How to Install Vivaldi Browser on Ubuntu Linux

Vivaldi browser brings a highly customizable browsing experience to Ubuntu, offering tab stacking for organized workflows, built-in ad blocking for faster page loads, and integrated tools like an email client and note-taking app. Whether you want to consolidate your productivity tools into one application or simply prefer a browser that adapts to your workflow instead of the other way around, Vivaldi delivers control that mainstream browsers lack. As a result, by the end of this guide, you will have the Vivaldi browser installed from the official repository with automatic updates enabled, ready for daily use.

The Vivaldi repository uses a universal package format that works across all supported Ubuntu releases. Commands shown work identically on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, and interim releases.

Update Ubuntu Before Installation

Before installing Vivaldi, first update your package list and upgrade any outdated packages. This ensures your system has the latest security patches and also prevents dependency conflicts during installation:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Install Required Dependencies

Next, install the packages needed to download and verify the Vivaldi repository. The curl utility fetches the GPG signing key, and gnupg converts the key to the binary format APT requires. The -y flag automatically confirms the installation prompt:

sudo apt install curl gnupg -y

You should see output indicating the installation progress, which confirms the system is installing the packages:

Setting up curl (8.5.0-2ubuntu10.6) ...
Setting up gnupg (2.4.4-2ubuntu17.3) ...

Add the Vivaldi Repository

To receive automatic updates directly from Vivaldi, you need to add their official APT repository to your system. First, download and import the GPG key used to verify package authenticity:

curl -fsSL https://repo.vivaldi.com/archive/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/vivaldi.gpg

Then verify you imported the GPG key successfully by checking the file exists with the expected size:

ls -lh /usr/share/keyrings/vivaldi.gpg

You should see output similar to the following, which confirms the key is present:

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2.3K [date] /usr/share/keyrings/vivaldi.gpg

Once you import the key, add the repository configuration using the modern DEB822 .sources format. This command automatically detects your system architecture, so it works on AMD64, ARM64, and other supported platforms:

cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vivaldi.sources
Types: deb
URIs: https://repo.vivaldi.com/archive/deb/
Suites: stable
Components: main
Architectures: $(dpkg --print-architecture)
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/vivaldi.gpg
EOF

After adding the repository, refresh your package list so that the Vivaldi packages become available:

sudo apt update

You should see output showing APT fetching the Vivaldi repository, which confirms it’s properly configured:

Get:1 https://repo.vivaldi.com/archive/deb stable InRelease [3840 B]
Get:2 https://repo.vivaldi.com/archive/deb stable/main amd64 Packages [1751 B]

Verify Repository Configuration

Next, verify that APT recognizes the new repository by checking the package availability:

apt-cache policy vivaldi-stable

You should see output similar to the following, which confirms you configured the repository correctly:

vivaldi-stable:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 7.x.x
  Version table:
     7.x.x 500
        500 https://repo.vivaldi.com/archive/deb stable/main amd64 Packages

Install Vivaldi Browser

Now that you configured the repository, you can install the stable version of Vivaldi. This is the recommended version for daily browsing:

sudo apt install vivaldi-stable

After the installation completes, verify it succeeded by checking the installed version:

vivaldi --version

You should see output similar to this, which confirms the installation succeeded:

Vivaldi 7.x.x stable

The Vivaldi package automatically creates a legacy .list format repository file during installation. Since you already configured the modern .sources format, remove the duplicate to prevent redundant repository entries:

sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vivaldi.list

Install Vivaldi Snapshot (Optional)

Alternatively, developers and testers who want to preview upcoming features can install the snapshot build. However, this version receives frequent updates and may contain experimental features or bugs. Use the snapshot build only for testing and development purposes, not for banking, important work, or daily browsing tasks that require stability:

sudo apt install vivaldi-snapshot

Then verify the snapshot installation:

vivaldi-snapshot --version

You should see output similar to this, which confirms the snapshot installation succeeded:

Vivaldi 7.x.x snapshot

For daily browsing, banking, and important tasks, use the stable version. In contrast, Vivaldi intends the snapshot build for testing and it may behave unexpectedly. Nevertheless, you can install both versions simultaneously.

