How to Install Google Chrome on Fedora 44

Google Chrome is not part of Fedora’s default open source repositories, so installing it on Fedora means enabling a third-party source or using the Flathub package. The usual Fedora Workstation path still feels native because DNF installs Google’s signed RPM packages and keeps Chrome updated with the rest of your system packages.

This workflow applies to current Fedora releases on x86_64 systems, including Fedora 44 and Fedora 43. Chrome still needs a graphical desktop session to run; Server or minimal installs can install the packages only after you add a desktop environment.

Install Google Chrome on Fedora

Choose a Google Chrome Installation Method

Method	Source	Channels	Best Fit
Fedora Workstation repository config	Google RPM repository enabled from Fedora’s third-party repo package	Stable, Beta, Unstable, Canary	Best default on mutable Fedora desktops because DNF owns updates
Direct Google RPM download	Google’s current RPM installer	Stable, Beta, Unstable, Canary	Useful when the repo file is absent or you prefer starting from Google’s download
Flatpak from Flathub	Flathub Chrome package, not Google-verified on Flathub	Stable, Dev	Useful when you already manage browser apps with Flatpak

Use the Fedora Workstation repository method first on standard Fedora Workstation and other mutable Fedora desktops. It avoids a manual RPM download while still using Google’s RPM repository. Use the direct RPM method when you are starting from Google’s Linux download page. Use Flatpak only if you want Chrome managed through Flathub and accept that the package is not marked as verified by Google there.

The DNF and RPM methods target mutable Fedora installations. On Silverblue, Kinoite, Bazzite, and other Fedora Atomic desktops, prefer the Flatpak method unless you intentionally manage layered RPM packages with rpm-ostree.

Install Chrome with Fedora Workstation Repositories

The fedora-workstation-repositories package installs the Google Chrome repo file under /etc/yum.repos.d/, but Fedora keeps that repo disabled until you opt in.

sudo dnf install fedora-workstation-repositories

Enable the Google Chrome repository with DNF5’s config-manager command:

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

Confirm the repository is enabled before installing the browser:

dnf repo list --enabled | grep -E '^google-chrome[[:space:]]'

Relevant output includes:

google-chrome          google-chrome

Install the stable Chrome package for normal browsing:

sudo dnf install google-chrome-stable

DNF imports Google’s package key during the transaction when it is not already present. Chrome’s post-install script may still print a key-import lock warning afterward; if DNF ends with Complete! and the version check works, the package installed normally.

Verify the installed browser version:

google-chrome --version

Expected output starts with:

Google Chrome

Install Chrome Beta, Dev, or Canary on Fedora

The same Google repository also publishes Beta, Unstable (Dev), and Canary packages. These channels install beside stable Chrome, so you can test upcoming features without replacing your daily browser.

Beta: Preview channel for features moving toward stable.
Unstable (Dev): Faster-moving development channel that can break more often.
Canary: Fastest-moving channel for early testing.

Install only the channel you need:

sudo dnf install google-chrome-beta

sudo dnf install google-chrome-unstable

sudo dnf install google-chrome-canary

The launcher names match the package names, so stable uses google-chrome, Beta uses google-chrome-beta, Dev uses google-chrome-unstable, and Canary uses google-chrome-canary.

Install Chrome with Google’s Direct RPM Package

Google’s direct RPM package is useful when you want to begin from the official Chrome download page. The package is still DNF-managed after installation because Google’s RPM script configures /etc/yum.repos.d/google-chrome.repo for future updates.

Import Google’s Linux package signing key before checking or installing the RPM:

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

RPM may warn about expired historical Google subkeys during this import. Continue to the package signature check, and install the RPM only when rpmkeys -K returns digests signatures OK for the downloaded file.

Download the stable RPM package:

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

Verify the file signature before installing it:

rpmkeys -K google-chrome-stable_current_x86_64.rpm

Expected output after the key import is:

google-chrome-stable_current_x86_64.rpm: digests signatures OK

Install the local RPM with DNF so Fedora resolves dependencies from enabled repositories:

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

For local RPM files, DNF may print Warning: skipped OpenPGP checks for 1 package from repository: @commandline. Treat the earlier rpmkeys -K result as the signature check; if it returned digests signatures OK and DNF completes the transaction, this warning is not the DNF5 missing-digest failure.

