How to Install Firefox Beta and Nightly on Ubuntu (26.04, 24.04, 22.04)

Installing Firefox Beta and Nightly on Ubuntu gives you early access to upcoming browser features weeks or months before they reach stable releases. Beta updates roughly twice a week and represents the next stable version in testing, while Nightly delivers multiple daily builds with the most experimental changes from active development. Both channels install as separate APT packages from Mozilla’s official repository, each with its own binary and profile, so all three coexist on the same system without conflicts.

Mozilla maintains a dedicated APT repository at packages.mozilla.org that publishes firefox-beta and firefox-nightly as distinct binaries, each with its own profile and update path. The repository works across all supported Ubuntu LTS releases and receives new builds automatically, so no manual downloads are needed after the initial setup.

The Mozilla APT repository uses a universal package format that works across all current Ubuntu releases. Commands shown in this guide work identically on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, and 22.04 LTS.

Install Firefox Beta on Ubuntu

Update Ubuntu System Packages

Before adding external repositories, synchronize your local package index and upgrade any outdated packages to reduce dependency conflicts during installation:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

If your account lacks sudo privileges, see our guide on adding a user to sudoers on Ubuntu before proceeding.

Install the tools needed to fetch and verify the Mozilla signing key. These packages are present on most Ubuntu installations but may be absent from minimal or container environments:

sudo apt install curl ca-certificates gpg -y

Import Mozilla GPG Key

APT uses GPG signatures to verify that packages come from their claimed source and have not been tampered with. Create the standard keyrings directory, then use curl to download Mozilla’s public signing key:

sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings

sudo curl -fsSLo /etc/apt/keyrings/packages.mozilla.org.asc https://packages.mozilla.org/apt/repo-signing-key.gpg

Verify the key fingerprint matches Mozilla’s published value. The awk command strips whitespace from GPG’s verbose output to print just the fingerprint hash:

gpg -n -q --import --import-options import-show /etc/apt/keyrings/packages.mozilla.org.asc | awk '/pub/{getline; gsub(/^ +| +$/,""); print}'

Expected output:

35BAA0B33E9EB396F59CA838C0BA5CE6DC6315A3

If the fingerprint does not match, delete the downloaded file with sudo rm /etc/apt/keyrings/packages.mozilla.org.asc and re-download before proceeding. A mismatched fingerprint can indicate a corrupted download or a man-in-the-middle attack.

Add Mozilla APT Repository

Create the repository configuration file using DEB822 format. The Signed-By field restricts this key to packages from this repository only, which is more secure than adding the key to the global trusted keyring:

cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mozilla.sources
Types: deb
URIs: https://packages.mozilla.org/apt
Suites: mozilla
Components: main
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/packages.mozilla.org.asc
EOF

Refresh the package index to pull metadata from the newly added repository:

sudo apt update

The output should include a line confirming APT successfully contacted the Mozilla repository:

Get:X https://packages.mozilla.org/apt mozilla InRelease

Configure APT Priority for Firefox

Ubuntu’s repositories include a firefox stub package that reinstalls the Snap version, and without explicit priority rules APT may prefer Ubuntu’s package over Mozilla’s during system upgrades. The following pin configuration ensures Mozilla’s repository always takes priority for Firefox packages:

cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/apt/preferences.d/mozilla
Package: firefox*
Pin: release o=namespaces/moz-fx-productdelivery-pr-38b5/repositories/mozilla
Pin-Priority: 1000
EOF

A pin priority of 1000 exceeds APT’s default priority of 500, ensuring Mozilla’s packages always win during dependency resolution. The release o= value matches the Mozilla repository’s Origin field from its InRelease metadata, which APT uses for reliable matching. This rule applies to all firefox* packages, covering firefox-beta, firefox-nightly, and any other Mozilla channel you install later.

Install Firefox Beta via APT

Close any open Firefox windows to prevent lock conflicts, then install Firefox Beta:

sudo apt install firefox-beta -y

Confirm the installation by checking the version:

firefox-beta --version

Expected output:

Mozilla Firefox 148.0b15

The version number reflects the current Beta cycle at installation. The b suffix confirms this is a Beta build rather than a stable release, and the number after it identifies the specific build within that cycle.

Launch Firefox Beta on Ubuntu

Launch Firefox Beta from the terminal to see console output or debug web applications:

firefox-beta

Append & to run Firefox Beta in the background and return control to your terminal session:

firefox-beta &

Alternatively, search for “Firefox Beta” in the applications menu. The installation creates a desktop entry automatically, so the browser appears alongside your other applications without additional configuration.

