How to Install Qutebrowser on Ubuntu 26.04 – Complete Setup Guide

You can install Qutebrowser on Ubuntu using the official Ubuntu repositories (APT) or inside a Python virtual environment via pipx.

Qutebrowser is a fast, keyboard-driven web browser with a minimalist graphical user interface based on Python and Qt. It features Vim-style keyboard shortcuts, keyboard-driven link selection overlays (hints), and a command line interface for navigating the web without a mouse. Because it uses the Chromium-based QtWebEngine under the hood, it delivers modern web standard compatibility while remaining extremely lightweight.

This guide provides step-by-step terminal instructions for both installation methods, explains how to perform updates, and details how to resolve common layout or multimedia issues on Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 LTS.

If you run into any setup issues, feel free to drop a comment below or contact us directly for support. We are always here to help you get it running.

Choosing the right installation method impacts how Qutebrowser integrates with your desktop environment and how updates are handled. Below is a detailed breakdown of each method to help you decide.

Method 1: Install qutebrowser via the Native APT Package

The simplest way to install the browser is using your system’s package manager. Because qutebrowser is included in the official Ubuntu Universe repository, it can be installed natively. This method is highly recommended for users who prefer standard system updates. Because this method uses the official distribution channels, it automatically configures all underlying Qt graphical bindings, input handlers, and audio codecs.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install qutebrowser -y

Method 2: Install qutebrowser via Python pipx

If you want the newest features and the latest security fixes for the underlying Chromium engine, you should install qutebrowser using Python pipx. The pipx tool installs Python applications into their own virtual environment to prevent package version conflicts, while adding the executable launcher directly to your user path. This allows you to run the latest upstream browser code on older LTS distributions.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install pipx -y
pipx ensurepath

pipx --system-site-packages install qutebrowser

Post-Install Navigation and Configuration

Because qutebrowser features a minimal layout without buttons or search bars, navigation relies on keyboard keys. When you launch the browser, you will see a clean page. Here is a quick reference guide to get started:

To configure settings permanently, you should write them to a Python configuration file rather than relying on session commands. To generate the default config file, launch qutebrowser and enter command mode by pressing the colon key, then run this command inside the browser prompt:

:config-write-py

This writes the default settings template to ~/.config/qutebrowser/config.py. You can open and edit this file with any text editor to add custom behaviors. Below is a configuration example:

# Autogenerated config.py for qutebrowser on Ubuntu
config.load_autoconfig()

# Set default search engine to DuckDuckGo
c.url.searchengines = {
    'DEFAULT': 'https://duckduckgo.com/?q={}',
    'g': 'https://google.com/search?q={}'
}

# Enable dark mode on all websites
c.colors.webpage.darkmode.enabled = True

# Increase UI font size for high-resolution displays
c.fonts.default_size = '11pt'

Import Bookmarks from Firefox or Chrome

To transfer bookmarks from mainstream browsers like Firefox or Chrome, you can utilize the python importer script packaged with the browser. First, export your bookmarks from Firefox or Chrome as a standard bookmarks.html file. Then run the command below that matches your installation path to import them directly into your qutebrowser quickmarks list:

# For Native APT Installations (Script provided in system share folders):
python3 /usr/share/qutebrowser/scripts/importer.py bookmarks.html >> ~/.config/qutebrowser/quickmarks

# For pipx installations (Script referenced in virtualenv packages):
python3 ~/.local/pipx/venvs/qutebrowser/lib/python3.*/site-packages/qutebrowser/scripts/importer.py bookmarks.html >> ~/.config/qutebrowser/quickmarks

Note: Note that the Python beautifulsoup4 package is required for the conversion to run. If your system throws a module error, install it via APT: sudo apt install python3-bs4 -y. Additionally, qutebrowser allows you to write bookmarks manually as a simple space-separated list of URL [Title] lines saved directly inside your bookmarks database file at ~/.config/qutebrowser/bookmarks/urls.

Enable Brave’s Native Rust-Based Ad-Blocker

qutebrowser features an advanced, built-in ad-blocking engine that processes Adblock Plus syntax using Brave’s Rust libraries. However, because this requires the Python adblock library, the package must be added manually depending on how you installed the browser:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3-adblock -y

pipx inject qutebrowser adblock

:set content.blocking.method adblock
:adblock-update

Qutebrowser Screenshots

How the browser looks like, as you can see, it’s very ‘simple’ and retro, a lot of you might love that.

Troubleshooting Usability and Driver Glitches

Because qutebrowser relies on complex Python bindings to interact with system graphical components, you may experience missing web codecs or display crashes. Use these steps to resolve them.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras -y
sudo apt install gstreamer1.0-plugins-good gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly gstreamer1.0-libav -y

# Spawn mpv for current link selection
config.bind('M', 'hint links spawn nohup mpv --ytdl-format="best" {hint-url}')

# For Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Qt6 based bindings):
sudo apt install python3-pyqt6.qtwebengine -y

# For Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Qt5 based bindings):
sudo apt install python3-pyqt5.qtwebengine -y

How to Uninstall qutebrowser from Ubuntu

If you want to remove the browser from your machine, choose the section below that matches your original installation method.

sudo apt purge qutebrowser -y
sudo apt autoremove -y

pipx uninstall qutebrowser

# Delete configuration settings
rm -rf ~/.config/qutebrowser

# Delete temporary cache files
rm -rf ~/.cache/qutebrowser

# Delete saved local application data (bookmarks and history)
rm -rf ~/.local/share/qutebrowser

Frequently Asked Questions

More Ubuntu web browser guides: LibreWolf  ·  Zen Browser  ·  Falkon Browser  ·  GNOME Web  ·  Vivaldi Browser  ·  Brave Browser  ·  Best Browsers for Ubuntu