How to Remove Firefox Snap from Ubuntu

Firefox Snap is Ubuntu’s default browser, but it introduces trade-offs that frustrate some users. Common complaints include slower startup times compared to native packages, theme integration issues where GTK themes don’t apply correctly, and stricter sandboxing that can interfere with browser extensions or file access. If these limitations affect your workflow, switching to the Mozilla Team PPA build gives you a traditional APT-managed Firefox with faster performance and better desktop integration. This guide walks through removing Firefox Snap, installing the Mozilla Team PPA version, configuring APT pinning to prevent snap reinstallation, enabling automatic security updates, and reversing the process if needed.

Understand the Trade-offs Before Proceeding

Before removing Firefox Snap, consider what you gain and lose with each approach. The table below summarizes the key differences to help you decide whether switching makes sense for your situation.

Feature	Firefox Snap	Firefox APT (Mozilla PPA)
Startup time	Slower (sandbox initialization)	Faster (native execution)
GTK theme integration	Limited (sandboxed theming)	Full (system themes apply)
Extension compatibility	Some limitations (sandbox restrictions)	Full compatibility
Updates	Automatic via snapd	Automatic via APT/unattended-upgrades
Profile location	~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla	~/.mozilla/firefox
Sandbox isolation	Stricter (Snap confinement)	Standard (AppArmor)

For most users who prioritize speed and theme consistency, the Mozilla PPA is the better choice. However, if you value the additional security isolation that Snap provides, or you prefer Canonical’s official packaging, keeping Firefox Snap may suit your needs.

This guide supports Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, and 26.04 LTS. The Mozilla Team PPA provides builds for all current Ubuntu LTS releases, and the commands below work identically across supported versions.

Remove Firefox Snap From Ubuntu

The removal process is straightforward. You will purge the snap package, which removes Firefox and its snap-specific data while leaving your browser profile intact for the APT build to reuse.

Remove the Firefox Snap Package

First, remove the Firefox snap completely. The --purge flag removes both the application and its snap-specific configuration data:

sudo snap remove --purge firefox

This command removes Firefox from the snap ecosystem entirely. If you have an existing profile at ~/.mozilla/firefox from a previous APT installation, the new Firefox will detect and reuse it. If you only ever used Firefox Snap, your profile is stored in a different location (see the note below).

Firefox Snap stores profiles at ~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox, while the APT build uses ~/.mozilla/firefox. To migrate your existing data, copy the folder before launching the new Firefox: mkdir -p ~/.mozilla && cp -r ~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox ~/.mozilla/

Install Firefox From the Mozilla Team PPA

With the snap removed, you can now install Firefox from the official Mozilla Team PPA. This community-maintained repository provides regularly updated Firefox builds packaged specifically for Ubuntu, often within hours of Mozilla’s upstream releases.

Install Repository Tools

Before adding the PPA, ensure your system has the necessary utilities. The software-properties-common package provides the add-apt-repository command, while unattended-upgrades enables automatic security updates:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install software-properties-common unattended-upgrades -y

Add the Mozilla Team PPA

Next, add the official Mozilla Team repository. This enables APT to download Firefox packages directly from the maintainers:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/ppa -y

This command automatically imports the repository’s GPG key and creates the necessary sources configuration in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/.

Configure APT Pinning to Prefer the PPA

Ubuntu’s default repositories include a transitional firefox package that redirects to the snap version. Without APT pinning, running apt install firefox would reinstall the snap. The following configuration forces APT to prefer the Mozilla PPA while blocking the snap transition package:

cat <<'EOF' | sudo tee /etc/apt/preferences.d/mozillateam-firefox
Package: firefox*
Pin: release o=LP-PPA-mozillateam
Pin-Priority: 1001

Package: firefox*
Pin: release o=Ubuntu
Pin-Priority: -1
EOF

How this works: The Origin string LP-PPA-mozillateam matches the PPA’s InRelease file. A priority of 1001 forces APT to always select the PPA version, even during upgrades. The second rule assigns priority -1 to Ubuntu’s package, effectively blocking it from being considered.

