How to Install Chromium on Ubuntu 26.04 – Complete Guide

Configure the open-source Chromium browser on Ubuntu Desktop. Learn to set up official Snaps, Flathub Flatpaks, or configure native deb packages via XtraDeb PPA or Linux Mint pinning in one guide.

Initialize the official Snap package download from the Snapcraft repository:

sudo snap install chromium

Install the Flatpak system daemon and register the official Flathub application hub:

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

Note: After configuring Flatpak for the first time, you may need to log out of your desktop session and log back in to ensure your system updates environment variables and populates desktop shortcuts.

Run the Flatpak command to pull the verified Chromium build from Flathub:

flatpak install flathub org.chromium.Chromium

To avoid package conflicts or having duplicate versions of the browser in your desktop applications, purge the transitional wrapper and snap installation before proceeding:

sudo snap remove chromium
sudo apt purge -y chromium-browser*

The XtraDeb project packages open-source software for Ubuntu. Add their PPA, update your packages, and install Chromium:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:xtradeb/apps
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y chromium

Because Linux Mint blocks Snap packages, they maintain native deb builds of Chromium. You can safely link their repository and tell APT to pull only Chromium from it.

1. Prevent Snap transitional package reinstallation:

echo -e "Package: chromium-browser*\nPin: release a=*\nPin-Priority: -10" | sudo tee /etc/apt/preferences.d/nosnap.pref

2. Import the Linux Mint GPG Keyring:

curl -fsSL https://packages.linuxmint.com/dbin/mint-keyring.gpg | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/linuxmint-keyring.gpg > /dev/null

3. Add the Linux Mint upstream source configuration (Ubuntu 24.04 uses wilma; Ubuntu 26.04 uses zena):

# For Ubuntu 24.04:
echo -e "Types: deb\nURIs: http://packages.linuxmint.com\nSuites: wilma\nComponents: upstream\nInclude: chromium\nSigned-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/linuxmint-keyring.gpg" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/linuxmint.sources

# For Ubuntu 26.04:
echo -e "Types: deb\nURIs: http://packages.linuxmint.com\nSuites: zena\nComponents: upstream\nInclude: chromium\nSigned-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/linuxmint-keyring.gpg" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/linuxmint.sources

4. Configure Pin-Priority to allow Chromium but reject all other Mint packages:

echo -e "Package: chromium\nPin: origin packages.linuxmint.com\nPin-Priority: 500\n\nPackage: *\nPin: origin packages.linuxmint.com\nPin-Priority: -10" | sudo tee /etc/apt/preferences.d/mint-chromium.pref

5. Update package caches and install the native deb:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y chromium

Switch Snap Channels:

To switch an existing Snap installation to the Beta or Edge (Dev) build without losing browser profiles:

# Switch to Beta:
sudo snap switch chromium --channel=beta
sudo snap refresh

# Switch to Developer/Edge:
sudo snap switch chromium --channel=edge
sudo snap refresh

Access Flatpak Beta Builds:

Add the Flathub beta repository and download the experimental Chromium build:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub-beta https://flathub.org/beta-repo/flathub-beta.flatpakrepo
flatpak install flathub-beta org.chromium.Chromium

• Google Account Sync Restrictions: Google restricts access to its private sync APIs for third-party Chromium builds. You cannot synchronize bookmarks, browsing history, or passwords natively across devices using a Google account in Chromium. Google Chrome includes full native sync support.
• Widevine DRM Components: Google Chrome includes the proprietary Widevine CDM out of the box, allowing you to stream encrypted media from platforms like Netflix, Spotify, or Prime Video. Chromium does not include DRM software natively, requiring manual plugin integration or helper packages.
• ARM64 Hardware Support: Google Chrome is compiled only for 64-bit Intel/AMD hardware (amd64) on Linux. Chromium has native compile targets for ARM64 architectures, making it the most performant and supported browser option for single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi 5 running Ubuntu.
• License & Codebase: Chromium uses a clean BSD open-source license and does not contain proprietary telemetry or built-in tracking features. Chrome includes proprietary Google software wrappers, Crashpad analytics, and automatic background updater scripts.

1. For the Snap Package (Method 1):

Remove the snap package and purge all associated container caching directories:

sudo snap remove --purge chromium

2. For the Flatpak Package (Method 2):

Remove the Flatpak sandbox container and delete any unused system runtimes:

flatpak uninstall org.chromium.Chromium
flatpak uninstall --unused

3. For the Native APT deb Package (Method 3):

Purge the native packages and delete any registered PPAs or sources lists:

# Purge the packages
sudo apt purge -y chromium

# If you installed the XtraDeb PPA, remove it:
sudo add-apt-repository --remove -y ppa:xtradeb/apps

# If you pinned the Linux Mint repository, delete the custom files:
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/linuxmint.sources
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/preferences.d/mint-chromium.pref
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/preferences.d/nosnap.pref
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/keyrings/linuxmint-keyring.gpg

# Re-synchronize package lists
sudo apt update