How to use the Linux Chromium browser without Google

Love the Chromium web browser, but can’t stand that it connects to Google services? Do you wish you could use it without dealing with Google’s invasive technology? It turns out you can, with ungoogled Chromium! It’s a version of the Chromium browser completely stripped of all Google-related technology! Here’s how to set it up on your Linux PC.

What ungoogled Chromium changes — and what you give up

Ungoogled Chromium is more than just “Chromium without Google.” The project makes specific, deliberate changes to the browser’s source code before building it. Here is what it actually does:

• Removes all Google web-service calls baked into Chromium, such as Safe Browsing pings, usage statistics, and crash reporting sent to Google endpoints
• Strips Google-specific code and features that phone home, including components like Google Update and parts of the Safe Browsing infrastructure
• Replaces or avoids prebuilt Google-supplied binaries where possible, so more of what runs on your machine is open and auditable
• Stays close to stock Chromium in look and feel — it is not a heavily reskinned browser

Before you install, there are practical tradeoffs worth knowing upfront:

• Google Sync is intentionally disabled. You cannot sign into a Google account to sync bookmarks, passwords, or history. This is by design.
• Some privacy and control settings require manual enabling. Features that Chromium normally gates behind Google infrastructure may need to be turned on explicitly after install.
• The Chrome Web Store does not work out of the box. Extensions require a workaround to install — more on that in the post-install section below.
• DRM-protected media will fail until Widevine is added manually. Streaming services like Netflix require extra steps.
• Security updates depend on the packager, not Google. Update cadence varies by distro and build source, so it pays to use a well-maintained package.

If those tradeoffs fit your privacy goals, read on for installation steps by distro.

Ungoogled Chromium download sources and package trust

Before running any install commands, it is worth pausing on a key point: unlike Chrome or standard Chromium, there is no single official binary from a central authority. Most packages are built and distributed by community contributors. That is not inherently a problem, but it does mean you should apply a little extra scrutiny.

• Prefer distro packages or Flathub when possible. These go through more community review than a random GitHub release, and Flathub in particular provides sandboxed builds that are easy to update.
• When using standalone binaries from GitHub or third-party repos, verify the release page, packager name, and that the architecture matches your system before running anything as root.
• The official project maintains a binaries index at ungoogled-software.github.io/ungoogled-chromium-binaries/ — use this as your reference for currently maintained sources.
• Be especially cautious of any site offering downloads not listed on that index, or of instructions that point to abandoned GitHub forks.

With that in mind, here are the current installation paths for each major Linux distro.

Ubuntu installation instructions

To install ungoogled Chromium on Ubuntu Linux, you must use a third-party software repository. The app is not available in the Ubuntu main software repositories.

Option 1 — Flathub (recommended for most users)

The most reliable and up-to-date way to get the browser on Ubuntu today is via Flathub. First, make sure Flatpak support is enabled on your system, then run:

flatpak install flathub io.github.ungoogled_software.ungoogled_chromium

Once installed, launch it with:

flatpak run io.github.ungoogled_software.ungoogled_chromium

Option 2 — OpenSUSE Build Service APT repository

If you prefer a native APT package, a community-maintained OBS repository is available. Open a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then run the following commands. Note that you should replace Ubuntu_Noble with your own Ubuntu release codename if you are on an older version (for example, Ubuntu_Jammy for 22.04).

First, download and store the repository signing key using the modern keyring method:

wget -nv https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:ungoogled_chromium/Ubuntu_Noble/Release.key -O- | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/ungoogled-chromium-keyring.gpg

Next, add the repository, referencing that keyring:

echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/ungoogled-chromium-keyring.gpg] https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/ungoogled_chromium/Ubuntu_Noble/ /' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/home:ungoogled_chromium.list

Once the key and repo are added, refresh your software sources and install the browser:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install ungoogled-chromium

If the OBS repo does not yet have a build for your Ubuntu version, fall back to the Flathub method above, or check the official binaries index for a portable Linux build.

Debian installation instructions

Those looking to install the browser on Debian Linux will need to enable a third-party software repository, as the Debian project does not officially support it and does not make the app available in their software sources.

Option 1 — Flathub (recommended for most users)

As with Ubuntu, Flathub is the easiest path to a current build. With Flatpak installed, run:

flatpak install flathub io.github.ungoogled_software.ungoogled_chromium

Option 2 — OpenSUSE Build Service APT repository

To add the third-party APT repo to your Debian system, open a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. The commands below use Debian_Bookworm (Debian 12, the current stable release). If you are on an earlier release, replace Debian_Bookworm with the appropriate codename.

