Install Opera Web Browser on Ubuntu 18.04: Complete Setup Guide

Opera is one of the most popular cross-platform web browsers in the world, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. On Linux, it offers a genuinely differentiated experience compared to Chrome or Firefox.

Opera is built on the same Blink rendering engine as Google Chrome, which means near-identical compatibility with modern websites. What sets it apart is a strong collection of built-in features. It ships with a free built-in VPN that routes your browser traffic through Opera’s servers to mask your IP address, making it useful for accessing geo-restricted content without installing a third-party extension. It also includes a built-in ad blocker, a Battery Saver mode that reduces background tab activity to extend laptop runtime, and a Crypto Wallet for managing digital assets and interacting with Web3 applications.

Opera is also compatible with Google Chrome extensions. You can install any Chrome extension directly from the Google Web Store using Opera’s built-in Chrome extension compatibility add-on, giving you access to thousands of tools without switching browsers.

Opera is not open-source and is not included in Ubuntu’s default repositories. This guide explains how to install Opera on Ubuntu 18.04 from the official Opera APT repository.

<strong>Prerequisite:</strong>&nbsp;You need sudo access.

Install Opera on Ubuntu

Add the Opera GPG signing key:

bashwget -qO- https://deb.opera.com/archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

Add the Opera APT repository to your sources list:

bashecho deb https://deb.opera.com/opera-stable/ stable non-free | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera.list

Update the package list and install Opera:

bashsudo apt updatesudo apt install opera-stable

During installation, you will be prompted whether to create a new repository file. Select No — you already added the repository manually in the step above. Selecting Yes creates a duplicate entry.

Launch and Configure Opera

Once installed, start Opera from the command line by typing opera, or open it from the application launcher via Activities > Opera.

The first time you open Opera, you are taken to a welcome screen where you can set your preferred theme, configure the sidebar, and set up your start page. If you are switching from Chrome or Firefox, Opera can import your bookmarks and saved passwords directly from this screen without any manual export step.

The sidebar gives you quick access to bookmarks, history, downloads, messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, and a feature called Workspaces. Workspaces let you group tabs into separate contexts, such as one for work and one for personal browsing, and switch between them instantly without mixing all tabs together in a single bar.

Update and Uninstall Opera

Opera is tied to the APT repository you added during setup. When a new version is released, update it the same way you update any system package:

bashsudo apt updatesudo apt upgrade

To remove Opera and disable the repository:

bashsudo apt remove --auto-remove opera-stablesudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera.list

The --auto-remove flag also removes any packages that were installed solely as Opera dependencies and are no longer needed on your system.

Opera is now set up on your Ubuntu 18.04 desktop. The built-in VPN, ad blocker, and Chrome extension compatibility make it a strong alternative to mainstream browsers. Leave a comment below if you run into any issues during installation.