How to Compile & Use an Unreal Engine Plugin 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):

1. Open your project in UE Editor
2. Go to File → New C++ Class
3. Select any class type (e.g., Actor) and create it
4. 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

1. Find the plugin's GitHub repository or source in this case https://github.com/AutoSizeComments/AutoSizeComments
2. Download zip or clone the plugin source code
3. Ensure you have the complete plugin folder structure:

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

Step 3: Move the Plugin Folder

1. Navigate to your UE project directory in this case cpp named project
2. Create a Plugins/ folder if it doesn't exist:

   mkdir -p YourProject/Plugins/

3. 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)

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

Method 2: Command Line Build

If you built UE from source and have build scripts:

1. Navigate to your project directory
2. Regenerate project files:

   ./GenerateProjectFiles.sh

3. Build the project:

   make

Step 5: Verify Installation

1. In UE Editor, go to Edit → Plugins
2. Search for your plugin name
3. Ensure it's enabled and shows as "Installed"
4. 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

Sharing Compiled Plugins

For Binary Distribution (No Source Code)

To share a compiled plugin without source code:

1. Create a clean plugin folder with only:

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

2. 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:

1. Copy the entire plugin folder from new cpp project to old blueprint project YourProject/Plugins/
2. Ensure it contains both .uplugin file and Binaries/ folder
3. Open your project - UE will load the compiled plugin automatically
4. 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

1. Version Compatibility: Always ensure plugin and UE versions match
2. Backup Projects: Create backups before installing new plugins
3. Documentation: Keep notes of which plugins are installed and their versions
4. Clean Builds: Remove Intermediate/ folders when sharing plugins
5. 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.

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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