How To Install Chromium on Manjaro

Chromium stands as one of the most popular open-source web browsers available for Linux distributions, including Manjaro. This comprehensive guide walks you through multiple installation methods, configuration tips, and troubleshooting solutions to get Chromium running smoothly on your Manjaro system. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced Linux user, you’ll find the perfect installation approach for your needs.

What is Chromium Browser?

Chromium is an open-source web browser project developed and maintained by Google under the BSD-3 license. Written primarily in C++, this cross-platform browser serves as the foundation for many popular browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi. The Chromium project focuses on delivering a fast, secure, and stable browsing experience while maintaining complete transparency through its open-source codebase.

Unlike its proprietary counterpart Google Chrome, Chromium provides users with full access to its source code, allowing developers to audit, modify, and contribute to the project. This transparency makes it particularly attractive to privacy-conscious users and Linux enthusiasts who value software freedom.

The browser supports modern web standards, offers extensive customization options, and maintains compatibility with thousands of extensions available through the Chrome Web Store. Its multi-process architecture ensures that individual tabs and extensions run in isolated processes, preventing a single problematic tab from crashing the entire browser.

Chromium vs Google Chrome: Key Differences

Understanding the distinctions between Chromium and Google Chrome helps you make an informed decision about which browser suits your needs best.

Licensing and Open-Source Nature: Chromium operates under an open-source BSD license, allowing anyone to view, modify, and distribute the code. Google Chrome, conversely, is proprietary software built on top of Chromium with additional closed-source components.

Privacy Considerations: Chromium doesn’t include Google’s tracking mechanisms or automatic data collection features that come standard with Chrome. Chrome sends usage statistics, crash reports, and browsing data to Google servers, while Chromium offers a cleaner privacy profile.

Automatic Updates: Google Chrome includes built-in automatic update functionality that keeps the browser current without user intervention. Chromium relies on your system’s package manager for updates, giving you more control over when and how updates occur.

Codec Support: Chrome comes pre-packaged with proprietary media codecs like H.264, MP3, and AAC, enabling seamless playback of most online media. Chromium lacks these proprietary codecs by default, which can cause issues with certain streaming services and video platforms.

DRM Support: Chrome includes Widevine DRM support out of the box for streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. Chromium requires manual configuration or additional packages to enable DRM-protected content playback.

Built-in Features: Chrome incorporates a PDF viewer, integrated Flash player (deprecated), and Google service integration. Chromium provides a more minimal experience, requiring users to add desired functionality through extensions or system-level packages.

Stability Differences: Chrome undergoes extensive testing before release and generally offers more stable builds. Chromium development moves faster, sometimes resulting in experimental features that may occasionally cause instability.

Choose Chromium when you prioritize privacy, open-source software, and system integration. Opt for Chrome when you need guaranteed media codec support and seamless integration with Google services.

Benefits of Installing Chromium on Manjaro

Installing Chromium on your Manjaro system delivers numerous advantages that make it an excellent browser choice for Linux users.

Lightweight and Resource-Efficient: Chromium maintains a smaller footprint compared to many modern browsers, consuming less disk space and system resources. This efficiency translates to better performance, especially on older hardware or systems with limited RAM.

Enhanced Privacy: Without Google’s tracking mechanisms, automatic crash reporting, or telemetry collection, Chromium respects your privacy. You maintain complete control over what data leaves your system.

Open-Source Transparency: The ability to inspect and audit the browser’s source code provides peace of mind. Security researchers worldwide continuously examine the codebase, identifying and fixing vulnerabilities quickly.

Strong Security Features: Chromium implements robust security measures including sandboxing, automatic security updates (through your package manager), and frequent security patches. The multi-process architecture isolates potentially malicious websites, preventing them from accessing other tabs or system resources.

High Customization Potential: Access to the source code and extensive extension ecosystem enables deep customization. You can modify the browser’s appearance, behavior, and functionality to match your workflow perfectly.

Extension Support: Chromium maintains full compatibility with the Chrome Web Store, providing access to thousands of extensions, themes, and productivity tools.

Multi-Process Architecture: Each tab runs in a separate process, ensuring stability. If one tab crashes or freezes, other tabs continue functioning normally.

Free from Proprietary Components: Chromium contains only open-source code, aligning with the philosophy many Linux users embrace.

Prerequisites Before Installation

Before installing Chromium on Manjaro, ensure your system meets these requirements and you have the necessary access.

You need a functioning Manjaro Linux installation with any desktop environment—KDE Plasma, GNOME, XFCE, or others work equally well. Terminal access and basic command-line knowledge help you follow the installation methods, though GUI options exist for those preferring graphical interfaces.