Enable Automatic Security Updates

By default, Ubuntu’s unattended-upgrades only processes packages from official Ubuntu repositories. To include Firefox updates from the Mozilla PPA, add the repository to the allowed origins list:

cat <<'EOF' | sudo tee /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/51unattended-upgrades-firefox
Unattended-Upgrade::Allowed-Origins:: "LP-PPA-mozillateam:${distro_codename}";
EOF

The single-quoted heredoc preserves the ${distro_codename} variable for APT to interpret at runtime. This variable automatically expands to your Ubuntu release codename (jammy, noble, or resolute), so the configuration remains valid across different Ubuntu versions without modification. For more details on automatic updates, see our Ubuntu unattended-upgrades configuration guide.

Install Firefox from the PPA

With the repository configured and pinning in place, refresh the package cache and install Firefox:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install firefox -y

APT now installs the deb-packaged Firefox from the Mozilla Team PPA instead of the snap transition package. The browser will automatically use your existing profile if one exists at ~/.mozilla/firefox.

Verify Firefox Installation

Confirm that Firefox is sourced from the Mozilla Team PPA by checking the package policy:

apt-cache policy firefox

The output confirms the installed version and its source. Look for the PPA URL and priority 1001:

firefox:
  Installed: 146.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.24.04.1~mt1
  Candidate: 146.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.24.04.1~mt1
  Version table:
 *** 146.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.24.04.1~mt1 1001
        500 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/mozillateam/ppa/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     1:1snap1-0ubuntu5 -1
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages

The 1001 priority next to the PPA version confirms pinning is active. The Ubuntu package shows priority -1, meaning APT will never select it.

Additionally, verify the installed version directly:

firefox --version

Mozilla Firefox 146.0.1

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Most installations complete without problems, but these issues occasionally arise:

Firefox Snap Returns After System Upgrade

If Firefox Snap reappears after a major Ubuntu upgrade (such as upgrading from 22.04 to 24.04), the upgrade process may have reset your APT preferences. Re-apply the pinning configuration:

cat <<'EOF' | sudo tee /etc/apt/preferences.d/mozillateam-firefox
Package: firefox*
Pin: release o=LP-PPA-mozillateam
Pin-Priority: 1001

Package: firefox*
Pin: release o=Ubuntu
Pin-Priority: -1
EOF
sudo snap remove --purge firefox
sudo apt update
sudo apt install firefox -y

Profile Not Detected After Installation

If Firefox starts with a fresh profile instead of your existing one, check that your profile exists in the correct location. The APT build uses ~/.mozilla/firefox, while the Snap version stores profiles in ~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox. To migrate:

mkdir -p ~/.mozilla
cp -r ~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox ~/.mozilla/

Then restart Firefox to detect the migrated profile.

PPA Package Not Found

If apt install firefox fails with “package not found,” the PPA may not have been added correctly. Verify the repository exists:

grep -r "mozillateam" /etc/apt/sources.list.d/

If no output appears, re-add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/ppa -y
sudo apt update

Remove the PPA Build and Restore Firefox Snap

If you decide to revert to Firefox Snap, remove the APT-installed version, drop the pinning and unattended-upgrade entries, and reinstall via snap. For detailed guidance on removing PPAs from Ubuntu, see our PPA removal guide.

sudo apt remove --purge firefox -y
sudo apt autoremove -y
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:mozillateam/ppa -y
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/preferences.d/mozillateam-firefox
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/51unattended-upgrades-firefox
sudo apt update
sudo snap install firefox

Your personal Firefox data in ~/.mozilla/firefox remains intact throughout this process. Both the Snap and APT builds can access profiles stored there, so your bookmarks, history, and extensions carry over seamlessly.

Closing Thoughts

You now have Firefox running from the Mozilla Team PPA with the snap version fully removed. The APT pinning configuration ensures future system updates will not revert to Snap, while unattended-upgrades keeps Firefox patched automatically. If you prefer different Firefox release channels, see how to install Firefox Beta or Nightly on Ubuntu for testing pre-release features, or how to install Firefox ESR on Ubuntu for extended support releases with a longer update cycle.