First, download and store the signing key using the modern keyring approach:

wget -nv https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:ungoogled_chromium/Debian_Bookworm/Release.key -O- | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/ungoogled-chromium-keyring.gpg

Next, add the repository using sudo tee so the command has the elevated privileges it needs to write into /etc:

echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/ungoogled-chromium-keyring.gpg] https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/ungoogled_chromium/Debian_Bookworm/ /' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/home:ungoogled_chromium.list

Once the software repository is added to your Linux PC, run the update command to enable the repository on your system.

sudo apt update

After your Debian PC’s software is up to date, it is time to install the browser. Using the apt install command, get the app working on your system.

sudo apt install ungoogled-chromium

Arch Linux installation instructions

Ungoogled Chromium is available to all Arch Linux users via the Arch Linux User Repository. To start the installation, open up a terminal window and install the “Git” and “Base-devel” packages. They’re required to interact with the AUR.

sudo pacman -S git base-devel

After installing the “Git” and “Base-devel” packages on your computer, use the git clone command to download the Trizen AUR helper. This app will make the installation very easy, as it takes care of all required dependencies and sets them up for you, rather than having to do it by hand.

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/trizen.git

Move into the “trizen” folder with CD and install the app on your Arch Linux system with makepkg.

cd trizen 

makepkg -sri

Once Trizen is set up on your Arch Linux PC, you’ll be able to install the browser with the trizen -S command below.

trizen -S ungoogled-chromium

If you prefer a different AUR helper such as yay or paru, the package name is the same. The AUR version tracks current upstream releases and is the most actively maintained option for Arch users. If you prefer to use a pre-compiled binary instead, visit the official binaries index at ungoogled-software.github.io/ungoogled-chromium-binaries/ and download the current Arch package listed there — do not use hard-coded download links from older guides, as those point to versions that are years out of date.

Fedora installation instructions

Ungoogled Chromium is available to all Fedora Linux users via the RPM Fusion software repositories. To start the installation, follow this guide on how to set up RPM Fusion. Then, when RPM Fusion is working on your Linux PC, enter the dnf install command below to get the browser installed.

sudo dnf install chromium-browser-privacy

If this package is no longer available in RPM Fusion for your Fedora release, Flathub is a reliable current fallback:

flatpak install flathub io.github.ungoogled_software.ungoogled_chromium

OpenSUSE Linux installation instructions

It is possible to get ungoogled Chromium working on OpenSUSE. The most straightforward current approach is Flathub, which provides a sandboxed build that is kept up to date. With Flatpak available on your OpenSUSE system, run:

flatpak install flathub io.github.ungoogled_software.ungoogled_chromium

Alternatively, the project provides a portable Linux build that runs on any distro without installation. To get it, open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T. Then, visit the official binaries index to find the current portable Linux tarball:

Download the file listed under the “Portable Linux” section for your architecture, then extract and run it. For example, if the downloaded file is named ungoogled-chromium_VERSION_linux.tar.xz, the commands follow this pattern:

tar xvf ungoogled-chromium_VERSION_linux.tar.xz

cd ungoogled-chromium_VERSION_linux

./chrome

Replace VERSION with the actual version string from the file you downloaded. Always grab the filename from the official index rather than copying version-pinned commands from older guides — those links break as new releases are published.

Post-install setup and known limitations

Once ungoogled Chromium launches for the first time, you will notice it behaves differently from Chrome or standard Chromium in a few key ways. Here is what to expect and how to handle the most common first-run issues.

Setting a default search engine

The browser does not set a default search engine automatically. To add one, go to Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines and site search, then add your preferred engine (DuckDuckGo, Brave Search, or whichever you prefer) and set it as the default.

Installing extensions — the Chrome Web Store does not work by default

The Chrome Web Store requires a Google account handshake that ungoogled Chromium deliberately blocks. You have two practical options:

• Use the chromium-web-store helper. This is a community-built extension that re-enables direct installs from the Chrome Web Store without a Google account. Install it by downloading the CRX from its GitHub releases page, then drag it into the browser’s extensions page (chrome://extensions) with developer mode enabled.
• Sideload CRX files manually. Enable developer mode at chrome://extensions, download a CRX file directly, and drag it onto the extensions page to install.

Google Sync is not available

There is no sign-in button and no Google Sync. This is intentional, not a bug. If you need bookmark and password sync across devices, use a third-party password manager and a browser-agnostic bookmark service instead.

DRM-protected media requires Widevine

Streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify will not play protected content out of the box. To enable them, you need to install the Widevine CDM manually. The process involves copying the Widevine library from a standard Chromium or Chrome installation into the browser’s directory. Search for current instructions specific to your distro, as the file path varies.

Security updates

This browser does not auto-update. On Flathub, updates arrive through the normal Flatpak update mechanism (flatpak update). On APT or RPM systems, use your normal package manager update command. On portable builds, you need to download and replace the folder manually. Make a habit of checking for updates regularly, since an outdated Chromium build carries real security risk.

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