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.
In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Opera Browser stable, beta, or development (nightly) on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish, including installing, updating, and removing the browser.
Table of Contents
Update Ubuntu
Before you begin with the tutorial, it is recommended to start with an upgrade and, if necessary, reboot to make sure all your system packages are up-to-date to avoid any issues.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Install Required Packages
Next, run the following command to ensure the following dependencies are installed.
sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https wget ca-certificates gnupg2 ubuntu-keyring -y
These are the most common software packages found on nearly all Linux distributions and are safe.
Import & Install GPG Key & Repository
For Ubuntu users, the installation is straightforward with importing the GPG key and repository straight from Opera.
The fantastic option for importing the APT repository rather than manually installing the .deb file from their website is that you can install alternative versions such as Beta or Developer alongside your stable browser.
Import GPG Key
wget -O- https://deb.opera.com/archive.key | sudo gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/opera.gpg
Import Opera Repository
echo deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/opera.gpg] https://deb.opera.com/opera-stable/ stable non-free | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera.list
Install Opera Browser
Install Opera Browser Stable
Now that you have imported the repository, you can now be installed Opera using the following.
First, update your repository list to reflect the new repository changes:
sudo apt update
Now install the software with the following command:
sudo apt install opera-stable -y
Note, you will see when installing Opera Browser to configure to allow for more recent version upgrades.
Example:
Select <Ok> to proceed to the next screen, and you will get an option to select <Yes> or <No>.
Select “YES,” then press the “ENTER KEY” to finish the installation.
Please note that you will be prompted to do this for each version stable, beta, and developer, so select <Yes> every time.
Once installed, confirm the version of Opera Browser installed. This will also verify the installation was successful.
opera --version
Example output (This will change):
Install Opera Browser Beta:
sudo apt install opera-beta -y
Verify Opera Browser Beta:
opera-beta --version
Example output (This will change):
Note that the beta version is currently behind stable, so please be careful using it, thinking the beta is ahead of stable automatically. You could have an older client depending on Opera’s release cycle.
For those that want bleeding edge, install the developer version.
Install Opera Browser Developer:
sudo apt install opera-developer -y
Verify Opera Browser Developer:
opera-developer --version
Example output (This will vary):
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
However, this isn’t practical, and you would use the following path on your desktop.
Applications > Search > Opera {version}.
Example:
Now open Opera Browser, and you will see the landing page. From here, you can further customize it or keep the default theme which is unique compared to most other browsers.
Congratulations, you have installed Opera Browser.
How to Update Opera Browser
Most desktop users rely on automatic updates or auto-update notifications, which can be ok. Still, given that you are learning to install the browser using a terminal, you should update by running 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 Opera Browser package if an update is available.
Example for stable:
sudo apt upgrade opera-stable
Add “-beta” or “-developer” at the end if you installed other Browser versions.
How to Remove (Uninstall) Opera Browser
To remove Opera Browser, execute the following terminal command:
Remove Opera Browser Stable
sudo apt autoremove opera-stable --purge
Remove Opera Browser Beta
sudo apt autoremove opera-beta --purge
Remove Opera Browser Nightly
sudo apt autoremove opera-developer --purge
Note unused dependencies will also be removed.
For users who will no longer install or want to install Opera Browser on their system, use the following command to delete the Opera Repository.
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera.list
Finally, delete the GPG key.
sudo rm /usr/share/keyrings/opera.gpg
Troubleshooting Multiple Sources.list
Please note you can install all three. However, each installation will create a fresh sources list in your /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ directory. When you go to use the apt update command you will have multiple sources.list for Opera Browser and some will be ignored.
Just remove the extras and keep the original one, if you accidentally delete them all just copy the import directory code in this tutorial.
Example of a quick fix.
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera*
Then re-add the one repository.
echo deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/opera.gpg] https://deb.opera.com/opera-stable/ stable non-free | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera.list
Remember to run an APT update.
sudo apt update
This should fix the issue going forward and you will still receive updates for all three browsers from one source.list instead of three.
Comments and Conclusion
In the tutorial, you have learned how to import the Opera repository into the apt source list and install the web browser by choosing either stable, beta, or developer branches on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish.
Opera uses the Chromium page-rendering engine, so you’ll rarely run into 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.