How to Install Google Chrome on Fedora Linux

Installing Google Chrome on Fedora gives you access to four release channels: stable for daily browsing, beta for previewing upcoming features, dev (unstable) for testing experimental functionality, and canary for the absolute latest builds updated daily. All four versions install as separate packages, so you can run them side-by-side without conflicts. This flexibility allows you to test new features in beta or canary while keeping stable for production work.

This guide walks through installing Chrome via Fedora’s third-party repositories, Google’s official RPM packages, or Flatpak for sandboxed isolation. After completing the installation, you will have automatic updates configured, access to the Chrome Web Store for extensions, and the ability to sync bookmarks and settings across devices using your Google account.

Choose Your Google Chrome Installation Method

Method	Channels Available	Updates	Best For
Fedora Workstation Repositories	Stable, Beta, Unstable, Canary	Automatic via DNF	Users who prefer system-integrated package management
Google Official RPM	Stable, Beta, Unstable, Canary	Automatic via DNF	Users who want immediate access to new releases
Flatpak (Flathub)	Stable, Unstable	Automatic via Flatpak	Users prioritizing application isolation and security

For most users, the Fedora Workstation Repositories method is recommended. It offers seamless integration with Fedora’s DNF package manager and ensures verified compatibility. If you want updates the moment Google releases them, choose the Google RPM method. Select Flatpak when running untrusted web content or when you need strict separation between the browser and your system files.

Method 1: Install Google Chrome via Fedora Workstation Repositories

Install Fedora Workstation Repositories Package

Fedora Workstation includes a curated set of third-party repositories that provide popular software not available in the default repos. To begin, install the fedora-workstation-repositories package to add these repository configurations to your system:

sudo dnf install fedora-workstation-repositories

As a result, this places repository files in /etc/yum.repos.d/ but keeps them disabled by default to prevent unwanted installations.

Enable Google Chrome Repository

Although the Google Chrome repository is included, it remains disabled by default. Therefore, enable it with DNF’s config-manager:

sudo dnf config-manager setopt google-chrome.enabled=1

Afterward, verify the repository is now active:

dnf repolist | grep chrome

You should see:

google-chrome         google-chrome

Install Google Chrome Stable

Now that the Google Chrome repository is active, you can install the stable version:

sudo dnf install google-chrome-stable

Once installation completes, verify Chrome is working correctly:

google-chrome --version

Expected output shows the installed version number:

Google Chrome xxx.x.xxxx.xxx

Install Alternative Chrome Channels

The same repository provides access to beta, unstable (dev), and canary channels. These versions install alongside the stable version without conflicts:

• Beta: Features coming to stable in 4-6 weeks. Good for previewing upcoming changes.
• Unstable (Dev): Experimental features updated roughly weekly. May contain bugs.
• Canary: Bleeding-edge builds updated daily. Least stable but shows the newest features first.

To install any of these channels:

sudo dnf install google-chrome-beta

sudo dnf install google-chrome-unstable

sudo dnf install google-chrome-canary

Enabling this single repository grants access to all four application streams, allowing them to coexist on the same system.

Method 2: Install Google Chrome via Google RPM

Update Fedora System Packages

Before installing new software, first refresh your package cache and apply any pending updates:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Import Google’s GPG Key

First, import Google’s signing key to verify package authenticity:

sudo rpm --import https://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub

Download the Google Chrome RPM Package

If wget is not installed on your system, then add it first:

sudo dnf install wget

Next, download the stable RPM package from Google’s servers:

wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_x86_64.rpm

For alternative channels, download the corresponding packages:

wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-beta_current_x86_64.rpm

wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-unstable_current_x86_64.rpm

wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-canary_current_x86_64.rpm

Install Google Chrome RPM

Now, install the downloaded RPM package. The ./ prefix tells DNF to install from a local file rather than searching repositories:

sudo dnf install ./google-chrome-stable_current_x86_64.rpm

For other channels, install the corresponding package you downloaded:

sudo dnf install ./google-chrome-beta_current_x86_64.rpm

sudo dnf install ./google-chrome-unstable_current_x86_64.rpm

sudo dnf install ./google-chrome-canary_current_x86_64.rpm

Installing the RPM package automatically creates /etc/yum.repos.d/google-chrome.repo, which enables future updates through DNF. You do not need to configure the repository manually.

Method 3: Install Google Chrome via Flatpak and Flathub

Flatpak packages applications in isolated sandboxes, which prevents conflicts with system libraries and provides security boundaries between apps and your host system. Since Fedora Workstation includes Flatpak by default, you only need to add the Flathub repository to access Chrome. Note: However, because of this sandboxing, Chrome via Flatpak may require permission adjustments to access certain files or system resources.

Enable Flathub Repository

First, add Flathub as a Flatpak remote if it is not already configured:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Flathub offers stable and unstable (dev) versions of Chrome. No beta or canary channels are available through Flatpak.

Install Google Chrome via Flatpak

Next, install the stable release:

sudo flatpak install flathub com.google.Chrome -y

Alternatively, for the dev channel with experimental features:

sudo flatpak install flathub com.google.ChromeDev -y

Troubleshooting Flatpak Installation

If the installation fails with this error:

error: Unable to load summary from remote flathub: Can't fetch summary from disabled remote 'flathub'

To resolve this, re-enable the Flathub remote with this command:

sudo flatpak remote-modify --enable flathub

Afterward, retry the installation command.