Sudo privileges are essential for installing system packages. Most standard Manjaro installations grant the primary user sudo access by default. Verify your sudo access by running sudo -v in a terminal.

A stable internet connection enables downloading Chromium packages and their dependencies. The installation downloads approximately 200-300 MB of data depending on the chosen installation method and existing system libraries.

Updated system repositories ensure you download the latest Chromium version and avoid dependency conflicts. Run sudo pacman -Syu before beginning the installation to synchronize repositories and update existing packages.

Sufficient disk space is necessary for the browser installation and future cache files. Allocate at least 500 MB of free space to accommodate Chromium and its associated files comfortably.

Understanding basic package management concepts helps you choose the right installation method. Manjaro uses Pacman as its primary package manager, though it also supports Snap, Flatpak, and the Arch User Repository (AUR).

Method 1: Installing Chromium Using Pacman (Official Repository)

The Pacman method represents the fastest, most straightforward way to install Chromium on Manjaro. This approach uses the official Arch and Manjaro repositories, ensuring stability and seamless system integration.

Step 1: Update Your System

Open a terminal and execute the system update command:

sudo pacman -Syu

This command synchronizes your package databases with the latest repository information and upgrades all outdated packages. The process typically takes a few minutes depending on how many packages require updates and your internet connection speed.

System updates prevent dependency conflicts and ensure Chromium installs with the latest compatible libraries. Always update before installing new software to avoid version mismatches.

Wait for the update process to complete, confirming any prompts that appear. The system may ask you to confirm package upgrades or replace conflicting packages.

Step 2: Install Chromium from Official Repository

Execute the Chromium installation command:

sudo pacman -S chromium

The -S flag tells Pacman to synchronize and install the specified package. Pacman automatically calculates dependencies, determining which additional libraries and packages Chromium requires.

The system displays a list of packages to install, including Chromium and its dependencies. Review this list and confirm the installation by typing Y when prompted. The download size typically ranges from 80-150 MB, with the installed size reaching 200-300 MB.

Pacman downloads packages, verifies their integrity using checksums, and installs them to appropriate system directories. Progress bars indicate download and installation status.

Step 3: Verify the Installation

Confirm Chromium installed correctly by checking its version:

chromium --version

The command returns output similar to “Chromium 119.0.6045.159” (version numbers vary based on current releases). This confirmation proves the browser installed successfully and is accessible from your system PATH.

Advantages of Pacman Method

The Pacman installation method offers several compelling benefits. It provides the fastest installation process, typically completing in minutes. Packages come from official Arch and Manjaro repositories, ensuring they undergo thorough testing and maintain high stability standards.

Automatic dependency resolution handles all required libraries without manual intervention. Updates arrive through your regular system update process, keeping Chromium current alongside other system packages.

Native package management integration means better performance and smaller package sizes compared to containerized formats. Chromium integrates seamlessly with system themes, fonts, and configurations.

Method 2: Installing Chromium via Snap Store

Snap packages provide a containerized approach to software installation, offering automatic updates and cross-distribution compatibility. This method suits users who prefer sandboxed applications or want automatic background updates.

Step 1: Install Snapd

Manjaro doesn’t include Snap support by default. Install the Snap daemon:

sudo pacman -S snapd

Snapd is the background service that manages Snap packages, handling installation, updates, and sandboxing. The installation completes quickly since snapd itself is relatively lightweight.

Step 2: Enable Snap Service

Activate the Snap socket service:

sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket

This systemctl command performs two actions simultaneously. The enable parameter configures snapd to start automatically at boot, while --now starts the service immediately without requiring a system reboot.

The Snap socket handles communication between Snap commands and the snapd daemon, enabling package management operations.

Step 3: Create Symbolic Link for Classic Snap Support

Establish the classic Snap directory:

sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap

This symbolic link creates compatibility with classic Snap packages, which require less confinement than strictly sandboxed Snaps. The link enables Snap binaries to function correctly from standard system locations.

Classic Snaps can access more system resources and integrate more deeply with your desktop environment compared to strictly confined Snaps.

Step 4: Verify Snap Installation

Confirm Snap installed correctly:

snap version

The output displays your Snap version, snapd version, series number, and system information. This verification ensures Snap is ready to install packages.

Step 5: Install Chromium Browser

Install Chromium through Snap:

sudo snap install chromium

Snap downloads the latest Chromium package directly from Canonical’s Snap Store. Progress indicators show download and installation status. The first Snap installation takes longer as it downloads the base Snap components.

Snap packages include all dependencies within the container, resulting in larger download sizes (typically 150-200 MB) but eliminating dependency conflicts.

