How to Install LibreWolf on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

LibreWolf is worth installing on Ubuntu when you want Firefox’s extension ecosystem without spending an afternoon reversing telemetry, sponsored suggestions, and looser browser defaults. That is the practical reason to install LibreWolf on Ubuntu: it starts from Firefox Stable, includes uBlock Origin, and ships stricter privacy and security settings from the first launch.

For Ubuntu, the two clean managed paths are the official Debian/Ubuntu APT repository through extrepo and the verified Flathub build. The APT package uses librewolf, the Flatpak uses io.gitlab.librewolf-community, and neither path needs an Ubuntu PPA or Snap package.

Install LibreWolf on Ubuntu

LibreWolf is not available in Ubuntu’s default APT repositories. Use this table to choose whether you want normal APT integration or Flatpak sandboxing before you copy commands.

Method	Package Identifier	Channel	Updates	Best For
APT Repository (extrepo)	librewolf	Official Debian/Ubuntu repository	Through APT upgrades	Most users who prefer system package manager integration
Flatpak	io.gitlab.librewolf-community	Verified Flathub app	Through Flatpak updates	Users who want sandboxed installation with application isolation

This guide covers Ubuntu 26.04 (resolute), 24.04 (noble), and 22.04 (jammy). The APT method uses LibreWolf’s current Debian/Ubuntu repository, while the Flatpak method uses Flathub’s verified LibreWolf app. LibreWolf also publishes an AppImage on its Other Linux installation page, but this guide uses APT and Flatpak because updates and removal stay inside a package manager.

If you are replacing Ubuntu’s default Firefox Snap after testing LibreWolf, follow our guide to remove Firefox Snap from Ubuntu.

Install LibreWolf via extrepo (APT)

The APT method uses extrepo, a standard Debian/Ubuntu tool that manages external repository configuration and GPG key imports automatically. This keeps your LibreWolf installation on the official APT update path.

Install the extrepo Tool

Install the extrepo package, which handles repository source files and GPG key management:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install extrepo

These commands use sudo for tasks that need root privileges. If your user is not in the sudoers file yet, run the commands as root or follow the guide on how to add and manage sudo users on Ubuntu.

Enable the LibreWolf Repository

Enable the official LibreWolf repository and refresh its metadata. This creates the APT source file and imports the current signing key:

sudo extrepo enable librewolf
sudo extrepo update librewolf

Update the Package Index and Verify LibreWolf Availability

Refresh the package index and verify LibreWolf is available with apt-cache policy:

sudo apt update
apt-cache policy librewolf

Relevant output includes a candidate from repo.librewolf.net. The exact version changes as LibreWolf publishes new builds:

librewolf:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 150.0.1-1
  Version table:
     150.0.1-1 500
        500 https://repo.librewolf.net librewolf/main amd64 Packages

Install the LibreWolf APT Package

Install LibreWolf from the newly configured repository:

sudo apt install librewolf

Verify the LibreWolf Installation

Confirm the installed version. LibreWolf reports its own version string in the terminal:

librewolf --version

Mozilla LibreWolf 150.0.1-1

Install LibreWolf via Flatpak (Flathub)

Flatpak provides sandboxed application installation with filesystem and process isolation from the host system. The LibreWolf Flathub app is verified and updates independently of Ubuntu’s package cycle.

The commands below use system scope by keeping sudo on Flatpak remote, install, update, and removal operations. Keep that same scope if you copy the Flatpak method.

Flatpak is not pre-installed on Ubuntu. If you have not set it up yet, install it with sudo apt install flatpak and restart your session before continuing. For detailed setup including the Flathub repository, follow the Flatpak installation guide for Ubuntu.

Enable the Flathub Repository

Ensure the Flathub repository is active. The --if-not-exists flag skips this step if Flathub is already configured:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Install the LibreWolf Flatpak

Install the LibreWolf Flatpak from Flathub:

sudo flatpak install flathub io.gitlab.librewolf-community

Verify the Flatpak installed correctly by listing matching applications:

flatpak list --system --app | grep -i librewolf

LibreWolf	io.gitlab.librewolf-community	150.0.1-1	stable	system

Launch LibreWolf on Ubuntu

Open LibreWolf from the terminal or your desktop environment’s application menu, depending on how you prefer to work.

Launch LibreWolf via CLI

For APT installations, launch LibreWolf directly from the terminal:

librewolf

For Flatpak installations, the launch command requires the full application identifier:

flatpak run io.gitlab.librewolf-community

LibreWolf uses its own profile and configuration paths, so it can stay installed beside Firefox without overwriting your Firefox profile data.

Launch LibreWolf from the Desktop Menu

To open LibreWolf using the Ubuntu GNOME graphical interface:

1. Click on Activities in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select Show Applications (the grid icon).
3. Locate and click the LibreWolf icon.

Troubleshoot LibreWolf APT Repository Issues

Older LibreWolf install attempts can leave manual APT source files beside the extrepo source. Fix those conflicts before continuing with package installation or updates.

