Install TensorFlow on Ubuntu

What you need

• A current Ubuntu release.
• Python 3.9 or newer, check the TensorFlow site for the supported range.
• A recent pip.
• CUDA and a compatible NVIDIA GPU, only if you want GPU support.

Step 1: Update Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

Step 2: Install pip

Check if pip exists:

pip --version

If it is missing, install it with the venv module:

sudo apt install python3-pip python3-venv

Step 3: Install TensorFlow

Use a virtual environment so TensorFlow does not mix with system packages:

python3 -m venv ~/tf-env
source ~/tf-env/bin/activate
pip install tensorflow

Step 4: Check it

python3

Then in the Python shell:

import tensorflow as tf
print(tf.__version__)

What is TensorFlow

TensorFlow is a free machine learning library from Google. It is used to build and train neural networks for images, text, speech and prediction.

Key features:

• Keras API for quick model building.
• CPU and GPU support.
• TensorBoard for charts of your training.
• Deployment options for servers, mobile and browsers.

Quick recap

• Update Ubuntu and install python3-pip and python3-venv.
• Create a virtual environment and run pip install tensorflow.
• Check with tf.__version__.