Browser Setup — Windows to Linux Guide

What This Guide Achieves

Goal	Status
Install Chrome, Edge, or Brave	Done
Fix duplicate repository warnings	Done
Fix missing GPG key errors	Done
Fix i386 architecture warnings	Done

Prerequisites

Any Ubuntu 24.04-based distro
Firefox is pre-installed on many Ubuntu-based desktops, including the tested Zorin setup
Before adding or removing browser repositories, review the clean installation and removal best practices

The Problem (Windows User Perspective)

On Windows, you download a browser installer and run it. On Linux, browsers from Google, Microsoft, and Brave add their own apt repositories to your system so they can auto-update. This sometimes causes duplicate repository entries, missing GPG keys, or architecture warnings. The installations themselves are straightforward — the tricky part is cleaning up the repository mess afterward.

Installing Browsers

Google Chrome

# Download and install
wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

Chrome automatically adds its own apt repository for future updates.

Microsoft Edge

# Add Microsoft's GPG key and repository
wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-edge.gpg > /dev/null
echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-edge.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/edge stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft-edge.list

# Install
sudo apt update
sudo apt install microsoft-edge-stable

Brave Browser

# Add Brave's GPG key and repository
sudo curl -fsSLo /usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg] https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list

# Install
sudo apt update
sudo apt install brave-browser

Fixing Common Repository Issues

Problem: Duplicate Chrome Repository

After installing Chrome, you may see errors like:

Err: https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb stable InRelease
  The following signatures couldn't be verified: NO_PUBKEY 32EE5355A6BC6E42

Cause: Chrome sometimes creates two repository files — an old .list and a new .sources — causing conflicts.

Diagnosis:

ls /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ | grep google

If you see both google-chrome.list AND google-chrome.sources, you have duplicates.

Fix:

# Check what's in each file
cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list
cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.sources

# The .sources file is the modern, correct one — delete the old .list
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list

# Re-add the GPG key
wget -q -O - https://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | \
  sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/google-chrome.gpg

# Verify the .sources file has the signed-by field
cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.sources
# Should include: Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/google-chrome.gpg

# Clean update
sudo apt update

Problem: i386 Architecture Warning

N: Skipping acquire of configured file 'main/binary-i386/Packages' as repository doesn't support architecture 'i386'

Cause: The repository is configured without specifying amd64 architecture, so apt also tries to fetch 32-bit packages.

Fix: Ensure the .sources file includes Architectures: amd64:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.sources

It should look like:

Types: deb
URIs: https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/
Suites: stable
Components: main
Architectures: amd64
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/google-chrome.gpg

Problem: Browsers Won’t Open

If Chrome or Edge refuse to open, try launching from terminal to see the error:

google-chrome
# or
microsoft-edge

Common fixes:

# Fix broken dependencies
sudo apt --fix-broken install

# If sandbox error
google-chrome --no-sandbox

Best Practice: Weekly Updates

Keep all browsers and system packages current:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Run this once a week or set your distro’s Software & Updates → Updates tab to check automatically.

What Didn’t Work (and Why)

Approach Tried	Why It Failed
Having both `.list` and `.sources` repo files for Chrome	Creates duplicate entries — one uses the wrong URL and lacks GPG signing
Ignoring the i386 warning	Harmless but clutters output — better to fix it
`sudo sed` to fix Chrome repo	Doesn’t work reliably since Chrome may have multiple file formats

Verification

# Check for clean output (no warnings or errors)
sudo apt update

# Verify browser versions
google-chrome --version
microsoft-edge --version
brave-browser --version

Complete Removal

# Chrome
sudo apt remove google-chrome-stable
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.*

# Edge
sudo apt remove microsoft-edge-stable
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft-edge.list

# Brave
sudo apt remove brave-browser
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list

APT Repository Issues — Fix duplicate sources and GPG key errors
Package Management Basics — Clean install, update, repository, and uninstall practices
Software Recommendations — Full Windows-to-Linux app mapping