There could be multiple reasons you’re here trying to figure out how to install Chrome on Ubuntu System.
You might have grown bored of Firefox, or that specific plugin that’s not available for Firefox, or maybe you need variation in your browsing.
Whatever the case may be, I will guide you through multiple ways through which you can easily install and update Google Chrome on Ubuntu Linux.
But first, why would you want to install Google Chrome as a web browser in the first place?
Why install Chrome on Ubuntu?
Well, Firefox comes pre-packed with most of the popular Linux Distributions, and rightfully so; being an open source and privacy-focused browser that’s a go-to for most Linux enthusiasts if not the brave browser.
In all these years I’ve been using and trying different Linux distros, I’ve started with Firefox mostly but there could be times when you feel you would need to install Google Chrome and Firefox is just sufficient enough anymore.
These could be the times when Google Chrome’s features could be lucrative for you to install Google Chrome, like:
- Compatibility: Google Chrome is built on Chromium fork, which makes it compatible with most websites and their functionality. Especially due to its widespread usage on developer tools or Chrome Extensions functionality.
- Chrome Extensions: Chrome has a huge library of extensions and themes available through Google Chrome Webstore and the extensions that come on Chrome aren’t always available on Firefox, so in this case Chrome’s functionality is unparalleled.
- Google Ecosystem: If you rely heavily on the Google ecosystem and use services like Gmail, Google Calander, Drive, or others; Google Chrome integrates seamlessly with these services since it’s all Google’s proprietary services just like Google Chrome.
- Syncing across devices: If you have an Android device or any Apple device and you use Google Chrome on them too then the tabs, history, and bookmarks will sync between your Chrome on Ubuntu and your Chrome on Android device in real-time.
Or maybe you might just prefer Google Chrome over Firefox as your personal preference.
Moving on to the installation steps.
How to Install Google Chrome on Ubuntu
Well, since Google Chrome is not available on the Ubuntu Software store, there are two ways we can install Chrome on Ubuntu. One through downloading the .deb installation file from Google Chrome’s Website and the other using the terminal.
Although Chromium is available on the Ubuntu Software store, if you want to install Chromium and not Google Chrome, you get Chromium from the software store.
Install Chrome on Ubuntu using Browser(GUI)
You can easily install Chrome on Ubuntu Linux by following the following steps:
Step 1 – Navigate to Google’s official Chrome Download Page
Click on the link below to navigate to Google’s official website to download the official chrome .deb package.
https://www.google.com/intl/en_in/chrome
Step 2 – Download Chrome .Deb File
After clicking on the link, you’ll land on Google Chrome’s official website.
Since Chrome officially supports two Linux packages which are .deb package for Debian-based packages and .rpm for Fedora and Open Suse.
when you’ll click on the download button a download pop-up will appear that will give you options to choose your download package.
You need to Choose the 64-bit Debian package and download it.
Step 3 – Go to Downloads Folder
Now go to the downloads folder to access the chrome .deb package file that you just downloaded.
Step 5 – Double Click to Install Chrome
Double-click on the package file to run the installation. It will open a software installation page where you will see the option to install Google Chrome.
Click Install and it will ask you for the admin password to be able to install.
Now enter your password to begin the installation of Google Chrome.
Install Chrome on Ubuntu using terminal
Most Linux Enthusiasts just turn to the terminal to get anything installed, and the good part is that it’s pretty easy to install any application through the terminal than using the graphical user interface method or software managers.
To Install google chrome on Ubuntu using the terminal follow the steps listed below.
Step 1 – Open Terminal
Open the terminal by hitting the windows key and searching for “terminal”.
or to open the terminal window, you can simply hit the keyboard shortcut – Ctrl + Alt + T
Step 2 – Update and Upgrade the packages
Type in –
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
to update the packages and archive.
Step 3 – Check if wget is installed
Type in
wget –version
And hit enter.
To check if wget is already installed in your system.
Wget is the tool that we will use to fetch that Chrome Debian package. If wget is already installed in your system you’ll see the version number else you’ll get an error, if wget is already installed you can directly skip step number 5.
Step 4 – Install wget
If it is not installed, then first we need to install wget in your system first. To install wget through the terminal you will have to type –
sudo apt install wget
And hit enter.
Step 5 – Fetch Chrome .deb Package
Type the following command in your terminal to fetch the 64-bit version of the chrome .deb package for installation since Google Chrome no longer supports 32 Bit, System architect.
wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
Now hit enter.
Step 6 – Install the downloaded package
Now install the downloaded package and the following command in the terminal and hit enter –
sudo dpkg -i google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
How to update chrome on Ubuntu
Well, Google Chrome updates itself whenever apt package manager runs a system wide update.
So whenever you update your Ubuntu system, Google Chrome gets automatically updated with it.
Here are the steps if you want to manually update Google Chrome to its latest stable version:
Step 1 – Open the Terminal
Step 2 – Get Package Updates
Type:
sudo apt-get update
To get the packages refreshed.
