How to Install Google Chrome Stable, Beta, or Unstable on Pop!_OS 20.04

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 Pop!_OS 20.04, only Mozilla Firefox is packaged with the distribution but luckily, installing Google Chrome is a straightforward task.

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Google Chrome on Pop!_OS 20.04.

Prerequisites

• Recommended OS: Pop!_OS 20.04 or higher.
• User account: A user account with sudo or root access.
• Optional Packages Required: wget

Update Operating System

Update your Pop!_OS 20.04 operating system to make sure all existing packages are up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

The tutorial will be using the sudo command and assuming you have sudo status.

To verify sudo status on your account:

sudo whoami

Example output showing sudo status:

[joshua@popos ~]$ sudo whoami
root

To set up an existing or new sudo account, visit our tutorial on adding a User to Sudoers on Pop!_OS 20.04.

To use the root account, use the following command with the root password to log in.

su

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 – Stable

The next step is to update the repository list using the apt update command to reflect the new additions to the apt sources list.

sudo apt update

Next, proceed to install the Google Chrome stable edition, which is the recommended option for most users.

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 94.0.4606.71 

Install Google Chrome Beta / Unstable

Alternatively, you can install Google Chrome Beta or Unstable. These two versions are not recommended for daily use, especially not on a main desktop or production server. However, for those who want to live on the edge, you can install the alternative versions.

To install Google Chrome Beta:

sudo apt install google-chrome-beta

To install Google Chrome Unstable (Nightly Build):

sudo apt install google-chrome-unstable

Note, these do not replace your stable version, and they are installed separately. To verify the installation of beta or unstable, use the following command.

To verify Google Chrome Beta:

google-chrome-beta --version

Example output:

Google Chrome 95.0.4638.32 beta

To verify Google Chrome Unstable:

google-chrome-unstable --version

Example output:

Google Chrome 96.0.4655.0 dev

How to Launch Google Chrome

Now that you have installed Chrome, you can 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: Activities > Show Applications > Chrome. If you cannot find it, use the search function in the Show 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 desktop operating system.

How to 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

Note this will update all packages (recommended), for example, to upgrade the Chrome package.

sudo apt upgrade google-chrome-stable

How to Remove (Uninstall) Google Chrome

To remove Google Chrome, use the following command:

sudo apt autoremove google-chrome-stable --purge

Example output:

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

If you have the beta or unstable builds installed.

To Remove Google Chrome Beta:

sudo apt autoremove google-chrome-beta --purge

To Remove Google Chrome Unstable (Nightly Build):

sudo apt autoremove google-chrome-unstable --purge

To remove the repository, use the following rm command.

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.*
sudo apt update

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 Pop!_OS 20.04. 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.