Troubleshooting Zed on Linux: Uninstall, Startup Failures, and Graphics Issues

If Zed was installed to a different location, you must invoke the `zed` binary stored in that installation directory and pass the `--uninstall` flag to it in the same format as the previous commands. ### Package Manager If Zed was installed using a package manager, please consult the documentation for that package manager on how to uninstall a package. ## Troubleshooting Linux works on a large variety of systems configured in many different ways. We primarily test Zed on a vanilla Ubuntu setup, as it is the most common distribution our users use, that said we do expect it to work on a wide variety of machines. ### Zed fails to start If you see an error like "/lib64/libc.so.6: version 'GLIBC_2.29' not found" it means that your distribution's version of glibc is too old. You can either upgrade your system, or [install Zed from source](./development/linux.md). ### Graphics issues ### Zed fails to open windows Zed requires a GPU to run effectively. Under the hood, we use [Vulkan](https://www.vulkan.org/) to communicate with your GPU. If you are seeing problems with performance, or Zed fails to load, it is possible that Vulkan is the culprit. If you see a notification saying `Zed failed to open a window: NoSupportedDeviceFound` this means that Vulkan cannot find a compatible GPU. You can begin troubleshooting Vulkan by installing the `vulkan-tools` package and running: ```sh vkcube ``` This should output a line describing your current graphics setup and show a rotating cube. If this does not work, you should be able to fix it by installing Vulkan compatible GPU drivers, however in some cases (for example running Linux on an Arm-based MacBook) there is no Vulkan support yet. You can find out which graphics card Zed is using by looking in the Zed log (`~/.local/share/zed/logs/Zed.log`) for `Using GPU: ...`. If you see errors like `ERROR_INITIALIZATION_FAILED` or `GPU Crashed` or `ERROR_SURFACE_LOST_KHR` then you may be able to work around this by installing different drivers for your GPU, or by selecting a different GPU to run on. (See [#14225](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/issues/14225)) On some systems the file `/etc/prime-discrete` can be used to enforce the use of a discrete GPU using [PRIME](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/PRIME). Depending on the details of your setup, you may need to change the contents of this file to "on" (to force discrete graphics) or "off" (to force integrated graphics). On others, you may be able to the environment variable `DRI_PRIME=1` when running Zed to force the use of the discrete GPU. If you're using an AMD GPU and Zed crashes when selecting long lines, try setting the `ZED_PATH_SAMPLE_COUNT=0` environment variable. (See [#26143](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/issues/26143)) If you're using an AMD GPU, you might get a 'Broken Pipe' error. Try using the RADV or Mesa drivers. (See [#13880](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/issues/13880)) If you are using Mesa, and want more control over which GPU is selected you can run `MESA_VK_DEVICE_SELECT=list zed --foreground` to get a list of available GPUs and then export `MESA_VK_DEVICE_SELECT=xxxx:yyyy` to choose a specific device.

This section covers troubleshooting common issues encountered when running Zed on Linux. It provides instructions for uninstalling Zed using a package manager. It addresses startup failures due to outdated glibc versions, suggesting system upgrades or installing Zed from source. The section focuses on graphics-related problems, particularly issues with Vulkan and GPU compatibility, offering steps to diagnose and resolve these issues, including using `vkcube`, installing GPU drivers, and configuring PRIME settings. It also provides workarounds for specific AMD GPU issues, such as crashes when selecting long lines or 'Broken Pipe' errors, and suggests using RADV or Mesa drivers. Finally, it explains how to use MESA_VK_DEVICE_SELECT to manually choose a GPU.