How to Install Google Chrome on Ubuntu

Installing Google Chrome from the Ubuntu command line involves using wget to obtain the package and apt to install it. The guide below shows how to go about this, what goes on under the hood when installing the package, and how to uninstall it as well.

How do I install Chrome on Ubuntu from the command line?

Install the Chrome package via apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb to handle any missing dependencies automatically. The command wget can be used to download the package beforehand.

$ wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
$ sudo apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

As one widely used Ubuntu install guide notes, "the official Chrome package installs the browser and configures the Google APT repository so future updates arrive through the normal Ubuntu update process."

Do I need to add Google's apt repository separately?

No. The official .deb package sets the Google APT repository upon installation and hence future updates follow the same normal Ubuntu update procedure.

$ cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list
deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main

If, however, you prefer adding the Google APT repository independently of the .deb package's post-installation procedure, the same guide gives steps to import the Google's signing key and add the Google APT repository manually via curl, and then use apt install google-chrome-stable to get Chrome -- an alternative to using the package from Google's site.

Can I install Chrome from the Ubuntu Software Center instead?

The package can be downloaded from the official Google site and then double-clicked while in the file manager to start a graphical installation.

The reason Chrome is not available in Ubuntu Software Center by default is the same reason Chrome is not in the standard repositories at all -- per the same source the package "is not included in the standard Ubuntu repositories because it is proprietary software" and hence installs on Ubuntu Server where there is neither the Software Center nor a GUI, must rely entirely on the two terminal methods above.

How do I update Chrome on Ubuntu?

Use sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade. The reason the Google repository was configured previously means updates for Chrome happen as part of a regular apt upgrade procedure along with other installed packages.

$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

There is no "check Chrome updates" process to remember -- once the Google repository has been configured, apt manages the package like any other package that has been installed.

How do I uninstall Chrome from Ubuntu?

Use sudo apt remove google-chrome-stable to remove the browser from your system. It would leave the Google APT repository configured until you remove the repository source.

$ sudo apt remove google-chrome-stable
$ sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list

Omitting the second command will not harm anything but will result in apt update trying to update Chrome from Google's APT repository.

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