Opera is a free, cross-platform web browser developed by Opera Software and is a solid option for users wanting to install a new browser on Fedora. It is based on the Chromium engine and offers a modern interface with its famous Turbo mode and renowned battery-saving mode, which are the best among all known web browsers by quite a margin. Also, one of the other popular features of the Opera browser is the VPN which is a big plus for users wanting an all-in-one solution for easier management.
In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Opera Browser on Fedora 37/36/35 Linux workstation desktop with optional branches stable, beta, or the nightly development version using the command line terminal with tips on maintaining and removing the browsers if required. Towards the end of the tutorial, I have also included a fix for users that cannot install their native language on the Opera browser, which works for all builds.
Table of Contents
Recommended Steps Before Installation
Before you continue, your system is advised to ensure all existing packages are up to date to avoid system conflicts.
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh -y
Import Opera Repository
By default, Opera Browser is not included in the standard Fedora repositories. However, you can quickly create and import the official repository on your system by doing the following.
Import Opera GPG Key
sudo rpm --import https://rpm.opera.com/rpmrepo.key
Import Opera Repository
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://rpm.opera.com/rpm
Install Opera Browser on Fedora Linux
Install Opera Browser Stable
After importing the repository, Opera can be installed using the following.
Now install the software with the following command:
sudo dnf install opera-stable -y
Once installed, confirm the version of Opera Browser installed. This will also verify the installation was successful.
opera --version
Example output:
92.0.4561.43
Optional. Install Opera Browser Beta or Developer build
Alternatively, you can install Brave 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
sudo dnf install opera-beta -y
Verify Opera Browser Beta
opera-beta --version
Example output:
93.0.4585.3
Install Opera Browser Developer
sudo dnf install opera-developer -y
Verify Opera Browser Developer
opera-developer --version
Example output:
94.0.4597.0
Note these do not replace your stable version, and they are installed separately.
Launch Opera Browser on Fedora Linux
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
Desktop users that do not have a terminal open at all times of the day and use the graphical interface as the primary navigation can open the browser on the following path.
Activities > Show Applications > Opera Browser {version}
Alternatively, if you cannot find it, use the search function in the Show Applications menu if you have many applications installed.
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.
Example:
Congratulations, you have installed Opera Browser.
Update Opera Browser on Fedora Linux
To update, run the dnf refresh in your terminal, as you would check your entire system for any updates, including from the Opera repository.
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
This should be run as often as possible.
Remove (Uninstall) Opera Browser on Fedora Linux
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
sudo dnf autoremove opera-stable
Remove Opera Browser Beta
sudo dnf autoremove opera-beta
Remove Opera Browser Developer
sudo dnf autoremove opera-developer
Note unused dependencies will also be removed.
Ideally, you will want to disable the repository using the following command.
sudo dnf config-manager --set-disable rpm.opera.com_rpm
How to Solve Opera Changing Language Issue
For many users that prefer using non-English as they cannot speak it or do not prefer it over their primary language, Opera does not play nicely with language switching after receiving a few e-mails personally to my inbox.
I found that you need to set the language in the browser and include the launch command in the application file, which will need to be modified. Some users depending on the language may even need to install the language pack if using the English version, which will be covered below.
Please note I recommend still selecting the language in the browser, or else even modifying the launch file will most likely not work with the language changing to what you want.
Example with the English language last:
First, in your terminal, use the following command example.
sudo sed -i 's/Exec=opera %U/Exec=opera --lang={LANGUAGE CODE} %U/g' /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
The above example modified the file in the location “/usr/share/applications/opera.desktop” and added the “–lang={LANGUAGE CODE}”, which you would with de for German, es for Spanish, ja for Japanese and so on.
Please be aware that the example modifies Opera stable; if you install the beta and developer versions, they will also need adjusting. This is an easy solution, change in the example command that used Opera stable, which had the original path of “/usr/share/applications/opera.desktop” to “/usr/share/applications/opera-beta.desktop” for beta and “/usr/share/applications/opera-developer.desktop” for developer nightly installs.
Here is an example of once the command was used in German.
Example:
Another in Japanese.
Example:
For users that may have installed an English version and having extra trouble switching the language codes, you may require the language packs on your system to support this; you will need to install the language pack of your choice using the following command.
sudo dnf install langpacks-<locale_code>
A complete list can be found on the Fedora Wiki page “I18N/Language Support Using Dnf”.
Next, I have made some of the most popular commands for easy copy and paste; this should be straightforward for most users. Remember, these are just for Opera stable; you need to modify the code as explained earlier for beta or developer, and you still need the language added on the browser GUI side.
German:
sudo sed -i 's/Exec=opera %U/Exec=opera --lang=de %U/g' /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
French:
sudo sed -i 's/Exec=opera %U/Exec=opera --lang=fr %U/g' /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
Italian:
sudo sed -i 's/Exec=opera %U/Exec=opera --lang=it %U/g' /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
Japanese:
sudo sed -i 's/Exec=opera %U/Exec=opera --lang=ja %U/g' /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
Korean:
sudo sed -i 's/Exec=opera %U/Exec=opera --lang=ko %U/g' /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
Spanish:
sudo sed -i 's/Exec=opera %U/Exec=opera --lang=es %U/g' /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
Portuguese:
sudo sed -i 's/Exec=opera %U/Exec=opera --lang=pt %U/g' /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop
Polish:
sudo sed -i 's/Exec=opera %U/Exec=opera --lang=pl %U/g' /usr/share/applications/opera.desktop