Compile and Use Unreal Engine Plugins on Linux!

A comprehensive guide for installing and compiling UE plugins on Linux distributions, specifically tested on Fedora 42 with UE 5.4.

Overview

This guide addresses the common challenge Linux users face when trying to install Unreal Engine plugins that are normally distributed through Epic Games’ loncher unfortunetally those are not avalable on linux, sometime fab dont allow to download plugin even in the project as well. thats way, we need to compile plugins from source. in this guid i have compiled AutoSizeComments pugin this plgin source code is avalble on github.

[!NOTE] you cannot directally compile or convert a plgin that is made for windwos user you must need to have source code of that plugin in order to compile and use it on linux.

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Linux distribution (tested on Fedora 42)
Unreal Engine installed and runing
Build tools and development environment (most distro allready come with)

Install Required Build Tools

For Fedora/RHEL-based systems:

sudo dnf install clang cmake make mono-devel git

For Ubuntu/Debian-based systems:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install clang cmake make mono-devel git build-essential

UE on Linux uses clang + cmake for compilation.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Create or Convert to C++ Project

Important: Blueprint-only projects cannot compile C++ plugins. You need a C++ project, you can create one for compiling plugin and then use it in any project (including blueprint)

If you have a Blueprint-only project and you want to use it (not recommended):

Open your project in UE Editor
Go to File → New C++ Class
Select any class type (e.g., Actor) and create it
This will convert your project to a C++ project with a Source/ folder

If starting fresh:

Create a new C++ project from the UE launcher. i am naming my project cpp for differentiating from my otehr project

Step 2: Obtain the Plugin Source

Find the plugin’s GitHub repository or source in this case Auto Size Comments
Download zip or clone the plugin source code

Ensure you have the complete plugin folder structure:

PluginName/
├── PluginName.uplugin
├── Source/
│   └── [source files]
└── [other plugin files]

Step 3: Move the Plugin Folder

Navigate to your UE project directory in this case cpp named project
Create a Plugins/ folder if it doesn’t exist:
```
mkdir -p YourProject/Plugins/
```
Copy the entire plugin folder into Plugins/:
```
cp -r PluginName/ YourProject/Plugins/
```

Your project structure should look like:

YourProject/
├── Content/
├── Source/
├── Plugins/
│   └── PluginName/
│       ├── PluginName.uplugin
│       ├── Source/
│       └── [other files]
└── YourProject.uproject

Step 4: Compile the Plugin

Method 1: Through UE Editor (Recommended)

Open your UE project
UE will detect the new plugin and prompt: “Missing [PluginName] modules. Would you like to rebuild them now?”
Click Yes
UE will compile the plugin automatically
Wait for compilation to complete

Method 2: Command Line Build

If you built UE from source and have build scripts:

Navigate to your project directory
Regenerate project files:
```
./GenerateProjectFiles.sh
```
Build the project:
```
make
```

Step 5: Verify Installation

In UE Editor, go to Edit → Plugins
Search for your plugin name
Ensure it’s enabled and shows as “Installed”
Test the plugin functionality according to its documentation

Understanding Compilation Results

After successful compilation, you’ll find these files in the plugin’s Binaries/Linux/ folder:

libUnrealEditor-PluginName.so - Main plugin binary
libUnrealEditor-PluginName.debug - Debug symbols
libUnrealEditor-PluginName.sym - Symbol file
UnrealEditor.modules - Module information

For Binary Distribution (No Source Code)

To share a compiled plugin without source code:

Create a clean plugin folder with only:

PluginName/
├── PluginName.uplugin
└── Binaries/
    └── Linux/
        ├── libUnrealEditor-PluginName.so
        ├── libUnrealEditor-PluginName.debug
        ├── libUnrealEditor-PluginName.sym
        └── UnrealEditor.modules

Remove these folders (optional):
- Source/ (if you don’t want to distribute source)
- Intermediate/ (build cache, safe to delete)

Installing Pre-compiled Plugins

To use a pre-compiled plugin in a Blueprint-only project:

Copy the entire plugin folder from new cpp project to old blueprint project YourProject/Plugins/
Ensure it contains both .uplugin file and Binaries/ folder
Open your project - UE will load the compiled plugin automatically
No compilation required

Troubleshooting

“Engine modules are out of date” Error

Cause: Plugin needs compilation but UE Editor cannot compile while running
Solution: Close UE Editor and follow the compilation steps above

Plugin Not Appearing in Plugin List

Verify the .uplugin file is present in the plugin folder
Check that the plugin is in the correct Plugins/ directory
Ensure plugin compatibility with your UE version

Compilation Fails

Verify all build tools are installed
Check that you have a C++ project (not Blueprint-only)
Ensure sufficient disk space and memory
Check UE and plugin version compatibility

Missing Dependencies

Some plugins may require additional libraries:

# Common additional packages that might be needed
sudo dnf install libX11-devel libXrandr-devel libXinerama-devel libXcursor-devel

Creating a Redistributable Plugin Package (warning made by AI)

To create a clean, shareable plugin package:

#!/bin/bash
# Script to create a binary-only plugin package

PLUGIN_NAME="YourPluginName"
SOURCE_PATH="YourProject/Plugins/$PLUGIN_NAME"
OUTPUT_PATH="./DistributionPlugins"

mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_PATH/$PLUGIN_NAME"

# Copy essential files
cp "$SOURCE_PATH/$PLUGIN_NAME.uplugin" "$OUTPUT_PATH/$PLUGIN_NAME/"
cp -r "$SOURCE_PATH/Binaries" "$OUTPUT_PATH/$PLUGIN_NAME/" 2>/dev/null || echo "No Binaries folder found"
cp -r "$SOURCE_PATH/Resources" "$OUTPUT_PATH/$PLUGIN_NAME/" 2>/dev/null || echo "No Resources folder found"

# Create archive
cd "$OUTPUT_PATH"
tar -czf "$PLUGIN_NAME-Linux-Binary.tar.gz" "$PLUGIN_NAME/"

echo "Plugin package created: $OUTPUT_PATH/$PLUGIN_NAME-Linux-Binary.tar.gz"

Best Practices

Version Compatibility: Always ensure plugin and UE versions match
Backup Projects: Create backups before installing new plugins
Documentation: Keep notes of which plugins are installed and their versions
Clean Builds: Remove Intermediate/ folders when sharing plugins
Testing: Test plugin functionality thoroughly after compilation

Conclusion

Compiling UE plugins on Linux requires a few extra steps compared to Windows, but the process is straightforward once you understand the requirements. The key points are:

Use C++ projects for plugin compilation
Ensure proper build tools are installed
Follow the correct folder structure
Understand the difference between source and binary distribution

This workflow enables Linux users to access the vast ecosystem of UE plugins despite not having official Epic Launcher support.

[!CAUTION] This guide was created based on real-world experience compiling UE plugins on Linux. For updates and community contributions. rewritten by perplexity for clear and more accurate understanding