Anki 25.09 Installation and Qt Library Conflict Resolution
Just upgraded Anki from version 25.02 to 25.09 on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and had to resolve Qt library conflicts that prevented the application from starting.
I suspect devs are aware of this issue based on the changelog, offering how I addressed it in case it helps with future patches. (AI helped me document and format the below but it tracks what I did pretty well.)
System
- System: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS (Noble)
- Initial Anki Version: 25.02 (working)
- Target Version: 25.09
- System Qt Version: 6.4.2
- Required Qt Version: 6.9+
Standard Anki Installation Process
Followed official Anki documentation,
-
added pre-install dependencies:
sudo apt install libxcb-xinerama0 libxcb-cursor0 libnss3 zstd -
downloaded from apps.ankiweb.net
-
extract and install:
tar xaf Downloads/anki-2XXX-linux-qt6.tar.zst cd anki-2XXX-linux-qt6 sudo ./install.sh
Problem: Qt Library Version Mismatch
Error Message:
ImportError: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libQt6DBus.so.6: undefined symbol:
_ZN9QtPrivate23CompatPropertySafePointC1EP14QBindingStatusP20QUntypedPropertyData, version Qt_6
Root Cause:
- Anki 25.09 requires Qt 6.9+ libraries
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS only provides Qt 6.4.2 in its repositories
- The new Anki launcher was attempting to use system Qt libraries instead of its bundled libraries
Versions:
- System Qt version:
libqt6core6t64: 6.4.2+dfsg-21.1build5 - Anki’s bundled Qt version: 6.9+ (located in
~/.local/share/AnkiProgramFiles/.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/PyQt6/Qt6/lib/) - No official PPAs available for Qt 6.9 on Ubuntu 24.04
Solution
The issue occurs because Anki bundles its own Qt 6.9 libraries but defaults to using the system Qt 6.4 libraries. My quick fix was to create a wrapper script that forces Anki to use its bundled libraries.
- Create wrapper script:
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
cat > ~/.local/bin/anki << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$HOME/.local/share/AnkiProgramFiles/.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/PyQt6/Qt6/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
exec /usr/local/bin/anki "$@"
EOF
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/anki
- Refresh shell:
source ~/.bashrc # or ~/.zshrc if using zsh
File Locations
- System Launcher:
/usr/local/bin/anki - Wrapper Script:
~/.local/bin/anki(the fix) - Bundled Qt Libraries:
~/.local/share/AnkiProgramFiles/.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/PyQt6/Qt6/lib/
Why This Solution Works
Anki 25.09 comes with Qt 6.9 libraries bundled, but the system tries to use Ubuntu’s Qt 6.4 libraries first. By setting LD_LIBRARY_PATH, we tell the system to prioritize Anki’s bundled libraries.
This solution allows Anki 25.09 to run on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS without system-wide changes.