-wide access:

sudo tar xf flutter_linux_3.24.3-stable.tar.xz -C /opt

Now add Flutter to your system path so that you can run it from anywhere:

echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/opt/flutter/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

To verify that Flutter was added successfully, type:

flutter --version

If you see Flutter’s version and environment details, you’re good to go.

4. Install Android Studio

Android Studio is the recommended IDE for Flutter because it provides built-in support for Dart and Flutter plugins.

You can install it directly from the terminal using Snap (if supported on your system):

sudo snap install android-studio --classic

If Snap isn’t available, visit developer.android.com/studio and download the Linux .tar.gz file. Then extract it manually:

tar -xvf android-studio-*-linux.tar.gz
sudo mv android-studio /opt/

Finally, launch the installer:

/opt/android-studio/bin/studio.sh

Follow the on-screen setup wizard and install the Android SDK, SDK Platform Tools, and AVD Emulator when prompted.

5. Install Flutter and Dart Plugins in Android Studio

Once Android Studio launches for the first time:

Go to the top menu and select File → Settings (or Preferences on some Linux distributions).
In the sidebar, navigate to Plugins.
Use the search bar to find Flutter and click Install.
When prompted, Android Studio will also ask to install the Dart plugin — click Yes to include it.
Restart Android Studio to activate both plugins.

After restarting, you’ll see the Flutter: New Project option on the welcome screen — that means the integration is working correctly.

6. Set Up Android SDK and Emulator

Flutter needs access to the Android SDK and a virtual device for testing.

To confirm that the SDK is properly installed, open Android Studio, go to:
Tools → SDK Manager

Make sure you have the latest Android SDK Platform, SDK Tools, and Android Emulator installed.

Then open:
Tools → Device Manager
Create a new virtual device, select a hardware profile (like Pixel 6), choose a system image, and click Finish.

Once that’s done, your virtual Android device is ready to run Flutter apps.

7. Accept Android Licenses

Now that everything is installed, Flutter needs permission to use the Android SDK. Run this command in the terminal:

flutter doctor --android-licenses

You’ll be asked to review several license agreements — press Y to accept all of them.

8. Verify Your Flutter Setup

Before starting your first project, make sure all tools are correctly configured. Run:

flutter doctor

This command scans your system and displays a summary of your Flutter environment. Ideally, all checkmarks should appear green, showing that Flutter, Android Studio, and the Android SDK are properly connected.

If you see any warnings, read them carefully — most are simple fixes like missing permissions or outdated SDK components.

9. Create and Run Your First Flutter App

Now comes the fun part — creating your first Flutter project!

Open Android Studio.
Select New Flutter Project → Flutter Application.
Choose your Flutter SDK path (e.g., /opt/flutter).
Enter a project name (like flutter_setup_demo).
Click Finish.

Android Studio will generate a new project and load the default Flutter counter app.

To run it:

Connect a physical Android device or
Launch your Android Emulator from Device Manager.

Then click the Run button (green triangle icon) in Android Studio.
You should see the “Hello, world” counter app appear — meaning Flutter is successfully set up on your Linux system!

Conclusion

Setting up Flutter with Android Studio on Linux might seem a bit technical at first, but once you follow these steps carefully, you’ll have a fully functional development environment ready for cross-platform app creation.

You installed the required dependencies, downloaded the Flutter SDK, configured Android Studio, and even ran your first Flutter app — all in one go.

Now that your setup is complete, you can start exploring Flutter widgets, building UIs, and testing your apps across Android, web, and desktop from one codebase.