diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/arduino-frontend-contribution.tsx b/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/arduino-frontend-contribution.tsx
index f4ebbb2f6..af90e2035 100644
--- a/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/arduino-frontend-contribution.tsx
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/arduino-frontend-contribution.tsx
@@ -280,7 +280,8 @@ export class ArduinoFrontendContribution
     }
 
     this.updaterService.init(
-      this.arduinoPreferences.get('arduino.ide.updateChannel')
+      this.arduinoPreferences.get('arduino.ide.updateChannel'),
+      this.arduinoPreferences.get('arduino.ide.updateBaseUrl')
     );
     this.updater.checkForUpdates(true).then(async (updateInfo) => {
       if (!updateInfo) return;
diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/arduino-preferences.ts b/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/arduino-preferences.ts
index 910d724bc..ba6bc83c4 100644
--- a/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/arduino-preferences.ts
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/browser/arduino-preferences.ts
@@ -78,6 +78,14 @@ export const ArduinoConfigSchema: PreferenceSchema = {
         "Release channel to get updated from. 'stable' is the stable release, 'nightly' is the latest development build."
       ),
     },
+    'arduino.ide.updateBaseUrl': {
+      type: 'string',
+      default: 'https://downloads.arduino.cc/arduino-ide',
+      description: nls.localize(
+        'arduino/preferences/ide.updateBaseUrl',
+        `The base URL where to download updates from. Defaults to 'https://downloads.arduino.cc/arduino-ide'`
+      ),
+    },
     'arduino.board.certificates': {
       type: 'string',
       description: nls.localize(
@@ -178,6 +186,7 @@ export interface ArduinoConfiguration {
   'arduino.window.autoScale': boolean;
   'arduino.window.zoomLevel': number;
   'arduino.ide.updateChannel': UpdateChannel;
+  'arduino.ide.updateBaseUrl': string;
   'arduino.board.certificates': string;
   'arduino.sketchbook.showAllFiles': boolean;
   'arduino.cloud.enabled': boolean;
diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/common/protocol/ide-updater.ts b/arduino-ide-extension/src/common/protocol/ide-updater.ts
index f7fdc96ac..92226398c 100644
--- a/arduino-ide-extension/src/common/protocol/ide-updater.ts
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/common/protocol/ide-updater.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ export interface ProgressInfo {
 export const IDEUpdaterPath = '/services/ide-updater';
 export const IDEUpdater = Symbol('IDEUpdater');
 export interface IDEUpdater extends JsonRpcServer<IDEUpdaterClient> {
-  init(channel: UpdateChannel): void;
+  init(channel: UpdateChannel, baseUrl: string): void;
   checkForUpdates(initialCheck?: boolean): Promise<UpdateInfo | void>;
   downloadUpdate(): Promise<void>;
   quitAndInstall(): void;
diff --git a/arduino-ide-extension/src/electron-main/ide-updater/ide-updater-impl.ts b/arduino-ide-extension/src/electron-main/ide-updater/ide-updater-impl.ts
index 06e840999..b953c3281 100644
--- a/arduino-ide-extension/src/electron-main/ide-updater/ide-updater-impl.ts
+++ b/arduino-ide-extension/src/electron-main/ide-updater/ide-updater-impl.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import {
 } from '../../common/protocol/ide-updater';
 
 const CHANGELOG_BASE_URL = 'https://downloads.arduino.cc/arduino-ide/changelog';
-const IDE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_URL = 'https://downloads.arduino.cc/arduino-ide';
 
 @injectable()
 export class IDEUpdaterImpl implements IDEUpdater {
@@ -18,14 +17,12 @@ export class IDEUpdaterImpl implements IDEUpdater {
   protected theiaFEClient?: IDEUpdaterClient;
   protected clients: Array<IDEUpdaterClient> = [];
 
-  init(channel: UpdateChannel): void {
+  init(channel: UpdateChannel, baseUrl: string): void {
     this.updater.autoDownload = false;
     this.updater.channel = channel;
     this.updater.setFeedURL({
       provider: 'generic',
-      url: `${IDE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_URL}/${
-        channel === UpdateChannel.Nightly ? 'nightly' : ''
-      }`,
+      url: `${baseUrl}/${channel === UpdateChannel.Nightly ? 'nightly' : ''}`,
       channel,
     });
 
