Microsoft Edge is a relatively new web browser developed by Microsoft that is based on the open source Chromium project. It offers high performance, great compatibility with web standards, and unique productivity features.
In this comprehensive guide, we will walk through how to install Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu desktops step-by-step. We will also cover recommended configuration tweaks to get the best experience using Edge on Linux.
Prerequisites
Before installing Microsoft Edge, make sure your Ubuntu system is fully updated by running:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgradeThis will fetch the latest stable packages and security updates, minimizing any potential conflicts.
Install Microsoft Edge
Microsoft provides an official Ubuntu repository that makes installing Edge very straightforward using the apt package manager.
First, add the repository signing key, which ensures integrity of the packages:
wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > microsoft.gpg
sudo install -D -o root -g root -m 644 microsoft.gpg /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/Next, register the Microsoft Ubuntu repo:
sudo sh -c ‘echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/edge stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft-edge-dev.list‘Update apt to pick up the new repo:
sudo apt updateFinally, install the edge package:
sudo apt install microsoft-edge-stableOnce complete, Microsoft Edge should now be available from your desktop start menu or applications grid.
The entire installation flow takes just a few quick terminal commands thanks to the official repo.
Manage Microsoft Edge Updates
By default, Microsoft Edge will be set to auto-update from the official Ubuntu repo on a regular basis. This ensures you get the latest security patches and browser improvements with minimal effort.
However, you can manually update the edge package using apt whenever desired:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade microsoft-edge-stableIf you wish to switch to the beta or dev channels of Edge for early testing of new features at the expense of stability, install the relevant package:
sudo apt install microsoft-edge-beta
sudo apt install microsoft-edge-devPost-Install Configuration
Once Microsoft Edge is installed, there are a few tweaks worth making to optimize the experience on Ubuntu Linux:
Enable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration uses your GPU to improve graphical performance and reduce power consumption when browsing:
- Navigate to
edge://settings/systemin the Edge browser - Toggle "Use hardware acceleration when available"
Install Extensions
One major advantage of Microsoft Edge over Firefox or Chrome on Linux is full support for installing extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
Some recommended privacy and productivity boosting extensions include:
- uBlock Origin – superior ad blocking
- Bitwarden – password manager
- Vimium – Vim-style keyboard shortcuts
Enable Media Codecs
Out of the box, you may experience issues playing certain audio or video formats in Edge if you don‘t have the required codecs installed.
Run the following to install commonly missing codecs:
sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extrasReload any previously failing media pages and they should now work correctly with hardware accelerated playback.
Change Default Search Engine
Microsoft Edge includes Bing search integration by default. Here‘s how to easily change it to Google or DuckDuckGo instead if preferred:
- Navigate to
edge://settings/search - Under "Address bar search", click on your preferred option
- Confirm the new search provider at the prompt
Setup Profile Sync
A hugely beneficial built-in feature is Microsoft account profile sync. This allows your Edge bookmarks, passwords, payment details, open tabs and more to seamlessly sync between all your devices logged into your Microsoft account.
To enable:
- Click your profile icon in the top right of Edge
- Click "Sign in to sync…"
- Enter your Microsoft account credentials and login
Once enabled, you can view and manage synced data under edge://settings/profiles.
Further Customization
For superusers, there are a number of additional customizations possible via edge://flags and edge://policies such as enforced security policies.
However, the defaults are recommended for most use cases.
Troubleshooting Issues
Here are solutions for some common issues you may encounter using Edge on Ubuntu:
Browser Crashes on Launch
In some cases, Edge may unexpectedly crash or fail to start properly after a system upgrade. To resolve:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade Then relaunch Edge. This installs any necessary dependencies and updates that may have broken edge.
Flash Content Doesn‘t Load
Adobe Flash is no longer officially supported on Linux. To enable flash content:
- Install Pepper Flash through Chromium:
sudo apt install pepperflashplugin-nonfree browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash- Enable the flash plugin under
edge://settings/content/flash
Video Playback Issues
If you experience video stuttering or display issues, first ensure hardware acceleration is enabled in Edge settings.
For codec problems, run:
sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extrasAdd Account Button Missing
Some UI buttons can fail to load if web platform components aren‘t installed:
sudo apt install web-platform-testsCan‘t Type in Search Bar
This is typically caused by missing IME packages for localization. To fix, run:
sudo apt install ibus-mozc libmozc2Then reboot your system.
This will install missing Input Method Editors for Asian language support.
Uninstalling Edge
If you wish to uninstall Microsoft Edge from Ubuntu at any time, run:
sudo apt remove microsoft-edge-stableThe browser will be completely removed along with all associated dependencies and configuration files.
To also purge any remaining config data, run:
sudo apt purge microsoft-edge-stableAnd that covers everything you need to know about installing, customizing, troubleshooting and removing Microsoft Edge browser on Ubuntu!
The browser combines the open source foundations of Chromium with Microsoft‘s own improvements and some features unique on Linux platforms like full support for Chrome extensions.
Overall Edge delivers an excellent modern browsing experience. Coupled with profile sync, it can completely replace Google Chrome as your go-to, cross-device browser while avoiding some common Chrome performance pitfalls.