Ade Malsasa Akbar contact
Senior author, Open Source enthusiast.
Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 13:30

A Chromium web browser version with Google integration completely removed for privacy-oriented computer users, that is Ungoogled-Chromium. This tutorial will explain how to install it on Ubuntu, use DuckDuckGo Search engine, and make it default browser with quick and clear instructions. Let's do it!

Subscribe to UbuntuBuzz Telegram Channel to get article updates.

1. Download Ungoogled

Visit  Ungoogled Download Website → download the AppImage for Linux option → you saved a file with .AppImage name extension.


2. Run It

Double-click the AppImage → Ungoogled browser runs. 


If it does not work, give it permission first: right-click the AppImage file → Properties → Permissions → give check mark to 'Allow executing file as program'  → OK.


3. Set Search Engine and Default Browser

At first run, Ungoogled browser cannot search so when you type anything and press Enter, no result will appear. To enable search: click triple dots button → Settings → Search Engine → select DuckDuckGo under search engine option → now search engine works. 

To make Ungoogled Chromium your default browser: visit Search Engine settings above → click Make Default → the browser has made default.


4. Install Extensions

Ungoogled browser also cannot install extensions by default. To enable extension installation: 

1. Open two new tabs.

2. On first tab, visit this extension web page.

3. Download the CRX (.crx) file under Assets section.

4. On second tab, click triple dots button → Settings → Extensions → enable Developer Mode. 


5. Drag and drop the CRX file to Extensions page → Install → browser is ready to install more extensions.

6. Visit Chrome Web Store and install any extensions you want. We recommend uBlock Origin, an ad blocker, for first starter.

5. Add To Applications Menu

You can add Ungoogled Chromium to start menu manually by using utility program named Alacarte. To do so: open Alacarte → open Internet category → Add Item → give it name Chromium Browser → click Browse and pick the Ungoogled Chromium Appimage file → give it logo (UngoogledChromium.png) → OK → try to find Chromium on start menu.


Alternative Installation

For GNU/Linux users, Ungoogled Chromium is available alternatively at Flathub.org. Installing this way allows you to receive updates automatically. To install it from Flathub.org on Ubuntu, see Simple Guide to Install Flatpak.


Happy browsing!


This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.