How to Install Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu

In this tutorial, we will be showing you how to install Microsoft Edge on the Ubuntu operating system.

Microsoft Edge is a popular web browser built on top of Chromium. However, it has managed to differentiate itself from Chrome by implementing many unique features, such as a vertical tab bar.

If you are heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, being able to install Edge to Ubuntu is great for synchronizing all of your extensions, bookmarks, history, and more.

Since Microsoft provides its package repository, installing and keeping Edge updated on Ubuntu is very straightforward.

While it is possible to install this web browser by downloading the package and using a tool like dpkg to install the .deb file, it is far simpler just to add the repository.

For the initial steps of this tutorial, you will need to be using the terminal on Ubuntu. You can open the terminal quickly by pressing CTRL + ALT + T on your keyboard.

Installing Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu

This section will walk you through the simple steps of installing Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu. These steps include adding the official package repository and installing any additional tools we might need.

The most significant advantage of using the official repository is that you will get updates as soon as they are made available.

Preparing your system

1. Before we do anything, we should start by performing an update of the package list.

You can update Ubuntu’s package list by using the following command in the terminal.

sudo apt update

The package list is what tells the package manager what packages it can install and where it can install them from.

2. Once the update completes, we need to ensure that we have the curl package installed on Ubuntu.

We will be using curl to retrieve the GPG key for the Microsoft repository using this tool.

sudo apt install curl

The package manager uses a GPG key to verify packages were signed by the repository you are utilizing.

Adding the Microsoft Edge Package Repository to Ubuntu

3. We can now use the following command to grab the Microsoft GPG key and save it into our keyring by using the following command.

When we write the “sources.list” file in the next step, we will need to reference this file as the key that the packages are signed by.

curl -L https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-archive-keyring.gpg >/dev/null

4. Now that we have the GPG key saved on our device, we can move on to adding the Microsoft Edge package repository to Ubuntu.

To add this repository to our package manager’s list of sources, all you need to do is use the following command.

echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-archive-keyring.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/edge stable main" | sudo tee  /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft-edge.list

5. For the apt package manager to know about the Edge repository, we will need to perform another update of its package list cache.

Update the package list cache by using the command below in the terminal.

sudo apt update

Installing Microsoft Edge

6. Now that everything is finally in place, all we need to do to install Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu is to run the following command.

This command will install the stable release of Microsoft Edge from the repository we just added.

sudo apt install microsoft-edge-stable

Using Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu

This section will show you how to open Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu using either the desktop interface or the terminal.

Opening Microsoft Edge

Within this section we will be showing you how to open Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu using either the desktop interface or the terminal.

Using the Terminal

Opening this web browser is a straightforward process when using the terminal. To start with you will need to open the terminal by pressing CTRL + ALT + T.

1. All you need to do to open Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu using the terminal is to type in the following command.

microsoft-edge

2. Youshould now have Edge open on your device, and you can now use it to browse the internet.

Using the Desktop Interface

Opening Microsoft Edge through the desktop interface is as simple as searching for and clicking the application to open it.

1. First, you will need to open the activities screen.

You can open this screen by clicking the top or bottom left of the screen, as shown in the screenshot below.

2. With the activities screen opened on your device, you can use the search box to search for “Edge” or “Microsoft Edge” (1.).

You should see the Edge icon appear below the search box (2.). Click this icon to open the web browser.

3. You should now have Microsoft Edge opened up on your Ubuntu device.

If you want, you can set this to by your default web browser by clicking the “Set as default” button.

Changing the Default Web Browser on Ubuntu to Microsoft Edge

This section will show you the quick steps to changing the default web browser to Microsoft Edge.

1. Begin by opening up the settings page on your Ubuntu device.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to click the top-right of your screen (1.). Then you will need to click the “Settings” option (2.).

2. With the settings page open, scroll down till you see the “Default Applications” option (1.).

Once selected, you can use this page to change the default web browser on Ubuntu (2.).

Conclusion

By this point in the guide, you should now have the Microsoft Edge web browser installed on your Ubuntu device.

Edge has become a popular browser since its move to the Chromium engine and is a strong competitor to Google Chrome.

Please comment below if you have any issues installing Edge on your device.

Be sure to check out our many other Ubuntu guides and our general Linux tutorials.