How to Install Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Ubuntu users currently, by default, are only limited to the Firefox Internet Browser. However, many alternatives can be installed. Microsoft Edge is one alternative that has been in development for over a year and has been getting quite a lot of good reviews amongst many Linux distribution communities and maybe an alternative compared to just switching to Google Chrome.

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Microsoft Edge stable, beta, or developer (nightly build) on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa, and some handy tips on maintaining and, if the possible need is, removing the browsers from your system.

Update Ubuntu

Before proceeding with the tutorial, you should run an update of your system to ensure all existing packages are up to date to avoid any conflicts during the installation.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Required Packages

To successfully install the Edge Browser, you will need to install the following packages; run this command if you are unsure; it will not harm your system.

sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common wget -y

These are pretty generic dependencies that may be already installed. Run the command regardless if unsure, as many other installations require these on your system.

Import Microsoft Edge GPG Key and Repository

Import the Microsoft Edge GPG Key

In the first step, you will need to download the GPG key to verify the package’s authenticity.

sudo wget -O- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-edge.gpg

Import the Microsoft Edge Repo

Next, add the repo as follows:

echo 'deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-edge.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/edge stable main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft-edge.list

Note, change the arch=amd64 to arch=arm64 or arch=armhf for alternative architectures. If you are unsure, almost like you have the standard amd64.

Now that you have completed the imports refresh your repository list to reflect the new additions.

sudo apt update

Install Microsoft Edge Browser

Microsoft Edge can be installed now using the apt command as below.

sudo apt install microsoft-edge-stable

Confirm the version and build of the Microsoft Edge version installed on your operating system using the following command.

microsoft-edge -version

Example output:

Microsoft Edge 96.0.1054.53

Optional. Install Microsoft Edge Browser Beta or Dev Version

Alternatively, you can install the Microsoft Edge Brower beta or dev (nightly) build if you have downloaded the repositories. These two versions are not recommended for daily use, especially not on a main desktop or production server. However, you can install alternative versions for those who want to live on the edge.

Install Microsoft Edge Browser Beta:

sudo apt install microsoft-edge-beta

Install Microsoft Edge Browser Dev (Nightly):

sudo apt install microsoft-edge-dev

Note that these do not replace your stable version, and they are installed separately.

Next, verify the beta installation or unstable; use the following command.

Verify Microsoft Edge Browser Beta:

microsoft-edge-beta --version

Example output:

Microsoft Edge 97.0.1072.28 beta

Verify Microsoft Edge Browser Dev (Nightly):

microsoft-edge-dev --version

Example output:

Microsoft Edge 98.0.1093.6 dev

Launch Microsoft Edge Browser

To run Microsoft Edge, you can use the terminal command in your console.

microsoft-edge

Alternatively, run the microsoft-edge & command to launch the browser while being able to continue to use the terminal session.

microsoft-edge &

However, this isn’t practical, and you would use the following path on your desktop to open the course.

Activities > Show Applications > Microsoft Edge {Version}.

Example:

The first time you open Microsoft Edge, you will be greeted by the following:

Untick or leave the Microsoft improvement tracking, then click the OK button to continue.

Afterward, you will find three options Inspiration, Informational or Focused. Selecting each tab will preview what the view will look like in your Edge browser background.

Choose one style, and click the confirm button.

Lastly, the optional sign-in and sync across multiple devices. Unless you need this, click Continue without signing in, as most users would do by clicking the X in the top right-hand corner of the pop-up screen.

Now you will see The Microsoft Edge Internet Browser finally as per below:

Update Microsoft Edge Browser

To update Microsoft Edge Internet Browser, run the APT update command in your terminal as you would check your entire system for any updates.

sudo apt update

If one is available, use the upgrade option:

sudo apt upgrade

Alternatively, you can upgrade the Edge package by itself.

sudo apt upgrade microsoft-edge-{version}

Remove Microsoft Edge Browser

To remove Microsoft Edge from Ubuntu, execute the following terminal command:

sudo apt autoremove microsoft-edge-stable --purge

Note that unused dependencies will also be removed.

Alternatively, if you have beta or unstable builds, use the following commands and remove these versions.

Remove Microsoft Edge Beta:

sudo apt remove microsoft-edge-beta --purge

Remove Microsoft Edge Dev:

sudo apt remove microsoft-edge-stable-dev --purge

Next, remove the GPG key from the “/etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d” directory.

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft.*

Lastly, you will need to remove the Repository that was imported. To do this, use the following command.

sudo rm /usr/share/keyrings/microsoft*

And that is it, and you have successfully removed the Microsoft Edge Browser from your Ubuntu 20.04 system.

Comments and Conclusion

In the tutorial, you have learned how to import the APT binary package and the GPG key to install Microsoft Edge.

Overall, Microsoft Edge is a solid option. However, many open-source and FOSS fans will not have a bar of it due to using a Windows product in a historical sense on Linux and the long history of Microsoft vs. Linux; some of it is justifiable; indeed, it is, some of it is just political rubbish.

However, ranking Edge for performance and speed lands this among the top Internet Browser, and it truly does work well on Linux. If you can get over the fact, Microsoft owns it.