Find out how to set up Firefox on a Chromebook the simple manner
Need to set up Firefox on a Chromebook the simple manner? Till this week, Mozilla formally stated there are two methods. Neither of them is good. You possibly can set up the Android version of Firefox or hop right into a Linux terminal and get Firefox as a flatpak.
However there’s a 3rd manner now that Mozilla is providing Firefox packages for Debian and Ubuntu Linux. Since Linux on Chromebooks makes use of Debian, you may immediately obtain Firefox and rapidly set up it.
Obtain Firefox immediately from Mozilla to your Chromebook
Essentially the most present launch of Firefox for Linux is model 122. Mozilla launched it simply yesterday. And here on Mozilla’s ftp website, the corporate has the brand new Firefox obtain accessible in a .deb file. That’s the kind of Linux file or utility, that Chromebooks can natively install through in ChromeOS Files app.
So all you might want to do is navigate to the Mozilla page showing the new .deb file and click on the hyperlink to it. That can obtain Firefox to your Chromebook.
Be aware that this obtain will solely work with Chromebooks utilizing an x86 CPU similar to one from AMD or Intel. I regarded for a construct that works with ARM-based units however didn’t discover one. Sorry!
The Firefox obtain shall be accessible in your Information app. To see it, you may click on the “Present in folder” hyperlink as seen within the above picture. Or you may merely open the Information app in your Chromebook and think about the Downloads folder.
Use the Set up with Linux function in ChromeOS
As soon as you may see the downloaded .deb file, right-click it and choose the “Set up with Linux” choice within the menu that seems.
Click on “Set up” to proceed with the set up.
ChromeOS will notify you when Firefox is put in, which ought to occur comparatively rapidly. Now you can shut Information and the set up window since you’re completed!
Firefox will now seem within the Linux Apps folder of your Chromebook Launcher. You possibly can click on the Firefox icon to open the browser or you may seek for Firefox in your Launcher.
This whole course of ought to solely take a minute, perhaps two. That’s as a result of Mozilla is constructing the Firefox .deb packages and making them accessible immediately. You could possibly definitely use the command line interface in Linux to perform the identical factor.
Nevertheless, it’s somewhat unwieldy for many who aren’t aware of Linux. Straight downloading the Mozilla-built .deb file and putting in it with the ChromeOS Information app is way simpler and faster. This methodology also needs to obtain updates as new Firefox variations arrive. And you may all the time test for updates proper within the browser settings, identical to you may with Chrome.
Must you use Firefox on a Chromebook?
Must you use Firefox in your Chromebook? Effectively, that’s a private selection.
I’ve moved away, not less than partially, from utilizing the Chrome browser on my Chromebook. For a number of months, I’ve used Sidekick because of some added features and data privacy protections. I believe I’ll attempt Firefox as my major browser over the following few months for comparability functions.