Install Microsoft Edge on AlmaLinux 8

By default, AlmaLinux users 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 Browser on AlmaLinux 8.

Prerequisites

• Recommended OS: AlmaLinux 8.
• User account: A user account with sudo privilages or root access (su command).
• Internet Access

The tutorial will utilize the terminal, which can be found in your show applications menu.

Example:

Updating Operating System

Update your AlmaLinux operating system to make sure all existing packages are up to date:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh -y

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@localhost ~]$ sudo whoami
root

To set up an existing or new sudo account, visit our tutorial on How to Add a User to Sudoers on AlmaLinux.

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

su

Import Edge GPG Key and Repository

Import the Microsoft Edge GPG Key

First, run the following command to import the GPG Key for the RPM Import:

sudo rpm --import https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc

Import the Microsoft Edge Repository

Next, add the repo as follows:

sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://packages.microsoft.com/yumrepos/edge

Example output:

Adding repo from: https://packages.microsoft.com/yumrepos/edge

Install Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge can be installed now using the DNF command as below:

sudo dnf install microsoft-edge-stable

Example output:

Type Y, then press the ENTER KEY to proceed.

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

microsoft-edge-stable -version

Example output:

Microsoft Edge 97.0.1072.62 

Optional. Install Microsoft Edge Browser Beta or Dev Version

Alternatively, you can install 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.

WARNING – THESE VERSIONS CAN POTENTIALLY HAVE SECURITY FLAWS WHILE IN TESTING.

DO NOT USE THESE IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD THE RISK.

To install Microsoft Edge Browser Beta:

sudo dnf install microsoft-edge-beta

To install Microsoft Edge Browser Dev (Nightly):

sudo dnf install microsoft-edge-dev

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

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

To verify Microsoft Edge Browser Beta:

microsoft-edge-beta --version

Example output:

Microsoft Edge 98.0.1108.23 beta

To verify Microsoft Edge Browser Dev (Nightly):

microsoft-edge-dev --version

Example output:

Microsoft Edge 99.0.1131.3 dev

How to Launch Microsoft Edge Browser

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

microsoft-edge

Alternatively, run microsoft-edge command in the background to free up the terminal:

microsoft-edge &

However, this isn’t practical, and you would use the following path on your desktop to open with the path: Activities > Show Applications > Microsoft Edge.

Alternatively, if you cannot find it, use the search function in the Show Applications menu.

Example:

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

Example:

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 and click the confirm button.

Example using Focused for simple UI:

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.

Example:

Now you will see The Microsoft Edge Internet Browser, and the below example is from choosing the lightweight UI, optionally you can set up a more graphical look later on if you prefer a change.

Congratulations, you have installed Microsoft Edge.

How to Update Microsoft Edge

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

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

If one is available, it will update itself.

How to Remove (Uninstall) Microsoft Edge

To remove Edge, execute the following terminal command:

sudo dnf remove microsoft-edge-stable

Note, unused dependencies will also be removed.

If you have the beta or unstable builds installed.

To remove Microsoft Edge Beta:

sudo dnf remove microsoft-edge-beta

To remove Microsoft Edge Dev:

sudo dnf remove microsoft-edge-stable-dev

Comments and Conclusion

In the tutorial, you have learned how to import the dnf 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 truly it is, some of it is just political rubbish.

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