Issues with paru "libalpm.so.13 cannot open shared object file"

Paru Error: “libalpm.so.13: cannot open shared object file”

Have you ever encountered this error while using the AUR helper application paru or yay?

paru: error while loading shared libraries: libalpm.so.13: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

This error message indicates that paru is unable to find a required library file, libalpm.so.13. This issue might occur due to a mismatch between the library version paru expects and the one available on your system. Let’s dive into a quick fix for this.

Solution

1. Open a terminal.
2. Run the following command with root privileges withsudo:

sudo ln -s /usr/lib/libalpm.so.14.0.0 /usr/lib/libalpm.so.13

This command creates a symbolic link named libalpm.so.13 that points to the actual library file libalpm.so.14.0.0. This way, paru can find the library it needs.

Important Note: This solution assumes that libalpm.so.14.0.0 exists on your system. Before running this command, it’s a good practice to back up your system in case of any unforeseen issues.

Understanding the Problem

This error usually happens because paru is compiled against a specific version of the libalpm library (libalpm.so.13) that might not be the default version installed on your system. The provided solution creates a symbolic link to a compatible version that likely exists (e.g., libalpm.so.14.0.0).

Happy debugging!

Edited: This happened to me twice already…