Google Chrome is the most widely used web browser in the world. It is fast, secure, and syncs your bookmarks, passwords, history, and open tabs across all your devices when you sign in with a Google account.
Chrome also includes a built-in password manager, a developer tools panel, and support for thousands of extensions from the Chrome Web Store. It is available on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux.
This guide shows you how to install Google Chrome on Ubuntu 20.04 and keep it updated.
<strong>Note:</strong> Chrome is not open-source and is not in the standard Ubuntu repositories. You install it using the official <code>.deb</code> package from Google.
Download the latest Chrome .deb package using wget:
bashwget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
This always grabs the current stable release. Once the download finishes, install it:
bashsudo apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
Enter your password when prompted. The installation completes in a few seconds.
Google Chrome is now installed on your Ubuntu machine. The installer also adds the official Google Chrome apt repository to your system in the background. This is what allows Chrome to update automatically through the standard apt update system.
<strong>Tip:</strong> If you have bookmarks saved in another browser like Firefox, Chromium, or Opera, Chrome can import them on first launch. You do not need to start from scratch.
Open the Activities menu, type “Google Chrome”, and click the icon to launch it.
You can also start Chrome from the terminal:
bashgoogle-chrome
The first time you open Chrome, it will ask:
Choose your preference and click OK.
After that, you will see the Chrome welcome screen. From here, you can:
Signing in is optional. But if you use Chrome on more than one device, signing in keeps everything in sync automatically.
During install, Chrome adds its own repository to your system. You can see it here:
bashcat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list
Output:
deb [arch=amd64] https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main
This means Chrome updates through Ubuntu’s standard update system. When a new version is released, you will see it in the Software Update tool, or you can update it manually:
bashsudo apt updatesudo apt upgrade
Google releases a new stable Chrome version roughly every four weeks. Keeping it updated ensures you have the latest security patches and browser features.
Google Chrome is now installed and ready on your Ubuntu desktop. It works well right out of the box and gets even more useful once you sign in with your Google account. If you are switching from a different browser, the import tool in Chrome settings makes moving your bookmarks and saved passwords quick and easy. Got questions? Leave a comment below.
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