diff --git a/electron/packager/index.js b/electron/packager/index.js
index 776b2dc3e..8557add35 100644
--- a/electron/packager/index.js
+++ b/electron/packager/index.js
@@ -392,7 +392,11 @@ ${fs.readFileSync(path('..', 'build', 'package.json')).toString()}
     for (const fileToCopy of filesToCopy) {
       echo(`🚢  >>> Copying ${fileToCopy} to ${targetFolder}.`);
       const isZip = await utils.isZip(fileToCopy);
-      cp('-rf', fileToCopy, targetFolder);
+      if (isZip && platform === 'linux') {
+        await utils.adjustArchiveStructure(fileToCopy, targetFolder);
+      } else {
+        cp('-rf', fileToCopy, targetFolder);
+      }
       echo(`👌  >>> Copied ${fileToCopy} to ${targetFolder}.`);
     }
   }
diff --git a/electron/packager/package.json b/electron/packager/package.json
index 4841808e9..e1f6c72df 100644
--- a/electron/packager/package.json
+++ b/electron/packager/package.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "prepare": "yarn test",
     "package": "node index.js",
-    "test": "echo 'No test implemented'"
+    "test": "mocha \"./test/**/*.test.js\""
   },
   "keywords": [],
   "author": "Arduino SA",
diff --git a/electron/packager/test/resources/not-a-zip.dmg b/electron/packager/test/resources/not-a-zip.dmg
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a0b7a61d1
Binary files /dev/null and b/electron/packager/test/resources/not-a-zip.dmg differ
diff --git a/electron/packager/test/resources/zip with whitespace.zip b/electron/packager/test/resources/zip with whitespace.zip
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..24f7680a8
Binary files /dev/null and b/electron/packager/test/resources/zip with whitespace.zip differ
diff --git a/electron/packager/test/resources/zip-with-base-folder.zip b/electron/packager/test/resources/zip-with-base-folder.zip
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b5f71f919
Binary files /dev/null and b/electron/packager/test/resources/zip-with-base-folder.zip differ
diff --git a/electron/packager/test/resources/zip-with-symlink.zip b/electron/packager/test/resources/zip-with-symlink.zip
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..259dba4a9
Binary files /dev/null and b/electron/packager/test/resources/zip-with-symlink.zip differ
diff --git a/electron/packager/test/resources/zip-without-symlink.zip b/electron/packager/test/resources/zip-without-symlink.zip
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..24f7680a8
Binary files /dev/null and b/electron/packager/test/resources/zip-without-symlink.zip differ
diff --git a/electron/packager/test/utils.test.js b/electron/packager/test/utils.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0e5c5d558
--- /dev/null
+++ b/electron/packager/test/utils.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+const expect = require('chai').expect;
+const track = require('temp').track();
+const unpack = require('../utils').unpack;
+const testMe = require('../utils');
+const sinon = require('sinon');
+
+describe('utils', () => {
+
+  describe('adjustArchiveStructure', () => {
+
+    let consoleStub;
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      consoleStub = sinon.stub(console, 'log').value(() => { });
+    });
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+      consoleStub.reset();
+      track.cleanupSync();
+    });
+
+    it('should reject when not a zip file', async () => {
+      try {
+        const invalid = path.join(__dirname, 'resources', 'not-a-zip.dmg');
+        await testMe.adjustArchiveStructure(invalid, track.mkdirSync());
+        throw new Error('Expected a rejection');
+      } catch (e) {
+        expect(e).to.be.an.instanceOf(Error);
+        expect(e.message).to.be.equal('Expected a ZIP file.');
+      }
+    });
+
+    it('should reject when target directory does not exist', async () => {
+      try {
+        const zip = path.join(__dirname, 'resources', 'zip-with-base-folder.zip');
+        await testMe.adjustArchiveStructure(zip, path.join(__dirname, 'some', 'missing', 'path'));
+        throw new Error('Expected a rejection');
+      } catch (e) {
+        expect(e).to.be.an.instanceOf(Error);
+        expect(e.message.endsWith('does not exist.')).to.be.true;
+      }
+    });
+
+    it('should reject when target is a file', async () => {
+      try {
+        const zip = path.join(__dirname, 'resources', 'zip-with-base-folder.zip');
+        await testMe.adjustArchiveStructure(zip, path.join(__filename));
+        throw new Error('Expected a rejection');
+      } catch (e) {
+        expect(e).to.be.an.instanceOf(Error);
+        expect(e.message.endsWith('is not a directory.')).to.be.true;
+      }
+    });
+
+    it('should be a NOOP when the zip already has the desired base folder', async () => {
+      const zip = path.join(__dirname, 'resources', 'zip-with-base-folder.zip');
+      const actual = await testMe.adjustArchiveStructure(zip, track.mkdirSync());
+      expect(actual).to.be.equal(zip);
+    });
+
+    it('should handle whitespace in file path gracefully', async () => {
+      const zip = path.join(__dirname, 'resources', 'zip with whitespace.zip');
+      const out = track.mkdirSync();
+      const actual = await testMe.adjustArchiveStructure(zip, out, true);
+      expect(actual).to.be.equal(path.join(out, 'zip with whitespace.zip'));
+      console.log(actual);
+      expect(fs.existsSync(actual)).to.be.true;
+
+      const verifyOut = track.mkdirSync();
+      await unpack(actual, verifyOut);
+
+      const root = path.join(verifyOut, 'zip with whitespace');
+      expect(fs.existsSync(root)).to.be.true;
+      expect(fs.lstatSync(root).isDirectory()).to.be.true;
+      const subs = fs.readdirSync(root);
+      expect(subs).to.have.lengthOf(3);
+      expect(subs.sort()).to.be.deep.equal(['a.txt', 'b.txt', 'foo']);
+    });
+
+    it('should keep the symlinks after ZIP adjustments', async function () {
+      if (process.platform === 'win32') {
+        this.skip();
+      }
+      const zip = path.join(__dirname, 'resources', 'zip-with-symlink.zip');
+      const out = track.mkdirSync();
+      const actual = await testMe.adjustArchiveStructure(zip, out, true);
+      expect(actual).to.be.equal(path.join(out, 'zip-with-symlink.zip'));
+      console.log(actual);
+      expect(fs.existsSync(actual)).to.be.true;
+
+      const verifyOut = track.mkdirSync();
+      await unpack(actual, verifyOut);
+      expect(fs.lstatSync(path.join(verifyOut, 'zip-with-symlink', 'folder', 'symlinked-sub')).isSymbolicLink()).to.be.true;
+    });
+
+    it('should adjust the archive structure if base folder is not present', async () => {
+      const zip = path.join(__dirname, 'resources', 'zip-without-symlink.zip');
+      const out = track.mkdirSync();
+      const actual = await testMe.adjustArchiveStructure(zip, out, true);
+      expect(actual).to.be.equal(path.join(out, 'zip-without-symlink.zip'));
+      console.log(actual);
+      expect(fs.existsSync(actual)).to.be.true;
+
+      const verifyOut = track.mkdirSync();
+      await unpack(actual, verifyOut);
+
+      const root = path.join(verifyOut, 'zip-without-symlink');
+      expect(fs.existsSync(root)).to.be.true;
+      expect(fs.lstatSync(root).isDirectory()).to.be.true;
+      const subs = fs.readdirSync(root);
+      expect(subs).to.have.lengthOf(3);
+      expect(subs.sort()).to.be.deep.equal(['a.txt', 'b.txt', 'foo']);
+    });
+
+  });
+
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/electron/packager/utils.js b/electron/packager/utils.js
index 2f9d37eae..01be7f92e 100644
--- a/electron/packager/utils.js
+++ b/electron/packager/utils.js
@@ -50,6 +50,67 @@ function collectUnusedDependencies(pathToProject = process.cwd()) {
   });
 }
 