Step 6: Verify Chromium Installation

Check the installed Chromium version:

chromium --version

The Snap-installed version responds with version information, confirming successful installation. Snap automatically creates desktop entries and application menu shortcuts.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Snap Method

Snap installation offers distinct benefits and drawbacks worth considering.

Advantages: Sandboxed environment enhances security by isolating Chromium from the rest of your system. Snaps update automatically in the background, ensuring you always run the latest version without manual intervention. Cross-distribution compatibility means the same Snap works on Ubuntu, Fedora, and other distributions.

Disadvantages: Containerized nature can result in slower startup times compared to native packages. Snap packages consume more disk space due to included dependencies. Some users report minor integration issues with system themes or file managers. The Snap daemon runs constantly in the background, using additional system resources.

Method 3: Installing Chromium Using GUI (Pamac)

Pamac provides Manjaro’s user-friendly graphical package manager, offering a point-and-click alternative to command-line installation. This method suits users who prefer visual interfaces or are new to Linux.

Accessing Add/Remove Software (Pamac)

Launch Pamac from your application menu. Look for “Add/Remove Software” or “Software Manager” depending on your desktop environment. KDE Plasma typically places it under “System,” while GNOME includes it in the application grid.

Alternatively, press the Super key (Windows key) and type “pamac” or “software” to search for the application. The icon usually resembles a package box or shopping bag.

Searching for Chromium

Click the search icon or search box in Pamac’s interface. Type “chromium” to filter available packages. Multiple Chromium-related packages appear in the results.

Identify the correct package by looking for “chromium” (not chromium-bsu, which is a space shooter game). The official repository version displays a green icon indicating it comes from trusted Manjaro repositories.

Review package information by clicking on the Chromium entry. Pamac displays the version number, repository source, dependencies, and a description. Verify you’re installing the web browser and not an unrelated package.

Installing from GUI

Click the “Apply” or “Install” button next to Chromium. Pamac prompts for your password to authorize the installation. Enter your user password to proceed.

The interface displays a progress window showing download and installation status. Watch as Pamac downloads Chromium and its dependencies, extracts files, and configures the installation.

A notification appears when installation completes successfully. The notification confirms Chromium is ready to use and lists any optional dependencies you might want to install.

Advantages of GUI Method

The graphical installation method excels in user-friendliness. No terminal commands or syntax memorization is required. Visual feedback throughout the installation process reduces anxiety for new Linux users.

Package browsing becomes easier with descriptions, screenshots, and user reviews visible directly in the interface. Related packages and optional dependencies appear with one-click installation options.

Error messages display in plain language rather than command-line output, making troubleshooting more accessible. The GUI approach reduces the intimidation factor for users transitioning from Windows or macOS.

Launching Chromium Browser on Manjaro

After installation, Chromium becomes accessible through multiple methods suited to different workflows.

From Application Menu

Navigate to your desktop environment’s application launcher. Chromium typically appears in the “Internet,” “Network,” or “Web Browsers” category. KDE Plasma users find it under “Applications → Internet.” GNOME users locate it in the Activities overview or application grid.

Click the Chromium icon to launch the browser. The first startup takes slightly longer as Chromium creates initial configuration files and user profiles.

Use your desktop environment’s search functionality for quicker access. Press the Super key and type “chromium” to find and launch the browser immediately.

From Terminal

Launch Chromium directly from the terminal:

chromium

The browser window opens while the terminal displays status messages and potential warnings. This method helps diagnose issues since error messages appear in the terminal.

Launch Chromium in the background to free up your terminal:

chromium &

The ampersand symbol runs Chromium as a background process, returning control to your terminal prompt immediately.

Start Chromium with specific flags for testing or customization:

chromium --incognito

This example launches Chromium directly in incognito mode. Numerous command-line flags enable advanced configurations.

First Launch Configuration

Chromium presents a welcome screen during its first launch, offering to import bookmarks and settings from other browsers. Choose whether to import data or start fresh.

The setup wizard asks if you want to set Chromium as your default browser. Make your selection based on your preferences. You can change this setting later through system settings or Chromium’s preferences.

Configure initial privacy settings during setup. Chromium asks about usage statistics (disable this for maximum privacy), password saving preferences, and sync options. Unlike Chrome, Chromium’s sync functionality is limited without additional configuration.

Configuring Chromium for Optimal Performance

Post-installation configuration enhances your browsing experience and optimizes Chromium for your specific needs.

Essential Settings After Installation

Navigate to Settings by clicking the three-dot menu icon and selecting “Settings” or pressing Alt+E followed by S. Review privacy and security configurations under “Privacy and security” in the left sidebar.

