How to Install Opera Browser on Manjaro 21 Linux

Opera is a freeware, cross-platform web browser developed by Opera Software and operates as a Chromium-based browser. Opera offers a clean, modern web browser that is an alternative to the other major players in the Browser race. Its famous Opera Turbo mode and its renowned battery-saving mode are the best amongst all known web browsers by quite a margin, with a built-in VPN and much more.

The following tutorial will teach you how to install Opera Browser on Manjaro 21 Linux. The tutorial will use the command line terminal with yay AUR helper. Ideally, most users may be using some wrapper for Pacman; for new users, it is essential to install one to keep your packages up-to-date while you learn Arch/Manjaro.

Update Manjaro

Before you begin, ensure your system is up-to-date to avoid any conflicts during the installation, and for good practice, use the terminal command as follows.

sudo pacman -Syu

Install yay Helper

To begin the installation, you must have GIT installed to import the yay repository to install/build. From your command terminal, use the following code to begin the installation.

sudo pacman -S --needed --noconfirm base-devel git

Now clone the yay archive using the following terminal command.

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay-git.git

Next, move the archive to the /OPT/ directory. This is a good location for any other archive installs, keep everything located, and traditionally the directory is a commonly used area for different applications.

sudo mv yay-git /opt/

Now navigate to the yay-git directory location.

cd /opt/yay-git

Build the package using the makepkg command.

makepkg -si

Install Opera Browser

Install Opera Browser Stable

Now that you have installed an AUR package manager, you can now be installed Opera using the following command.

yay -S opera --noconfirm

Remove –noconfirm to manually go through the installation questions instead of selecting the default answers.

Optional. Install Opera Browser Beta or Developer build

Alternatively, you can install beta or developer builds if you have downloaded the repositories. These two versions are not recommended daily, 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 Opera Browser Beta

yay -S opera-beta --noconfirm

Remove –noconfirm to manually go through the installation questions instead of selecting the default answers.

Install Opera Browser Developer

yay -S opera-developer --noconfirm

Remove –noconfirm to manually go through the installation questions instead of selecting the default answers.

Note that the upstream browser versions do not replace your stable version and are installed separately.

How to Launch Opera Browser

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

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

opera

Ideally, most desktop users will not open a terminal each time to launch the Opera Browser, so use the following path to launch the application icon.

Taskbar > Internet > Opera Browser {version}

Example:

Now open Opera Browser, and you will see the landing page. From here, you can customize the browser to suit your tastes and needs, and it is a beautiful browser with plenty of eye candy while maintaining excellent performance.

Congratulations, you have installed Opera Browser.

How to Update/Upgrade Opera Browser

The best way to upgrade the software is to use the following terminal command.

yay -Syu --devel --timeupdate

Note it is advised to run terminal commands now and then even if you have set up AUR auto-updates using the automatic GUI updater; this ensures you are not missing anything.

How to Remove (Uninstall) Opera Browser

To remove Opera Browser, execute the following terminal command. Remember to replace the stable version with beta or developer if you use an alternative arrangement.

Remove Opera Browser Stable

yay -Rns opera  --noconfirm

Remove Opera Browser Beta

yay -Rns opera-beta  --noconfirm

Remove Opera Browser Developer

yay -Rns opera-developer  --noconfirm

Note unused dependencies will also be removed.

Optionally, you can run the following command to clean up any leftover unused dependencies, and this is highly recommended to run so your system does not become bloated.

yay -Yc

Comments and Conclusion

Opera uses the Chromium page-rendering engine, so you’ll rarely encounter site incompatibilities. Performance is fast, perhaps not the feast in the field. Still, it keeps its own and has unique features that make this an attractive alternative for many mainstream Linux users who want something different besides Firefox that comes standard on nearly all Linux machines.