GIMP will not start, GEGL error

Question

I get this error,

GEGL version too old!
  
  GIMP requires GEGL version 0.4.16 or later.
  Installed GEGL version is 0.4.14.
  
  Somehow you or your software packager managed
  to install GIMP with an older GEGL version.
  
  Please upgrade to GEGL version 0.4.16 or later.

I've tried removing and reinstalling GIMP. I've tried removing and reinstalling GEGL. When I do, it appears it is installing 0.4.16. Same error every time. It was working just the other day. Version 2.10

I don't know what to try next.

Phil Leslie · Answer

I received this error, too, & tried all the solutions to resolve it. Now, when I try to launch GIMP, I see it trying to launch in the "Activities" bar, but then it disappears & the app fails to launch. I've purged it from my system & have tried reinstalling it, but so far nothing has worked. I still cannot get the app to launch in 20.04.

Answered by Phil Leslie on December 15, 2021

miros · Answer

I had remove gimp and gegl with

sudo dpkg --remove gegl
sudo dpkg --remove gimp

And reinstalled again to get it work.

trinarSK · Answer

You can force another version of libgegl.
I dont know why, but the version 0.4.14 is showed as higher version than 0.4.16 so even when you have the 0.4.16 version it will be updated to 0.4.14.
You have to force version 0.4.16 and downgrade the 0.4.14 to 0.4.16 version.

J. C. Salomon · Answer

When you say

I've tried removing and reinstalling GEGL.

you’ve been updating the standalone GEGL package. What GIMP needs is the libgegl package, which is not included in ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp for some reason. I have submitted a bug report to the PPA maintainer.

ticotexas · Answer

I had to add the repo again. Then run:
sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp
sudo apt-get install gimp

After that gimp was able to install and start normally.

GIMP will not start, GEGL error

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