Install Firefox Nightly on Ubuntu

Firefox Nightly receives multiple automated builds per day directly from Mozilla’s main development branch. Unlike Beta, which tests features destined for the next stable release, Nightly contains the most recent code changes and is aimed at developers and enthusiasts who want to evaluate experimental features, reproduce regressions, and contribute feedback before changes reach a wider audience.

Firefox Nightly installs as a separate firefox-nightly package with its own binary and profile directory. Your existing Firefox and Firefox Beta installations remain unaffected.

The Mozilla APT repository configured in the previous section already provides the firefox-nightly package, so no additional repository setup is needed.

Install Firefox Nightly via APT

Install the firefox-nightly package from the Mozilla repository configured in the previous section:

sudo apt install firefox-nightly -y

Verify the installation by checking the version:

firefox-nightly --version

Expected output:

Mozilla Firefox 149.0a1

The a1 suffix identifies a Nightly (alpha) build. The version number increments with each new Firefox development cycle as Mozilla lands new code daily.

The Mozilla APT repository also provides firefox (stable), firefox-esr (Extended Support Release), and firefox-devedition (Developer Edition). Each uses a separate binary name, so multiple channels can run side by side with independent profiles.

Launch Firefox Nightly on Ubuntu

Launch Firefox Nightly from the terminal:

firefox-nightly

The Nightly icon uses a distinctly different dark blue and purple colour scheme compared to Beta’s orange fox and the stable Firefox icon, making it easy to identify at a glance:

Compare Firefox Channels on Ubuntu

Each Firefox channel targets a different audience and risk tolerance. The table below summarises the key differences between the channels available through Mozilla’s APT repository:

Channel	APT Package	Update Frequency	Stability	Best For
Stable	firefox	Every 4 weeks	Production-ready	Daily browsing; most users
Beta	firefox-beta	~2x per week	Generally stable	Testing upcoming features before stable release
Nightly	firefox-nightly	Multiple times daily	Highly experimental	Developer and contributor testing of cutting-edge code

For most users, Beta is the right starting point. It delivers pre-release features with reasonable stability. Nightly is better suited for developers actively contributing bug reports or those comfortable with daily instability and behavior changes.

Snap users can switch their existing Firefox Snap to an alternative channel with sudo snap refresh firefox --channel=latest/beta or sudo snap refresh firefox --channel=latest/nightly. This swaps the running channel rather than installing a second browser, so only one Snap channel runs at a time. The APT method documented in this guide is the better option when you need Beta and Nightly running simultaneously with separate profiles.

Ubuntu installs Firefox as a Snap by default on standard desktop setups. If you prefer APT-managed Firefox as your only Firefox source, see removing Firefox Snap from Ubuntu.

Manage Firefox Beta and Nightly on Ubuntu

Update Firefox Beta and Nightly on Ubuntu

Both Firefox Beta and Nightly update automatically through the Mozilla APT repository. A standard system upgrade fetches the latest available build for each installed channel:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

To update a single channel without upgrading other packages, use the --only-upgrade flag:

sudo apt install --only-upgrade firefox-beta

sudo apt install --only-upgrade firefox-nightly

Remove Firefox Beta from Ubuntu

Removing Firefox Beta leaves your profile data intact. Bookmarks, history, and saved passwords remain in ~/.mozilla/ and reappear if you reinstall later:

sudo apt remove firefox-beta
sudo apt autoremove

Remove Firefox Nightly from Ubuntu

Removing Firefox Nightly preserves your profile data. Bookmarks, history, and saved passwords remain in ~/.mozilla/ and reappear if you reinstall later:

sudo apt remove firefox-nightly
sudo apt autoremove

Remove Mozilla APT Repository from Ubuntu

Keep the Mozilla repository if you have other Firefox packages installed from it, such as firefox (stable), firefox-esr, or firefox-devedition. Removing the repository does not uninstall those packages, but APT will no longer receive updates for them.

Remove the APT priority pin, repository configuration, and signing key:

sudo rm /etc/apt/preferences.d/mozilla
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mozilla.sources
sudo rm /etc/apt/keyrings/packages.mozilla.org.asc

Refresh the package index so APT no longer queries the removed repository:

sudo apt update

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Firefox Beta and Nightly are now installed on Ubuntu via Mozilla’s official APT repository, and both update automatically whenever you run a system upgrade. Beta gives you a preview of the next stable release with reasonable stability; Nightly hands you the most recent development builds for testing and contributor feedback. For additional Firefox options, see our guide on Firefox ESR on Ubuntu, or explore removing Firefox Snap from Ubuntu if you prefer APT-managed packages as your only Firefox source. For a privacy layer alongside your browser, check out Mozilla VPN on Ubuntu.