Want Microsoft Edge on your Chromebook? Here’s how

We did on Apple and Microsoft from time to time but seriously, it’s all in fun. While we live almost exclusively inside of Google’s ecosystem, other operating systems and software offerings have their place and if they work for you and yours, you have our blessing. That said, a lot of people outside of and inside the Chrome camp stirred up a lot of grief for Microsoft when the company moved its Edge browser to the Chromium platform. Not that I have any sort of magical insight into the world of technology but I, for one, was actually happy to see the move. It wasn’t a pride thing like, “oh yeah, Microsoft is using Google’s stuff.” No, it was quite the opposite. Like them or not, Microsoft is the old man in the game and the company brings years of developmental skill to the table.

As the old saying goes, “a rising tide raises all ships.” When Microsoft shifted to a Chromium-based browser, it was good news for Chrome and anyone else using the platform to build a browser. Microsoft now works directly with other Chromium developers and the company’s submissions help everyone to create a better product for you, the end-user. Win-win. While I don’t use Edge because I have no need to, some users may like the idea or actually prefer Microsoft’s browser and that’s okay. But what if you use a Chromebook?

Well, there’s an app for that. Microsoft recently developed a Linux build of the Chromium-based Edge browser and thanks to the Linux container on Chrome OS, you can now install the Developer version of Edge. To get started, you’ll first need to make sure your Chromebook supports Linux apps and that you’ve installed the Linux container. Find out more in our Command Line article here. Now that you’re ready to go, head over to Microsoft’s Edge download page and grab the Linux build for Debian/Ubuntu.

Once you have that downloaded, head to your files folder and find the .deb package for Edge. Right-click on that file and select “Install with Linux.” Give that a minute to load the description and then you can install the browser. Keep in mind, this is the Developer build where developers test new features. It may be a little buggy but fear not, you still have your Chrome browser to use as a default. Microsoft did state that the Beta build for Edge will be coming soon for Linux and that version should be more stable. Once installed, you will find the Edge icon in your app launcher and you can use it by simply clicking that icon. I found Edge to be relatively smooth on my Chromebook and I’ve already discovered some great features such as Microsoft’s Collections that I am really digging. I did have occasional lag when scrolling but remember, this is the Dev version and it’s running in a container. Overall, it is completely usable.

For Enterprise Chrome OS users, Parallels will soon bring a full Windows desktop to Chromebooks but it’s awesome to know that the Linux container can give us access to applications that, a year ago, we just couldn’t use on Chrome OS. Do you use Edge on other devices? What do you like about it and what advantages do you see over Chrome? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think about Microsoft Edge. Have fun.

Shout out to Maurice C. for sharing this tidbit.