Fix Signed-By Conflicts from Older LibreWolf Entries

If sudo apt update fails with a Conflicting values set for option Signed-By error, your system usually has more than one LibreWolf APT source pointing at repo.librewolf.net with different keyring paths.

Error: Conflicting values set for option Signed-By regarding source https://repo.librewolf.net/ librewolf: /var/lib/extrepo/keys/librewolf.asc != /usr/share/keyrings/librewolf-duplicate.asc
Error: The list of sources could not be read.

Check which LibreWolf source files are present. The grep -Ril command searches recursively, ignores filename case, and prints only matching filenames; our grep command guide covers the same filtering pattern in more detail.

grep -Ril "repo.librewolf.net" /etc/apt/sources.list.d 2>/dev/null

A conflict usually shows more than one LibreWolf source file:

/etc/apt/sources.list.d/librewolf.sources
/etc/apt/sources.list.d/extrepo_librewolf.sources

Remove only the older manual LibreWolf files, then rebuild the extrepo source. Keep /etc/apt/sources.list.d/extrepo_librewolf.sources because that is the source created by the current method.

sudo rm -f \
  /etc/apt/sources.list.d/librewolf.sources \
  /etc/apt/keyrings/librewolf.gpg \
  /etc/apt/preferences.d/librewolf.pref \
  /etc/apt/sources.list.d/home_bgstack15_aftermozilla.sources \
  /etc/apt/keyrings/home_bgstack15_aftermozilla.gpg \
  /etc/apt/sources.list.d/librewolf.list \
  /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/librewolf.gpg \
  /etc/apt/sources.list.d/home:bgstack15:aftermozilla.list \
  /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/home_bgstack15_aftermozilla.gpg
sudo extrepo disable librewolf || true
sudo extrepo enable librewolf
sudo extrepo update librewolf
sudo apt update

Recheck the source directory after cleanup. A normal extrepo-only setup returns one LibreWolf source file:

grep -Ril "repo.librewolf.net" /etc/apt/sources.list.d 2>/dev/null

/etc/apt/sources.list.d/extrepo_librewolf.sources

Update and Remove LibreWolf on Ubuntu

Standard package management commands handle LibreWolf updates and removal for both APT and Flatpak installations.

Update LibreWolf on Ubuntu

APT-installed LibreWolf updates through Ubuntu’s normal APT upgrade flow. To target only LibreWolf without upgrading other packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade librewolf

For Flatpak installations, update LibreWolf directly by targeting the application ID:

sudo flatpak update io.gitlab.librewolf-community

Remove (Uninstall) LibreWolf on Ubuntu

Remove LibreWolf APT Package

Purge the LibreWolf APT package when you want to remove the browser and its package-owned AppArmor profile:

sudo apt purge librewolf

Verify the APT package is no longer installed:

dpkg -l librewolf 2>/dev/null | grep '^ii' || echo "LibreWolf APT package not installed"

LibreWolf APT package not installed

Disable the LibreWolf repository through extrepo before removing the extrepo tool itself:

sudo extrepo disable librewolf
sudo apt update

If extrepo is no longer installed but the LibreWolf source file still exists, remove only the extrepo-created source file manually and refresh APT:

sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/extrepo_librewolf.sources
sudo apt update

Confirm no LibreWolf APT source remains active:

grep -Ril "repo.librewolf.net" /etc/apt/sources.list.d 2>/dev/null || echo "LibreWolf APT source not found"

LibreWolf APT source not found

If you no longer require the extrepo tool for any other external repositories, remove it after verifying the LibreWolf source is disabled:

sudo apt purge extrepo

Preview orphaned dependencies before removing them. Continue only if the list contains packages you recognize as safe to remove on your system:

sudo apt autoremove --dry-run

If the preview is clean, run the real cleanup interactively:

sudo apt autoremove

Remove LibreWolf Flatpak Edition

Because this guide used system-scope Flatpak commands, remove the LibreWolf Flatpak package with sudo:

sudo flatpak uninstall io.gitlab.librewolf-community

Verify the Flatpak package was removed from the system-wide installation list:

flatpak list --system --app | grep -i librewolf || echo "LibreWolf Flatpak not installed"

LibreWolf Flatpak not installed

Remove LibreWolf User Data and Configuration

The following commands permanently delete all LibreWolf user data including bookmarks, passwords, browsing history, and custom settings. Back up your profile data first if you want to keep it.

For APT installations, remove LibreWolf’s profile and cache directories directly from your home directory:

rm -rf "$HOME/.librewolf" "$HOME/.cache/librewolf"

For Flatpak installations, remove the designated sandboxed application data directory:

rm -rf "$HOME/.var/app/io.gitlab.librewolf-community"

Conclusion

LibreWolf is now installed on Ubuntu through either the official APT repository or the verified Flathub build, with updates and cleanup handled by the same package path you chose. For other privacy-focused browser options, compare it with how to install Brave on Ubuntu, install Tor Browser on Ubuntu, or install Waterfox on Ubuntu.