Enable “Do Not Track” requests to ask websites not to track your browsing. Configure site permissions for camera, microphone, location, and notifications based on your privacy preferences.

Under “Privacy and security,” enable “Always use secure connections” to force HTTPS whenever possible. Clear browsing data on exit if you want maximum privacy, though this logs you out of websites.

Manage extensions by clicking the puzzle piece icon or visiting chrome://extensions. Remove unnecessary extensions to improve performance and reduce security risks. Each extension consumes memory and potentially slows down browsing.

Sync options in Chromium differ from Chrome since you can’t sign in with a Google account. Consider third-party sync solutions or use Firefox Sync if you need cross-device synchronization.

Hardware acceleration settings appear under “System” in Settings. Enable “Use hardware acceleration when available” for smoother video playback and better graphics performance. Disable this option if you experience display glitches.

Memory management tweaks help on systems with limited RAM. Enable “Memory Saver” mode to automatically free up memory from inactive tabs. This feature suspends tabs you haven’t used recently, reducing memory consumption.

Recommended Extensions for Privacy

Install uBlock Origin for comprehensive ad and tracker blocking. This efficient extension blocks advertisements, trackers, and malware domains while consuming minimal resources. Install it from the Chrome Web Store.

Privacy Badger automatically learns to block invisible trackers based on their behavior. Developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), it complements uBlock Origin by using algorithmic tracking detection.

HTTPS Everywhere automatically redirects to secure HTTPS versions of websites when available, protecting your data from interception. While modern browsers increasingly force HTTPS by default, this extension provides additional protection.

Consider DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials for search privacy, tracker blocking, and privacy grades for websites. It provides a comprehensive privacy toolkit in a single extension.

Popular productivity extensions like LastPass or Bitwarden enhance password management, while Grammarly improves writing quality, and Pocket saves articles for later reading.

Customizing Appearance

Transform Chromium’s look through themes from the Chrome Web Store. Browse thousands of themes covering various aesthetics from minimalist to vibrant designs. Install themes by clicking “Add to Chromium” on theme pages.

Access advanced flags for experimental features by visiting chrome://flags in the address bar. These settings enable features not yet ready for general release. Use caution as experimental features may cause instability.

Enable dark mode through Settings → Appearance → Theme. Choose “Dark” for a darker interface that reduces eye strain in low-light environments. Dark mode also conserves battery life on laptops with OLED displays.

Customize the new tab page by clicking the “Customize Chrome” button on new tabs. Add shortcuts to frequently visited websites, change the background image, and configure which information displays.

Updating Chromium on Manjaro

Regular updates ensure Chromium remains secure and includes the latest features and bug fixes.

Updating via Pacman

Update Chromium alongside other system packages:

sudo pacman -Syu

This command synchronizes repositories and updates all packages with available updates, including Chromium. Run this command weekly or whenever security updates release.

Update only Chromium specifically:

sudo pacman -S chromium

Pacman checks if a newer version exists and installs it if available. This targeted approach updates only the specified package without affecting other system components.

Check for available updates without installing:

sudo pacman -Sy && pacman -Qu | grep chromium

This command refreshes package databases and lists available updates for Chromium specifically.

Updating Snap Version

Snap automatically updates Chromium in the background without user intervention. The snapd service checks for updates multiple times daily and applies them automatically.

Force an immediate update check:

sudo snap refresh chromium

This command manually triggers an update check and installation if a newer version exists. Use this when you need immediate access to security patches.

Configure update frequency by adjusting Snap settings, though automatic updates generally provide the best security posture.

Checking for Updates in GUI

Launch Pamac and click the refresh icon or “Check for Updates” button. Pamac scans repositories for available updates and lists packages with newer versions available.

Select Chromium from the update list and click “Apply” to update only the browser. Alternatively, click “Update All” to update all packages simultaneously.

Enable update notifications in Pamac settings to receive desktop notifications when updates become available. This feature helps you stay current without manually checking for updates.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

Even straightforward installations occasionally encounter problems. These solutions address the most common Chromium issues on Manjaro.

Issue 1: Chromium Won’t Launch

If Chromium fails to start, check for missing dependencies. Run:

chromium 2>&1 | grep error

This command launches Chromium and filters output for error messages. Missing library errors indicate dependency problems.

Resolve dependency issues by reinstalling Chromium:

sudo pacman -S chromium --needed

The --needed flag reinstalls Chromium and verifies all dependencies are present.

