Few Linux web browsers are as fast as Chromium, the open-source project that underpins Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, and scores of other modern web browsers.
Chromium is available as a standalone browser in its own right, and installing Chromium on Ubuntu is delightfully easy — and I’m going to show you how.
First, you may be wondering what the differences between Chromium and Chrome are. There are a number of key differences, and it’s good to be aware of them:
- Different branding and logo
- No Widevine DRM support
- Fewer media codecs
- No access to Google API features, like account sign in and sync
- Less tracking and telemetry
- No automatic crash reporting
Chromium uses the same user-interface as Google Chrome, and provides the same core functionality, page speed, support for Chrome extensions, and all the rest — which is what matters.
In some ways, Chromium is a de-Googled version of Google Chrome. Same fast, secure web browsing experience, same customisation options and extension support, but fewer integrations with the wider Google ecosystem.
Sound good? Let’s look at how to install it.
Get the Chromium Browser for Ubuntu
Installing Chromium as Snap on Ubuntu
Canonical (who make Ubuntu) maintain a Chromium snap app, which is available on the Snap Store. The Chromium snap support all Ubuntu releases. To install it, use Ubuntu Software (22.04 LTS) or the App Center (24.04 LTS):-
- Open Ubuntu Software
- Search for ‘Chromium Browser’
- Select the matching result
- Click on the “Install” button
- Enter your password to authorise the installation
Once installed, open Chromium by clicking on its blue-coloured icon in the application launcher.
Alternatively, if you prefer to use the command-line, you can also install Chromium by running: –
sudo snap install chromium-browser
Once complete, launch the browser from the application picker, or run chromium-browser from the terminal.
Chromium is updated often, although not as often as regular Google Chrome, and not all Chrome features (should you read about them) filter down to Chromium. Updates generally improve performance, compatibility, and security so are worth installing.
Helpfully, the Chromium snap app get updated automatically, in the background, as you use your computer – so as long as you have it installed, and you’re not on a metered connection, you’ll always be running the latest release.
Install Chromium DEB on Ubuntu
Canonical’s Chromium snap is the recommend way to install the browser on Ubuntu. But not everyone wants to use snap packages, so is there an alternative?
Unfortunately, you can’t run sudo apt install chromium-browser to install a DEB version of Chromium in Ubuntu. Instead, that command installs a ‘transition package’ that (re)installs the Chromium snap – same deal with Firefox, too.
However, Linux Mint to the rescue.
If you use Linux Mint (which is based on Ubuntu but disables snaps) you can run sudo apt install chromium-browser to install a Chromium DEB. This is because Linux Mint package it from source (and make some minor modifications, see below) and put it in their repository.
You can install Linux Mint’s Chromium DEB on Ubuntu, but you have to do it by hand:
- Open this link in a web browser (the Linux Mint package archive)
- Find the x86-64 DEB with the highest version number
- Download the DEB with ‘wilma’ for 24.04 LTS, or ‘Virginia’ for 22.04 LTS
- Double-click on the DEB to install it through Ubuntu’s App Center
Don’t have/use App Center (it is a snap package, so if you’ve removed snap from Ubuntu it’ll be gone)? You can install DEBs in Ubuntu using the Gdebi tool, or apt from the command line if you’d prefer.
As mentioned, the Linux Mint Chromium package makes a number of changes to Chromium’s default settings: the Google search engine isn’t included; there’s no new tab page with search bar or top sites; and the Linux Mint website is set as the default homepage.
All of those things can be changed/adjusted as you wish, but you will need to do them by hand.
Other ways to get Chromium on Ubuntu
You can get Chromium on Flathub (as a Flatpak app) but this build is unverified/unofficial, and some users find it has performance issues. Several unofficial Chromium PPAs exist, though few are up-to-date (and those that are take several weeks to package new builds).
In both cases, using a web browser packaged by people unknown is not advised, from a security and privacy standpoint, but also a recourse: you’ve got no-one to report bugs to.
Finishing Up
With a clean, configurable interface, solid performance, and support for popular Chrome extensions, it’s easy to see why Chromium is a popular choice with many Linux users. A vanilla Google Chrome, if you will.
And by following the steps listed in this guide, you can install Chromium on Ubuntu and experience the many benefits yourself, using the efficiency of Canonical’s Chromium snap package or Linux Mint’s traditional DEB offering.