VeraCrypt is the successor to TrueCrypt. It offers many of the same features and is fully backward compatible. VeraCrypt is fully cross platform and offers a convenient installer that you can use to get started on Debian 10.
In this tutorial you will learn:
- How to Download the VeraCrypt Installer
- How to Unpack the Installers
- How to Run the GUI Installer
- How to Open VeraCrypt on Debian 10
Software Requirements and Conventions Used
Category | Requirements, Conventions or Software Version Used |
---|---|
System | Debian 10 Buster |
Software | VeraCrypt |
Other | Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command. |
Conventions |
# – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command$ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user |
Download the VeraCrypt Installer
You can probably find a VeraCrypt package floating around online, but he only official way to install it on Debian 10 is via the install script provided by VeraCrypt’s developers. Head over to the VeraCrypt download page. Locate the latest Linux tarball, and download it. When prompted, download the tarball, instead of opening it with your archive manager.
Unpack the Installers
There’s no folder in the VeraCrypt installer archive. That’s why it’s easier to handle unpacking it from the command line. Change directories into your ~/Downloads
, and create a new directory for the installers.
$ cd ~/Downloads $ mkdir veracrypt-installer
Now, change directories into your new installer folder, and unpack the archive.
$ cd veracrypt-installer $ tar xjpf ../veracrypt-*.tar.bz2
Once you’ve finished unpacking them, make the install scripts executable.
$ chmod -R +x .
Run the GUI Installer
You’ll notice there are four installers in the folder. The one you’ll probably want is the 64bit GUI one. The “GUI” part refers more to it being the graphical version of VeraCrypt being installed, rather than the installer itself.
To kick it off, run the installer from the terminal.
$ ./veracrypt-1.23-setup-gui-x64
The installer will start by asking if you want to install VeraCrypt or unpack the tarball containing in into /tmp
. Select the install option.
Next, you’ll be asked to read and accept the VeraCrypt license.
Finally, the installer will ask you to enter your password for sudo
to begin the install. Once you enter your password, it’ll only be a second or two before the install is complete.
Open VeraCrypt on Debian 10
After the install, you can open VeraCrypt through your desktop. It’s usually located under the Accessories section of your desktop’s menu.
Conclusion
You’re going to need to keep an eye out for updates for VeraCrypt yourself. The installation didn’t set up a repository or anything, so you’ll need to manually install updates yourself.
VeraCrypt can encrypt both physical drives and partitions as well as virtual drives in directories, making it a versatile and secure tool.