Download, install and update Google Chrome browser on Ubuntu

Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers and is available across many different devices. It can also run on Ubuntu Linux, although Mozilla Firefox is the default web browser and comes preinstalled with the distro.

Installing Google Chrome on Ubuntu is pretty easy, but not as straightforward as you might think. Since Chrome is a closed source web browser, it can’t be installed from the default package repositories. Don’t worry, you will see how to get it installed in a few short steps.

In this tutorial, we cover the step by step instructions to install Google Chrome on Ubuntu, keep it up to date, and set it as your default web browser.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to download Google Chrome from official website (GUI)
  • How to download Google Chrome from command line with wget
  • How to install Google Chrome on Ubuntu
  • How to update Google Chrome
  • How to remove Google Chrome
  • How to set Google Chrome as default web browser
Download, install and update Google Chrome browser on Ubuntu
Download, install and update Google Chrome browser on Ubuntu
Software Requirements and Linux Command Line Conventions
Category Requirements, Conventions or Software Version Used
System Ubuntu Linux
Software Google Chrome
Other Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command.
Conventions # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command
$ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user

How to download Google Chrome from official website (GUI)




If you prefer to use the GUI instead of command line, this is the section for you. Follow the steps below to download Google Chrome from the official website and install it on Ubuntu.

  1. Start by opening Firefox or whatever your current default web browser is, and navigate to the Google Chrome download page. On that page, click the big “Download Chrome” button.
    Click on the Download Chrome button
    Click on the Download Chrome button
  2. On the next page that appears, select the “64 bit .deb (For Debian/Ubuntu)” option, then click Accept and Install to begin the Google Chrome download. Save the file to somewhere memorable on your computer.
    Select .deb file for Ubuntu and click Accept and Install
    Select .deb file for Ubuntu and click Accept and Install
  3. After the download has completed, right click on the .deb file and open with Software Install.
    Right click on the .deb file and open with Software Install
    Right click on the .deb file and open with Software Install
  4. When Software Install opens up the file, click the “Install” button.
    Click the install button
    Click the install button
  5. You will be prompted to enter your root password, and then the installation process will begin. Once it completes, you can close the Software Install application.
    Google Chrome is currently being installed
    Google Chrome is currently being installed
  6. You will now find Google Chrome accessible under the Activities menu. Just search for it by typing “chrome.” You can right click this icon and add it to your quick launch bar if you want.
    Searching for Google Chrome on Ubuntu from Activities menu
    Searching for Google Chrome on Ubuntu from Activities menu

How to download Google Chrome from command line




Open a terminal and use the following commands to install Google Chrome on Ubuntu.

  1. First, use the wget command to download the Google Chrome installer.
    $ wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
    
  2. Then, we can use the apt command and root permissions to install Google Chrome.
    $ sudo apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
    
  3. You will now find Google Chrome accessible under the Activities menu. Just search for it by typing “chrome.” You can right click this icon and add it to your quick launch bar if you want.
    Searching for Google Chrome on Ubuntu from Activities menu
    Searching for Google Chrome on Ubuntu from Activities menu

How to update Google Chrome on Ubuntu

Installing Chrome will also add the repository to your package manager. Use the following command to keep Chrome up to date on your system.

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install google-chrome-stable

It should be also mentioned that execution of the following two commands will upgrade all packages in your Ubuntu Linux system as well as it will also update Google Chrome browser package.

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt upgrade

How to remove Google Chrome from Ubuntu

If you decide that you’d like to remove Chrome from your system in the future, use the following command to uninstall the web browser.

$ sudo apt purge google-chrome-stable

How to set Google Chrome as the default browser

If, for some reason, you have decided that a Google Chrome browser is not a good choice for a default browser, or you wish to set Google chrome browser to be a default one open up a terminal and use the following command to make your selection:

$ sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser

The menu to make your selection should look like this:

Setting Google Chrome as the default web browser on Ubuntu
Setting Google Chrome as the default web browser on Ubuntu

Closing Thoughts




Google Chrome is a surely powerful, very user friendly and intuitive browser. Google is propagating it’s browser via it’s own advertising adwords network which enabled Google Chrome to cut nice usage share on the Internet Browser market within a short period of time.

Even though Google Chrome browser imposes some privacy issues many Internet surfers opt to use this browser as privacy concerns are pointed out for almost all web browsers Internet wide. Installation of Google Chrome extensions brings Internet browsing with this browser into a completely new level as it rapidly enhances browser features.