How to Install Opera Web Browser on Ubuntu Linux

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Opera, a cross-platform web browser similar to Google Chrome, is not open-source but can still be installed on Ubuntu. It features support for Google Chrome extensions, a built-in VPN, and an Adblocker. Installation can be facilitated through the download page or the command line console, requiring the addition of Opera’s official GPG key and repository…

This article explains how to install the Opera web browser on Ubuntu Linux.

Opera web browser is also based on the open-source Chromium engine, as Google Chrome can easily be installed on Ubuntu. It is one of the popular cross-platform web browsers used today, with support for Google Chrome extensions, built-in VPN, Adblocker, and more.

The official Opera browser is not open-source; you won’t see it in Ubuntu’s default repositories.

Based on the open-source Chromium engine, Google Chrome, Opera, and others support similar browsing experiences and functions and may use extensions from the official Google Chrome store.

However, these browsers may provide different features and capabilities that are sometimes unique and reflect the developer’s views other than Google.

Download and Install Opera

Like Windows, Mac OS X, and others, you can download and install Opera from its download page. You’ll need to use Firefox or another browser to get there and download the Opera installer package.

https://www.opera.com/computer

When you’re at Open’s download page, click the Download button, and the downloader will automatically download the edition for (Debian/Ubuntu – 64-bit)

Click the Accept and Install button. Then, when prompted, choose to save the file to your computer. This will automatically save into your home directory’s ~/Downloads folder.

Next, browse to your ~/Downloads folder. You are using Ubuntu File Explorer. This is the default location if you don’t choose where to save downloaded packages.

Install Opera Web Browser

In the Download folder,  right-click Opera installer and select Open With Software Install.

This should open Ubuntu Software apps to install Opera. When it does, click Install.

After clicking Install, you will be prompted to type your password and authenticate. Confirm your password and continue.

Installing Opera via the Command line

The same actions above can be done using the command line console. To download and install Opera via the Ubuntu command line, open your terminal using the Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or click the terminal icon.

Then, run the commands below to add Opera’s official GPG key to Ubuntu. The imported GPG key is there to validate packages from Opera’s repository.

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

After adding the GPG key above, run the commands below to add Opera’s official repository for Ubuntu.

sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=i386,amd64] https://deb.opera.com/opera-stable/ stable non-free"

When you’re done adding the GPG key and repository above, run the commands below to install Opera.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install opera-stable

Wait for the installation to complete. During the installation, you will be prompted whether you want a new repository file to be created. Select No since we already have Opera’s repository added above.

When the installation is complete, go to the Activities Overview, then search for Opera.

Launch Opera. You can then sign in to sync and bring over your passwords, extensions, and other data.

This is how one installs the Opera web browser on Ubuntu. While installing Opera, if you didn’t create a file as noted above to prevent Opera from creating a repository file, a new file was created at /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera-stable.list

You open it to view its content.

cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/opera-stable.list

This is Opera’s official repository:

# This file makes sure that Opera Browser is kept up-to-date
# as part of regular system upgrades

deb https://deb.opera.com/opera-stable/ stable non-free #Opera Browser (final releases)

Congratulations! You have learned how to install the official Opera web browser on Ubuntu 16.04 | 18.04

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