How to Install, Update, and Remove Microsoft Edge on Linux

I still recall the day when my friend and I used to download Google Chrome or Firefox via Internet Explorer for internet browsing. Little did we know that someday we’d all be using Microsoft Edge for browsing, and honestly, the experience is quite impressive.

Microsoft took a long time to settle their browsing technology, and finally they decided to go with the open-source Chromium engine to power their new Microsoft Edge browser.

Despite being initially launched in 2015 exclusively for Microsoft Windows, after lots of positive responses, in 2019, they declared its forthcoming release for Linux.

Now that it is finally available, installing the Microsoft Edge browser on Linux is straightforward. Let me guide you through the simple process.

Tutorial Details

How to Install Microsoft Edge on Linux

There are two ways to install Microsoft Edge on Linux:

1. Using the distribution package manager.
2. Downloading the “.deb” or “.rpm” package from the official site.

To be honest, in terms of working, both methods are equally the same, and I recommend you go with the first one as it offers a more direct and straightforward approach.

However, the choice between the two methods is entirely up to you. So, let’s begin.

Installing Microsoft Edge Using Package Manager

The installation process for Microsoft Edge may vary slightly depending on the Linux distribution, but I’ve attempted to provide instructions for the most popular distributions in this guide.

Installing Edge on Debian, Ubuntu, or Linux Mint

Open your terminal and run this command to set up the Microsoft repository:

$ curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > microsoft.gpg
$ sudo install -o root -g root -m 644 microsoft.gpg /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/
$ sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/edge stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft-edge-stable.list'
$ sudo rm microsoft.gpg

After completing this step, use these two commands to install Microsoft Edge Stable.

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install microsoft-edge-stable

Installing Edge on RHEL or Fedora

Set up Microsoft’s repository on these systems using the following commands:

$ sudo rpm --import https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc
$ sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://packages.microsoft.com/yumrepos/edge

Start the installation process by entering the following command:

$ sudo dnf install microsoft-edge-stable

Installing Edge on openSUSE

To set up the Microsoft repository on openSUSE, simply follow these steps:

$ sudo rpm --import https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc
$ sudo zypper addrepo --refresh https://packages.microsoft.com/yumrepos/edge microsoft-edge

To install Edge, run the following Zypper command:

$ sudo zypper refresh
$ sudo zypper install microsoft-edge-stable

Installing Edge on Arch or Manjaro

If you have an AUR helper like Yay, you can effortlessly install Microsoft Edge from the AUR repository using the command below:

$ yay -S microsoft-edge-stable

Installing Microsoft Edge Using .deb or .rpm Package

Microsoft provides edge binaries in formats like “.deb” (for Debian and Ubuntu-based distributions) and “.rpm” (for Fedora, Red Hat, and openSUSE-based distributions).

First, go to the Microsoft Edge website and navigate to the section where you find the following information:

Download the appropriate package for your Linux distribution now.

Next, go to the directory where the file was downloaded, open your terminal in that directory, and execute the following command:

$ sudo dpkg -i microsoft-edge-*.deb                                                   #For Debian, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint
$ sudo rpm -i microsoft-edge-*.rpm                                                     #For RHEL, Fedora, and OpenSUSE

The above command will install Edge and add the Microsoft repository to your system, which will automatically keep Microsoft Edge up to date.

How to Launch Microsoft Edge on Linux

After installing the Microsoft Edge browser on your preferred Linux distribution, you can launch it from the application search menu.

When you launch it for the first time, it may ask you for a few customization settings that are self-explanatory, and when you are done, you’ll interact with the following window.

Start your browsing journey with Microsoft Edge from here!

How to Update Microsoft Edge on Linux

After installing Microsoft Edge on your Linux system, it typically updates automatically in the background whenever a new version is released.

If you wish to manually start an update, use the following command to update your entire system, which will also update Microsoft Edge itself.

$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y                                            #For Debian, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint
$ sudo dnf update                                                                                        #For RHEL or Fedora
$ sudo zypper update                                                                                  #For openSUSE
$ sudo pacman -Syu                                                                                    #For Arch or Manjaro

How to Remove Microsoft Edge from Linux

To uninstall Microsoft Edge from your Linux system, just execute the appropriate command depending on your Linux distribution:

$ sudo apt purge microsoft-edge-stable                                                 #For Debian, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint
$ sudo dnf remove microsoft-edge-stable                                              #For RHEL or Fedora
$ sudo zypper remove microsoft-edge-stable                                        #For openSUSE
$ sudo pacman -R microsoft-edge-stable                                               #For Arch or Manjaro

Final Word

I hope you find this article useful. If you have any questions or queries related to the topic, feel free to ask in the comment section.

Till then, peace!