Most Linux distributions already have Firefox installed from their distribution package manager, and configured as the default browser. This article explains other ways to download and install Firefox on a Linux.
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Install from your distribution package manager (Recommended)
To install Firefox using your distribution package manager, please refer to your Linux distribution's documentation.
This method is recommended because it ensures Firefox and all the required libraries are installed and configured optimally for your distribution. However, there may be a small delay between the official release of a new version of Firefox and the moment when your distribution updates the version it distributes. Your distribution may also distribute it without the Firefox branding, or only distribute the ESR version.
Install from Flatpak
To install Firefox from Flatpak, install and configure Flatpak on your computer. Once Flatpak is installed, go to the Firefox Flathub's page and click the button. Alternatively, you can type the following command in a terminal:
flatpak install flathub org.mozilla.firefox
By default, Flatpak installs Firefox in the same locale as your operating system. To use a different language, please follow the instructions on how to use Firefox in another language.
Install from Snap
To install Firefox from Snap, install Snap on your computer. Once Snap is installed, go to the Firefox Snapcraft's Store page, click the button and follow the instructions.
If available, Snap installs Firefox in the same locale as your operating system. To use a different language, please follow the instructions on how to use Firefox in another language.
Install Firefox from Mozilla builds (For advanced users)
- Before you install Firefox, make sure that your computer has the required libraries installed. Missing libraries will cause Firefox to be inoperable.
- To install Firefox with this method, you must be able to login as root or execute
sudocommands. - This installation will have priority over the Firefox version installed through your package manager. To run the version installed with your package manager, you will need to execute the binary from a terminal. To do so in most distributions, open a terminal and type:
/usr/bin/firefox.
1. Go to the Firefox download page and click on the button.
2. Open a terminal and go to the folder where your download has been saved. For example:
cd ~/Downloads
3. Extract the contents of the downloaded file by typing:
tar xjf firefox-*.tar.bz2
The following commands must be executed as root, or preceded by sudo.
4. Move the uncompressed Firefox folder to /opt:
mv firefox /opt
5. Create a symlink to the Firefox executable:
ln -s /opt/firefox/firefox /usr/local/bin/firefox
6. Download a copy of the desktop file:
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mozilla/sumo-kb/main/install-firefox-linux/firefox.desktop -P /usr/local/share/applications
Alternatively, if wget is not installed on your computer, go to the URL mentioned above, right-click on the page to open the contextual menu and select . After you downloaded the file, move it to /usr/local/share/applications.
To verify that the installation was successful, you can open the Troubleshooting Information page. In the Application Basics section, the value of Application Binary should be /opt/firefox/firefox-bin.
