How to Install Google Chrome on Linux Mint 20

Google Chrome is the most used Internet Explorer software on the earth, with a recent update in 2021 that Chrome is currently the primary browser of more than 2.65 billion internet users. However, as you would know, after installing Linux Mint, only Mozilla Firefox is packaged with the distribution but luckily, installing Google Chrome on Linux Mint is a straightforward task.

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Google Chrome on Linux Mint 20.

Prerequisites

• Recommended OS: Linux Mint 20.+
• User account: A user account with sudo or root access.

Updating Operating System

First, update your Linux Mint operating system to make sure all existing packages are up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Install Google Chrome

Import Google Chrome GPG Key

The first step in installing Google Chrome is to import the GPG key for the digital signature; without this, your installation will not complete successfully.

To import the GPG key, use the following command:

wget -q -O - https://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add -

If the key is successfully imported, you will get the following output:

OK

Import Google Chrome Repository

Once the GPG import is complete, you will need to import the Google Chrome repository now as follows:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list'

Install Google Chrome

The next step is to update the repository list using apt update and then install Google Chrome. This can be done in one command using the following terminal command:

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

Example output of dependencies that will be installed:

Type Y, then press the ENTER BUTTON to proceed with the installation.

Once installed, verify the version of Google Chrome with the following command:

google-chrome --version

Example output:

Google Chrome 93.0.4577.63

Run Google Chrome Browser

Now that you have installed Chrome, you can actually launch the application. You can type the following command in the terminal to launch Chrome:

google-chrome

To run Chrome in the background and continue using the terminal:

google-chrome &

However, this isn’t practical, and you would use the following path on your desktop to open with the path: Taskbar > Applications > Internet > Google Chrome. If you cannot find it, use the search function in the Applications menu if you have many applications installed.

Example:

The first time you open Google Chrome, you will be greeted by the following pop up:

Untick or leave as is and click the OK button to continue.

You will be prompted to sign in, skip this, or sign in optionally. Then you will see The Google Chrome Internet Browser finally as per below:

Congratulations, you have installed Google Chrome on your Linux Mint operating system.

Update Google Chrome

To update Google Chrome, run the APT update command in your terminal:

sudo apt update

If one is available, use the upgrade option:

sudo apt upgrade google-chrome-stable

Remove (Uninstall) Google Chrome

To remove Google Chrome, use the following command:

sudo apt autoremove google-chrome-stable

Example output:

Type Y, then press the ENTER BUTTON to proceed with the uninstall.

This will remove any unused dependencies that were installed with the Chrome installation as well.

Comments and Conclusion

In the tutorial, you have learned how to add and import the GPG key and repository, then install Google Chrome’s latest stable version on Linux Mint 20. Overall, Chrome is the most used browser on the planet, with 70% of users using it. Remember, it is probably one of the most targeted Internet Browsers for zero-day exploits. Keep it up to date, and you will be fine.