How to install software maintained by Debian.
Via graphical tools
Use the Synaptic package manager, which should have been installed along with Debian:
find and run synaptic in your menu system
- it might ask for your password - that's fine
click 🔍 Search in the top-right of the window
- type your package name
Click the 🔍 Search button
- find your package in the list
- right-click on your package
click Mark for Installation
click ⚙ Apply in the top-left of the window
click the Apply button
{i} For security reasons, only the root user is allowed to perform system-wide actions, so programs ask for your password if they need to act like root. Installing packages is a system-wide action, so it's fine to give your password when you start synaptic, but for example you should be suspicious if a screensaver wants a password.
Via the command line
If you don't have synaptic, use the apt package manager:
open a terminal
type sudo apt install <package-name>
replace <package-name> with the name of your package
press enter
- it might ask for your password - that's fine
if it asks you to continue, press y then enter
{i} sudo lets you switch user while you do a single command, like a graphical tool that starts with a password prompt.
For more information about managing packages on the command line, see AptCLI.