LibreWolf is a Firefox fork designed to enhance your privacy and security while browsing the Internet and works well on Ubuntu desktops as an alternative browser. It eliminates telemetry and other tracking techniques that can be intrusive to your personal information, along with a few additional security improvements to give you added peace of mind when browsing. On top of that, LibreWolf also incorporates protection against fingerprinting to ensure that marketers aren’t able to track you online. If your online safety is important, LibreWolf could be an ideal web browser for you to use daily or a secondary browser for certain types of browsing.
The following tutorial will teach you how to install LibreWolf Browser on Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish and Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa LTS. The tutorial will go over importing the official repository and gpg key with CLI commands and installing the browser, along with some additional commands and tips for keeping the browser up-to-date.
Recommended Steps Before Installation
First, update your system to ensure all existing packages are up to date.
sudo apt updateOptionally, you can list the updates for users who require review or are curious to see what is available to update. This can be good if you have a specific one you forgot to place. Use the apt-hold command.
sudo apt --list upgradableProceed to upgrade any outdated packages using the following command.
sudo apt upgradeInstall LibreWolf Browser
Install Dependencies
The following dependencies will need to be installed to install LibreWolf successfully. Most of these packages would already be present on your system, but running the command can help ensure they’re installed.
sudo apt install curl apt-transport-https gnupg2 -yIf you skip and encounter issues, return and just run the command.
The first step is to import the GPG key to verify the authenticity of the packages. In your terminal, execute the following command to import to your keychain.
curl -fsSl https://deb.librewolf.net/keyring.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/librewolf.gpg > /dev/nullNext, import the LibreWolf repository.
echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/librewolf.gpg] http://deb.librewolf.net $(lsb_release -sc) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/librewolf.listNow run an APT update to reflect the newly imported repository.
sudo apt updateFinally, you can install the LibreWolf browser using the following command.
sudo apt install librewolf -yLaunch LibreWolf Browser
Now that you have the privacy-focused browser installed, launching can be done in a few ways.
Using the command line terminal, you can open the browser quickly by using the following command.
librewolfThe best way to use LibreWolf for desktop users that prefer not to use the command line terminal is to open the GUI of the application by following the path.
Activities > Show Applications > LibreWolf.
Example:
Next, you will see the default LibreWolf window, similar to Firefox as you would expect, but very stripped back.
Example (Click to Expand):
Additional Commands & Tips
Update LibreWolf Browser
The browser should update itself with your system packages for desktop users, given it is using the APT package manager. For users who want to check manually, use the following command in your terminal.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgradeRemove (Uninstall) LibreWolf Browser
When you no longer want the browser installed on your system, use the following command to remove it.
sudo apt autoremove librewolf --purge -yRemove the repository if you plan not to re-install LibreWolf again.
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/librewolf.listAfter removing the repository list file, remove the GPG.
sudo rm /usr/share/keyrings/librewolf.gpgConclusion
In the tutorial, you have learned how to install LibreWolf Browser on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS using the official repository and how to maintain and remove it if necessary. If you are one of those people who would like to see Firefox without telemetry, then LibreWolf is the browser for you.