Corrupt user profiles sometimes prevent launching. Rename your Chromium profile directory to create a fresh profile:

mv ~/.config/chromium ~/.config/chromium.backup

Launch Chromium again. If it works, your profile was corrupted. Import bookmarks and settings from the backup directory manually.

Permission issues occasionally prevent Chromium from accessing necessary files. Fix ownership:

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ~/.config/chromium

This command ensures your user account owns all Chromium configuration files.

Issue 2: Video Playback Problems

Chromium lacks proprietary codecs by default, causing video playback failures on sites using H.264, MP4, or AAC formats. Install additional codec packages:

sudo pacman -S chromium-ffmpeg-codecs

This package provides enhanced codec support for Chromium, enabling playback of more video formats.

For DRM-protected content like Netflix, install Widevine:

sudo pacman -S libva-mesa-driver mesa-vdpau libvdpau-va-gl

These packages enable hardware-accelerated video decoding and DRM support. Restart Chromium after installation.

Some streaming services require specific user agent strings. Install the User-Agent Switcher extension to masquerade as Chrome if services explicitly block Chromium.

Issue 3: Sync Not Working

Chromium lacks native Google account sync since it doesn’t include Google’s proprietary sync infrastructure. Third-party sync solutions provide alternatives.

Use Floccus for bookmark syncing across devices via WebDAV, Nextcloud, or Google Drive. Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store and configure your sync server.

Consider switching to Firefox if robust cross-device sync is essential. Firefox offers excellent sync capabilities and respects user privacy similarly to Chromium.

Export bookmarks manually through Settings → Bookmarks → Bookmark Manager → Export Bookmarks. Transfer the HTML file to other devices and import through their browsers.

Issue 4: Hardware Acceleration Issues

Verify hardware acceleration status by visiting chrome://gpu in the address bar. The page displays detailed information about GPU features and whether hardware acceleration is active.

Disable hardware acceleration if you experience screen flickering, artifacts, or crashes. Navigate to Settings → System and toggle off “Use hardware acceleration when available.” Restart Chromium.

Update graphics drivers to resolve hardware acceleration problems. For AMD and Intel GPUs:

sudo pacman -S mesa vulkan-radeon vulkan-intel

These packages provide current open-source drivers with proper acceleration support.

Force hardware acceleration through launch flags if it’s disabled by default:

chromium --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder --use-gl=egl

These flags enable VA-API video decoding and EGL rendering for better performance.

Issue 5: Crashes or Freezes

Check system logs for crash information:

journalctl --user -b | grep chromium

This command displays Chromium-related log entries from the current boot session, revealing crash causes.

Disable all extensions temporarily to identify problematic add-ons. Visit chrome://extensions and toggle off each extension. Launch Chromium in a new profile:

chromium --user-data-dir=/tmp/chromium-test

This creates a temporary profile without extensions or custom settings. If crashes stop, an extension or corrupted profile caused the problem.

Profile corruption occurs occasionally. Create a new profile through Settings → Users → Add Person. Transfer bookmarks and settings manually if the new profile works correctly.

Insufficient memory causes freezes and crashes. Check available RAM:

free -h

If memory is consistently low, enable zswap or increase physical RAM. Close unnecessary applications before browsing.

Uninstalling Chromium from Manjaro

Remove Chromium completely when switching browsers or troubleshooting persistent issues.

Removing via Pacman

Uninstall Chromium and its dependencies:

sudo pacman -Rncs chromium

The flags specify removal behavior. -R removes the package, -n skips backup file creation, -c removes unused dependencies, and -s removes dependencies not required by other packages.

This command doesn’t remove configuration files from your home directory. Delete them manually:

rm -rf ~/.config/chromium ~/.cache/chromium

These commands permanently delete Chromium’s configuration and cache directories. Back up bookmarks first if you need them.

Removing Snap Version

Uninstall the Snap package:

sudo snap remove chromium

Snap automatically removes all associated data and revisions. The command completes quickly since Snap maintains internal snapshots.

Remove snapd entirely if you no longer use Snap packages:

sudo pacman -Rncs snapd

This frees disk space and removes the background Snap daemon. Only do this if no other Snap applications are installed.

Removing via Pamac GUI

Launch Pamac and click the “Installed” tab. Search for “chromium” to filter installed packages. Click the Chromium entry and press the “Remove” button. Pamac asks for confirmation before proceeding.

Select whether to remove dependencies no longer needed by other packages. Typically, allow Pamac to remove orphaned dependencies to free disk space.

Manually delete configuration files from your home directory using your file manager. Navigate to ~/.config and delete the chromium folder. Empty the trash to complete removal.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Chromium. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the latest version of the Chromium web browser on Manjaro Linux. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Chromium website.