Launch Vivaldi

Once installed, you can launch Vivaldi from your terminal or application menu. From the terminal, run:

vivaldi

Similarly, for the snapshot version:

vivaldi-snapshot

Alternatively, you can open your desktop environment’s application menu, search for “Vivaldi,” and click the icon. The browser appears in the menu immediately after installation.

Manage Vivaldi Browser

Update Vivaldi

Vivaldi receives automatic updates through APT when you update your system normally. However, to manually check for and install Vivaldi updates specifically, use the --only-upgrade flag:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade vivaldi-stable

As a result, this command upgrades only Vivaldi without affecting other packages on your system.

Remove Vivaldi Browser

If you decide to uninstall Vivaldi and remove any orphaned dependencies, run the following commands:

sudo apt remove vivaldi-stable
sudo apt autoremove

Likewise, if you installed the snapshot version:

sudo apt remove vivaldi-snapshot
sudo apt autoremove

Additionally, to completely remove the Vivaldi repository and GPG key from your system:

sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vivaldi.sources /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vivaldi.list
sudo rm -f /usr/share/keyrings/vivaldi.gpg

Finally, refresh the package cache and verify Vivaldi is no longer available:

sudo apt update
apt-cache policy vivaldi-stable

You should see the following output, which confirms complete removal:

N: Unable to locate package vivaldi-stable

Vivaldi stores user data in ~/.config/vivaldi/, cache in ~/.cache/vivaldi/, and local data in ~/.local/share/vivaldi/. Therefore, to remove all browsing data, bookmarks, passwords, and settings after uninstalling, delete these directories with rm -rf ~/.config/vivaldi ~/.cache/vivaldi ~/.local/share/vivaldi. However, back up any data you want to keep first.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

GPG Key Import Fails

If the GPG key import command fails with a connection error, verify your internet connection and DNS resolution. Alternatively, try downloading the key manually and importing it:

curl -fsSL https://repo.vivaldi.com/archive/linux_signing_key.pub -o /tmp/vivaldi.pub
sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/vivaldi.gpg /tmp/vivaldi.pub

Then verify you imported the key successfully:

ls -lh /usr/share/keyrings/vivaldi.gpg

You should see the key file with a size around 2-3 KB.

Repository Authentication Error

If you encounter an authentication error during apt update, verify the repository configuration and GPG key path match exactly:

cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vivaldi.sources

The output should show Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/vivaldi.gpg. If the path differs or the key file is missing, remove the repository and follow the installation steps again from the beginning.

Package Dependency Conflicts

If APT reports unmet dependencies during installation, first update your package cache and upgrade existing packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade

Then attempt the Vivaldi installation again. If the issue persists, check for held packages that might prevent the upgrade:

apt-mark showhold

If held packages are blocking the installation, research whether unholding them is safe for your system before proceeding.

Vivaldi Fails to Launch

If Vivaldi installs successfully but fails to launch, check for error messages by running it from the terminal:

vivaldi 2>&1 | tee ~/vivaldi-error.log

This command captures both standard output and errors to a log file in your home directory. Common causes include missing graphics drivers or conflicting browser profiles. Review the error log for specific issues, then search the Vivaldi Community Forum for solutions.

Conclusion

You now have Vivaldi installed on Ubuntu with automatic updates from the official repository. From here, explore the settings panel to customize tab behavior, enable the built-in ad blocker, and configure keyboard shortcuts to match your workflow. For alternative browsers on Ubuntu, see the Brave browser installation guide or the Firefox ESR installation guide for a stability-focused option. Furthermore, if you prefer sandboxed applications, Vivaldi is also available on Flathub, so see the Flatpak installation guide to set up that alternative.

Explore Vivaldi Resources

For more information about Vivaldi, visit these official resources:

• Vivaldi Official Website: Download the browser, explore features, and read release announcements.
• Vivaldi Community: Connect with other users, participate in discussions, and share customization tips.
• Vivaldi Blog: Read news, updates, and in-depth articles about browser features.