Step 3 – Upgrade Chrome to the latest version
Type:
sudo apt-get –only-upgrade install google-chrome-stable
Now hit Enter to install the updated version of Chrome.
Note – If you’re on Ubuntu 20 or above you don’t have to use apt-get necessarily; alternatively you can just use the apt package manager to perform both of those tasks. The new command would look like this –
sudo apt update
sudo apt –only-upgrade install google-chrome-stable
Setting Chrome as Default Browser
To set Google Chrome as your default browser on Ubuntu, you can follow two simple steps:
Step 01 – Hit Windows / Command button and search for Settings
Search for Settings by hitting Windows / Command key in Ubuntu & Hit Enter.
Step 02 – Navigate to “Default Apps” Section in Bottom left Menu
Now from the right menu you can choose Google Chrome from the drop-down in the “Web” section to make Google Chrome your default web browsing software on Ubuntu Linux.
FAQs
1. Is Chromium and Google Chrome the same?
The short answer is: No!
Chromium is an open-source web browser, managed by Chromium Project. Opposite to that Chrome is a privately owned browser by Google.
Although Chrome is based on chromium but offers a lot more features and richness in browsing than chromium, it offers built-in support for media codecs to be able to play media on websites.
There are many web browsers that are based on the chromium project. They take chromium as a base and make their browser on top of it.
Many browsers like Chrome, Edge, Brave, and many others are based on Chromium.
For me, the benefit is all chrome extensions work across all the chromium based browsers.
2. How do I update Chrome on Ubuntu?
You can update Chrome in Ubuntu through the terminal using the following commands:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
or if you only want to update Google Chrome and not your entire system, you can use:
sudo apt –only-upgrade install google-chrome-stable
4. Is Google Chrome available in Ubuntu Software Center?
No, Google Chrome is not available to download directly from the Ubuntu Software Center since its a prosperity software developed by Google.
Although if you want to Use the Software Center only, you can download “Chromium” it is an open source browser that was used to build Chrome. It can be a good alternative of Chrome for most people.
5. Do I need to uninstall Chromium before installing Chrome?
No, You don’t need to remove Chromium before installing Chrome.
You can use Chromium and Google Chrome side by side both are different browsers.
Chromium is an open source browser and Google Chrome is a proprietary browser developed by Google on top of Chromium.
6. Can I install Chrome using a graphical interface instead of the terminal?
Yes you can install Google Chrome on your Ubuntu system by downloading the Chrome’s .deb file from the Google chrome website using Firefox or any other browser by visiting the following link:
7. Can I revert to using Firefox if I don’t like Chrome?
Yes definitely; If you don’t like Chrome you can uninstall it and come back to using Firefox as usual.
here’s the command that can be used to uninstall Chrome from the terminal:
sudo dpkg -r google-chrome-stable
8. Is it necessary to keep Chrome updated?
It is recommended to keep your system as well as Google Chrome updated to patch for any security vulnerability(if there’s any) that can be abused by the malware or the hackers to exploit your system or your personal information on your browser.
9. How do I check if Chrome is already installed on my Ubuntu system?
You can hit the Windows button on a PC or the command button if you’ve installed Ubuntu on your Mac.
It will pull a search box. Type “Chrome” and see if it lists the app to verify if you’ve Chrome already installed on your system or not.
Alternatively you can also hit “Ctrl + Alt + T” to launch the terminal and type –
google-chrome –version
If it lists the Chrome version that means it’s installed on your system. You can launch Chrome directly from Terminal using:
google-chrome
10. Where is chrome installed on Ubuntu?
On Ubuntu, Chrome browser is installed on
/usr/bin directory.
If you’ve installed Chrome on Ubuntu you can find it by typing the following command into the terminal –
whereis google-chrome
It will give an output something like this –
/usr/bin/google-chrome
If this doesn’t give an output like this, it’s more likely Chrome is not installed on your system.
11. Is there Chrome on Ubuntu?
No, With a fresh installation of Ubuntu, Google Chrome doesn’t directly comes pre-installed on it.
You can use any of the two methods given above to install Chrome on Ubuntu Linux that you’ve just installed.
12. How do I open Chrome from the terminal?
Google Chrome can be launched on your Ubuntu Linux from a really simple terminal Command –
google-chrome
13. How do I know if Chrome is installed on Linux?
To check if Chome is installed on your Linux distro, you can open the terminal and type in –
google-chrome –version
It is the command to check what version of Chrome is installed on your computer.
If it shows any version number that means chrome is installed on your Linux PC; otherwise this command will result in an error.
Alternatively, you can also type the following command in the terminal to try to launch Chrome on your Linux Distro –
google-chrome
If this launches Google Chrome App that means, Chrome is installed on your Linux.
Conclusion
So that was a guide on how to install Chrome on Ubuntu Linux.
You can download and install Chrome on Ubuntu using both GUI method via a browser as well as through Terminal.
Make sure to check how to update chrome and troubleshooting methods if you’re having any issues with Chrome installation.
Visit Geeky Gene for more related Linux guides.