Debian 11 Bullseye 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 Debian 11 Bullseye.
Prerequisites
- Recommended OS: Debian 11 Bullseye.
- User account: A user account with sudo or root access.
Update Operating System
Update your Debian operating system to make sure all existing packages are up to date:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -yThe tutorial will be using the sudo command and assuming you have sudo status.
To verify sudo status on your account:
sudo whoamiExample output showing sudo status:
[joshua@debian~]$ sudo whoami
rootTo set up an existing or new sudo account, visit our tutorial on Adding a User to Sudoers on Debian.
To use the root account, use the following command with the root password to log in.
suThe tutorial will utilize the terminal for the installation found in Activities > Show Applications > Terminal.
Example:
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 -yThese are pretty generic dependencies that may be already installed. Run the command regardless if unsure, as many other installations will require these on your system.
Import Microsoft Edge GPG Key and Repository
Import the Microsoft Edge GPG Key
The first step you will need to do is download the GPG key, or else your installation of Microsoft Edge will break.
curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > microsoft.gpg
sudo install -o root -g root -m 644 microsoft.gpg /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/Import the Microsoft Edge Repo
Next, add the repo as follows:
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/edge stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft-edge-dev.list'
sudo rm microsoft.gpgNow you have completed the imports, refresh your repository list to reflect the new additions.
sudo apt updateInstall Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge can be installed now using the apt command as below:
sudo apt install microsoft-edge-stableExample output below:
Type Y, then press the ENTER KEY to proceed with the installation.
Confirm the version and build of the Microsoft Edge version installed on your operating system using the following command:
microsoft-edge -versionExample output:
Microsoft Edge 96.0.1054.53Optional. 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 apt install microsoft-edge-betaTo install Microsoft Edge Browser Dev (Nightly):
sudo apt install microsoft-edge-devNote, these do not replace your stable version, and they are installed separately.
Next, verify the beta installation or unstable, use the following command.
To verify Microsoft Edge Browser Beta:
microsoft-edge-beta --versionExample output:
Microsoft Edge 97.0.1072.28 betaTo verify Microsoft Edge Browser Dev (Nightly):
microsoft-edge-dev --versionExample output:
Microsoft Edge 98.0.1093.6 devLaunch Microsoft Edge
To run Microsoft Edge, you can use the terminal command in your console:
microsoft-edgeAlternatively, 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 Debian 11 desktop to open with the path: Activities > Show Applications > Edge.
Alternatively, if you cannot find it, use the search function in the Show Applications menu if you have many applications installed.
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 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, 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.
How to Microsoft Edge
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 updateIf one is available, use the upgrade option:
sudo apt upgradeHow to Remove Microsoft Edge
To remove Edge from Debian 11, execute the following terminal command:
sudo apt autoremove microsoft-edge-stable --purgeExample output:
Type Y, then press the ENTER KEY to proceed with the uninstall.
Note, unused dependencies will also be removed.
Alternatively, if you have beta or unstable builds and want to remove these versions, use the following commands.
To remove Microsoft Edge Beta:
sudo apt remove microsoft-edge-beta --purgeTo remove Microsoft Edge Dev:
sudo apt remove microsoft-edge-stable-dev --purgeNext, remove the GPG key from the “/etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d” directory.
sudo rm /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/microsoft.*Lastly, you will need to remove the GPG key that was imported. To do this, use the following command.
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft.*And that is it, and you have removed Microsoft Edge from your 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 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.