The ./ prefix tells DNF to use the downloaded local file instead of searching for a repository package by that filename. The DNF5 install command on Fedora guide covers this local RPM pattern in more detail.

If you need another Chrome channel from Google’s direct downloads, download the matching package and check its signature before installing it:

curl -LO https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-beta_current_x86_64.rpm
rpmkeys -K google-chrome-beta_current_x86_64.rpm
sudo dnf install ./google-chrome-beta_current_x86_64.rpm

curl -LO https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-unstable_current_x86_64.rpm
rpmkeys -K google-chrome-unstable_current_x86_64.rpm
sudo dnf install ./google-chrome-unstable_current_x86_64.rpm

curl -LO https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-canary_current_x86_64.rpm
rpmkeys -K google-chrome-canary_current_x86_64.rpm
sudo dnf install ./google-chrome-canary_current_x86_64.rpm

After installation, you can delete the downloaded installer files. Removing them does not uninstall Chrome.

rm -f google-chrome-*_current_x86_64.rpm

Install Chrome with Flatpak on Fedora

Fedora Workstation includes Flatpak, but Flathub is opt-in. The Chrome Flatpak is a Flathub package that downloads Google’s browser payload, but it is not marked as verified by Google on Flathub. Its current permissions also include broad device and selected home-directory access, so treat this method as a Flatpak packaging option rather than a stronger privacy or isolation guarantee.

Add Flathub if it is not already configured:

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

Check the current Chrome record before installing:

flatpak remote-info flathub com.google.Chrome

Relevant output includes the app ID, architecture, and branch:

ID: com.google.Chrome
Ref: app/com.google.Chrome/x86_64/stable
Arch: x86_64
Branch: stable

Install the stable Chrome Flatpak:

sudo flatpak install flathub com.google.Chrome

Verify the installed Flatpak reference:

flatpak info --show-ref com.google.Chrome

Expected output is:

app/com.google.Chrome/x86_64/stable

For the Dev Flatpak channel, use the separate Chrome Dev app ID:

sudo flatpak install flathub com.google.ChromeDev

flatpak info --show-ref com.google.ChromeDev

app/com.google.ChromeDev/x86_64/stable

Launch Google Chrome on Fedora

Launch Chrome from the Terminal

DNF and RPM installations provide a separate launcher command for each Chrome channel:

google-chrome starts Chrome stable.
google-chrome-beta starts Chrome Beta.
google-chrome-unstable starts Chrome Dev.
google-chrome-canary starts Chrome Canary.

Flatpak installations use their app IDs instead:

flatpak run com.google.Chrome

flatpak run com.google.ChromeDev

Launch Chrome from Activities

Open Activities, search for Google Chrome, and select the channel you installed. If the launcher does not appear immediately after a Flatpak install, sign out and back in so GNOME reloads exported desktop entries.

Update Google Chrome on Fedora

DNF installations update through the enabled Google repository. Update stable Chrome with:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh google-chrome-stable

If you installed another channel, replace the package name with google-chrome-beta, google-chrome-unstable, or google-chrome-canary.

Flatpak installations update through Flathub:

sudo flatpak update com.google.Chrome

Use com.google.ChromeDev instead when you installed the Dev Flatpak.

Troubleshoot Google Chrome on Fedora

Fix Google Chrome Repository Errors

If DNF cannot see Chrome packages after enabling the repository, first confirm the repo state:

dnf repo list --all | grep -E '^google-chrome[[:space:]]'

A disabled repository looks like this:

google-chrome                                  google-chrome                                             disabled

Re-enable it, then refresh DNF metadata:

sudo dnf config-manager setopt google-chrome.enabled=1
sudo dnf clean metadata --repo google-chrome
sudo dnf makecache --repo google-chrome

Confirm the expected Chrome packages are available:

dnf repoquery --repo google-chrome --queryformat "%{name}\n" 'google-chrome*'

Relevant output includes:

google-chrome-beta
google-chrome-canary
google-chrome-stable
google-chrome-unstable

Fix Google Chrome GPG Key Errors

A stale Google signing key can block package verification during install or update. The error may mention a bad or missing signature for a Google Linux Packages Signing Authority key.