+/**
+ * `pathToZip` is a `path/to/your/app-name.zip`.
+ * If the `pathToZip` archive does not have a root directory with name `app-name`, it creates one, and move the content from the
+ * archive's root to the new root folder. If the archive already has the desired root folder, calling this function is a NOOP.
+ * If `pathToZip` is not a ZIP, rejects. `targetFolderName` is the destination folder not the new archive location.
+ */
+function adjustArchiveStructure(pathToZip, targetFolderName, noCleanup) {
+  return new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {
+    if (!(await isZip(pathToZip))) {
+      reject(new Error(`Expected a ZIP file.`));
+      return;
+    }
+    if (!fs.existsSync(targetFolderName)) {
+      reject(new Error(`${targetFolderName} does not exist.`));
+      return;
+    }
+    if (!fs.lstatSync(targetFolderName).isDirectory()) {
+      reject(new Error(`${targetFolderName} is not a directory.`));
+      return;
+    }
+    console.log(`⏱️  >>> Adjusting ZIP structure ${pathToZip}...`);
+
+    const root = basename(pathToZip);
+    const resources = await list(pathToZip);
+    const hasBaseFolder = resources.find((name) => name === root);
+    if (hasBaseFolder) {
+      if (
+        resources.filter((name) => name.indexOf(path.sep) === -1).length > 1
+      ) {
+        console.warn(
+          `${pathToZip} ZIP has the desired root folder ${root}, however the ZIP contains other entries too: ${JSON.stringify(
+            resources
+          )}`
+        );
+      }
+      console.log(`👌  <<< The ZIP already has the desired ${root} folder.`);
+      resolve(pathToZip);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const track = temp.track();
+    try {
+      const unzipOut = path.join(track.mkdirSync(), root);
+      fs.mkdirSync(unzipOut);
+      await unpack(pathToZip, unzipOut);
+      const adjustedZip = path.join(targetFolderName, path.basename(pathToZip));
+      await pack(unzipOut, adjustedZip);
+      console.log(
+        `👌  <<< Adjusted the ZIP structure. Moved the modified ${basename(
+          pathToZip
+        )} to the ${targetFolderName} folder.`
+      );
+      resolve(adjustedZip);
+    } finally {
+      if (!noCleanup) {
+        track.cleanupSync();
+      }
+    }
+  });
+}
+
 /**
  * Returns the `basename` of `pathToFile` without the file extension.
  */
@@ -152,6 +213,7 @@ function getChannelFile(platform) {
 
 module.exports = {
   collectUnusedDependencies,
+  adjustArchiveStructure,
   isZip,
   unpack,
   isNightly,