How to Install Third-Party Browsers on Your Chromebook

While replacing the Chrome browser on your Chromebook is not easy, you can still install third-party web browsers from the Play Store. However, many Android browsers cannot take advantage of the desktop layout of Chromebook. Additionally, most Linux apps are not optimized for Chromebook as they run in the Sandbox environment.

Thankfully, there are a few browsers such as Firefox, Brave, and Samsung Internet that are not only optimized for the desktop layout but also work well on Chromebook. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you with installing these third-party browsers.

Install Third-party Browsers on Chromebook

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox has multiple versions on Android, but unfortunately, none of them take advantage of the desktop layout of Chromebook. However, the Linux version works just as you would expect. Keep in mind that Linux on Chrome OS has its own storage space, so you cannot save files directly into the local files or access any local files.

To install Firefox on Chromebook, you first need to enable Linux on your Chromebook. Open Chrome OS settings, click on Linux (Beta) in the sidebar, and click on the “Turn on” button beside the Linux Option. Then, click on the Install button on the pop-up that appears. Once Linux is installed, you can find a terminal in your app drawer in the Linux folder.

Install the ESR version of Firefox, which stands for Firefox Extended Support Release, to install the dependencies. Use the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt install firefox-esr

If you want to shift to the standard version of Firefox, uninstall the ESR version and then run the following command to install the standard version:

sudo apt install iceweasel

Brave Browser

If you are looking for a browser that supports Chrome extensions and offers better privacy options than Chrome, then Brave is the browser for you.

To install Brave, ensure that you have enabled Linux on your Chromebook. Open Chrome OS settings, click on Linux (Beta) in the sidebar, and click on the “Turn on” button beside the Linux Option. Then, click on the Install button on the pop-up that appears. Once Linux is installed, you can find a terminal in your app drawer in the Linux folder.

To install Brave, first, upgrade all the dependencies by running the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt upgrade

If prompted to upgrade anything, press Y and hit enter to proceed. Then, enter the entire command below in the terminal and press enter:

sudo apt install apt-transport-https curl    curl -s https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/brave-core.asc | sudo apt-key --keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/brave-browser-release.gpg add -    echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list    sudo apt update    sudo apt install brave-browser

After completing the process, it should end with the command sudo apt install brave-browser. Press Enter to install the Brave browser and press Y to continue.

If you encounter an “Error: Invalid Key,” run the following commands one after another:

sudo apt-key del C2D4E821
sudo apt remove brave-keyring
sudo apt clean

Then, run the previous command again to install Brave.

Samsung Internet

You would be confused whether to choose Chrome or Samsung Internet as your android browser, so here's a tip for you, among all the Android browsers, including Chrome, Samsung Internet is the only browser that works well in the desktop environment, thanks to Dex. Installing Samsung Internet is as easy as downloading it from the Play Store. Simply open this link to open Samsung Internet on the Play Store and click on Install.

Once you have Samsung Internet installed, click on the three-dot menu at the top right corner and select the “Desktop Version” option to enable the desktop layout on the browser. This setting will be saved on your device, so you don't need to set it manually again.

Please note that right-clicking on the trackpad works, but selecting options within it with the trackpad might be inconsistent. You can use arrow keys and press enter or use the touch screen to select options instead.

These are the browsers that I have tried and found to work great on Chromebooks. If you use any other browsers, let me know in the comments below.

Also, check out other Linux apps you can install on your Chromebook.