Header OpenPGP signature: NOKEY
digests SIGNATURES NOT OK

List imported Google keys first:

rpmkeys --list | grep -i 'google.*linux packages signing authority'

If the command prints Google’s key, delete it from the RPM keyring and import the current key again:

sudo rpmkeys --delete EB4C1BFD4F042F6DDDCCEC917721F63BD38B4796
sudo rpm --import https://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub

Retry the Chrome install or update after the key import finishes.

Fix Chrome Startup Problems

If Chrome opens to a blank window, crashes after a Fedora release upgrade, or fails to render pages, clear the GPU cache first:

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

Test Chrome with GPU acceleration disabled for that launch:

google-chrome --disable-gpu

If the browser starts only with that flag, apply pending Fedora updates and reinstall Chrome stable:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
sudo dnf reinstall google-chrome-stable

Replace google-chrome-stable with the channel package you installed if you use Beta, Dev, or Canary.

Fix Flatpak Remote Errors

If Flatpak reports that Flathub is disabled, re-enable the remote and retry the install:

error: Unable to load summary from remote flathub

sudo flatpak remote-modify --enable flathub
sudo flatpak install flathub com.google.Chrome

If Flatpak says a system operation is not allowed for the user, keep the install, update, and uninstall commands at system scope with sudo flatpak, as shown in this article.

Remove Google Chrome from Fedora

Remove DNF or RPM Chrome Packages

Remove the Chrome channel package you installed. For stable Chrome, use:

sudo dnf remove google-chrome-stable

For Beta, Dev, or Canary, remove the matching package instead:

sudo dnf remove google-chrome-beta

sudo dnf remove google-chrome-unstable

sudo dnf remove google-chrome-canary

Verify the stable package is no longer installed:

rpm -q google-chrome-stable

Expected output after removal is:

package google-chrome-stable is not installed

DNF may list orphaned dependencies after removal. Preview the cleanup first:

sudo dnf autoremove --assumeno

If the preview lists only packages you no longer need, rerun the command without --assumeno and confirm the transaction:

sudo dnf autoremove

Disable the Google Chrome Repository

If you no longer need Google’s Chrome repository, disable it instead of deleting repo files that may be owned by Fedora’s third-party repository package or by Google’s RPM scripts.

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

Confirm the repository is disabled:

dnf repo list --all | grep -E '^google-chrome[[:space:]]'

Relevant output includes:

google-chrome                                  google-chrome                                             disabled

If Chrome was the only Google RPM package on this Fedora system and the key is still listed by rpmkeys --list, you can also remove Google’s imported RPM signing key:

sudo rpmkeys --delete EB4C1BFD4F042F6DDDCCEC917721F63BD38B4796

Remove Chrome Profile Data

Package removal leaves your local Chrome profile in place. Delete these directories only when you want to remove bookmarks, saved passwords, extensions, history, cookies, and cached browser data from this Fedora account.

These commands permanently delete local Chrome profile data. Export bookmarks or sync anything you want to keep before running them.

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

Remove any user-created desktop launchers left in your home directory:

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

Remove Chrome Flatpak Packages

For the stable Flatpak, remove the application package first:

sudo flatpak uninstall com.google.Chrome

For Chrome Dev, remove the Dev app ID:

sudo flatpak uninstall com.google.ChromeDev

Verify Chrome no longer appears in the system Flatpak app list:

flatpak list --system --app --columns=application | grep -E '^com\.google\.Chrome' || echo "Chrome Flatpaks are not installed"

Chrome Flatpaks are not installed

Flatpak profile data lives under ~/.var/app/. Delete the matching directories only when you want to remove Chrome’s sandboxed local data for this account.

This removes local Flatpak browser data, including profiles, cookies, saved sessions, and extension state stored by the Chrome Flatpak.

rm -rf ~/.var/app/com.google.Chrome/
rm -rf ~/.var/app/com.google.ChromeDev/

Clean up unused Flatpak runtimes only after reviewing the packages Flatpak wants to remove:

sudo flatpak uninstall --unused

Conclusion

Chrome is now installed on Fedora through DNF or Flatpak, with the update and removal path matched to the package source you chose. Sign in with your Google account when you want bookmark and extension sync, or compare Fedora browser alternatives such as install Chromium Browser on Fedora, install Brave Browser on Fedora, install Vivaldi on Fedora, and install Microsoft Edge on Fedora.