How to Install Microsoft Edge on AlmaLinux 9

AlmaLinux 9 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 AlmaLinux 9 workstation desktop using the command line terminal and update and remove the browsers if required.

Update AlmaLinux

Firstly, run a quick update to ensure all your packages are up-to-date to avoid any conflicts during the installation.

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Import Microsoft 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

Install Microsoft Edge (Stable)

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

sudo dnf install microsoft-edge-stable -y

Install Microsoft Edge Browser Beta / Developer 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 dnf install microsoft-edge-beta -y

Install Microsoft Edge Browser Dev (Nightly)

sudo dnf install microsoft-edge-dev -y

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

How to Launch Microsoft Edge

With the installation complete, you can run Edge in a few different ways.

First, while you are in your terminal, you can use the following command.

microsoft-edge

Ideally, most desktop users will not open a terminal each time to launch the Microsoft Edge Browser, so use the following path to launch the application icon. Do not forget to pin it if this is your everyday browser by right-clicking the icon.

Activities > Show Applications > Microsoft Edge {browser version}.

Alternatively, 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 Microsoft Edge, you will be greeted by the following:

Untick or leave as is and 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.

Lastly, the optional sign-in and sync across multiple devices. Unless you need this, click Continue without signing in, as most users do.

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

How to Update Microsoft Edge

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

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Ideally, you would want to run the terminal command update method as much as possible to ensure your system is getting updates from Edge and your system packages.

How to Remove (Uninstall) Microsoft Edge

Remove Microsoft Edge Stable

If you no longer require the browser, you can remove Edge by executing the following command.

sudo dnf autoremove microsoft-edge-stable -y

Note, that unused dependencies will also be removed.

Alternatively, if you have beta or unstable alternative installations, use the following.

Remove Microsoft Edge Beta

sudo dnf autoremove microsoft-edge-beta -y

Remove Microsoft Edge Developer

sudo dnf autoremove microsoft-edge-stable-dev -y

Comments and Conclusion

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, and indeed it is; some are 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 that Microsoft owns it.