Verify Flatpak Installation

After installation completes, verify Chrome is installed correctly:

flatpak info com.google.Chrome

Expected output confirms the installation with version and origin details:

Google Chrome - The browser built to be yours

          ID: com.google.Chrome
         Ref: app/com.google.Chrome/x86_64/stable
      Origin: flathub
     Version: xxx.x.xxxx.xxx

Launch Google Chrome

After installation, you can start Chrome from either the terminal or the application menu, depending on your preference.

Launch Chrome from Terminal

Each Chrome version has its own command. For DNF/RPM installations:

• google-chrome for stable
• google-chrome-beta for beta
• google-chrome-unstable for unstable (dev)
• google-chrome-canary for canary

For Flatpak installations, use the application ID:

flatpak run com.google.Chrome

flatpak run com.google.ChromeDev

Launch Chrome from Application Menu

Alternatively, open the Activities overview, then click Show Applications, and finally select Google Chrome from the application grid.

Manage Google Chrome

Update Google Chrome

Chrome updates automatically through your package manager. However, if needed, you can manually check for updates and apply them immediately.

For DNF installations, run:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh google-chrome-stable

For Flatpak installations:

sudo flatpak update com.google.Chrome

After updating, verify the installed version:

google-chrome --version

Troubleshooting Google Chrome on Fedora

This section addresses common issues when installing or running Chrome on Fedora.

Fix GPG Key Verification Errors

When updating or installing Chrome, you may occasionally encounter GPG signature errors like:

error: Verifying a signature using key ID 7FAC5991:
  BAD signature from "Google Inc. (Linux Packages Signing Authority)"

This occurs because RPM silently fails when importing updated subkeys over existing keys. To fix this issue, first remove the old Google GPG keys to ensure a clean state for the new signature:

sudo rpm -e gpg-pubkey-7fac5991-* gpg-pubkey-d38b4796-*

Then reimport the current signing key:

sudo rpm --import https://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub

Finally, verify the keys were imported correctly:

rpm -qa gpg-pubkey* | xargs rpm -qi | grep -E "(Name|Summary)"

You should see entries for Google’s Linux signing authority.

Fix Chrome Startup Failures

After a major Fedora upgrade, Chrome may fail to launch or render pages. This typically occurs due to outdated GPU cache or incompatible sandbox settings. To start troubleshooting, first clear the GPU cache:

rm -rf ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/GPUCache

If Chrome still fails to start, then try launching with the sandbox disabled for testing:

google-chrome --no-sandbox

Running Chrome without the sandbox reduces security. Use this only to confirm the issue, then reinstall Chrome to restore full sandbox functionality.

If the sandbox test works, then reinstall Chrome to reset the installation:

sudo dnf reinstall google-chrome-stable

Remove Google Chrome

If you no longer need Chrome, then you can remove it along with its repositories and user data.

Remove Chrome via DNF

To uninstall Chrome, first remove the package based on the version you have installed:

sudo dnf remove google-chrome-stable

For beta, unstable, or canary versions:

sudo dnf remove google-chrome-beta

sudo dnf remove google-chrome-unstable

sudo dnf remove google-chrome-canary

Afterward, clean up any orphaned dependencies:

sudo dnf autoremove

Finally, verify the package was removed:

rpm -q google-chrome-stable

Expected output confirms the package is not installed:

package google-chrome-stable is not installed

Disable Google Chrome Repositories

If you no longer need the Google Chrome repositories, then disable them to prevent unwanted updates or repository errors:

sudo dnf config-manager setopt 'google-chrome*.enabled=0'

This command disables all Google Chrome browser repositories. However, if you want to disable individual repositories, first list the repositories you have imported:

dnf repolist | grep chrome

Next, disable the specific repository:

sudo dnf config-manager setopt REPO_NAME.enabled=0

For example, to disable the beta repository:

sudo dnf config-manager setopt google-chrome-beta.enabled=0

Finally, verify the repositories are disabled:

dnf repolist --disabled | grep chrome

Remove Chrome User Data and Cache

Uninstalling Chrome does not remove your profile data, bookmarks, or cached files. To completely remove all Chrome user data, delete these directories:

rm -rf ~/.config/google-chrome/
rm -rf ~/.cache/google-chrome/

This permanently deletes all bookmarks, saved passwords, extensions, and browsing history. Export any data you want to keep before running these commands.

In addition, remove any lingering desktop entries:

rm -f ~/.local/share/applications/google-chrome*.desktop

Remove Chrome via Flatpak

For Flatpak installations, uninstall with the --delete-data flag to remove application data at the same time:

sudo flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.google.Chrome

For the dev version:

sudo flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.google.ChromeDev

Finally, remove any orphaned Flatpak runtimes no longer needed:

sudo flatpak uninstall --unused

Conclusion

You now have Chrome running on Fedora with automatic updates through DNF or Flatpak. Sign in with your Google account to sync bookmarks, passwords, and extensions across devices. Explore the Chrome Web Store for productivity extensions or themes to customize the interface. For alternative Chromium-based browsers on Fedora, see Chromium, Vivaldi, or Microsoft Edge.