With the ability to run graphical Linux apps using Windows Subsystem for Linux 2, you can test your websites on Linux browsers without having to set up a separate Linux desktop or virtual machine.
Here are some of the best web browsers you can install with WSL 2.
1. Firefox
Despite being overtaken in usage by Google Chrome, Firefox is still very popular in the Linux world for the pro-privacy stance of its developer, the Mozilla Foundation. While the Windows version is easy to download, you can also install the Linux version in Ubuntu.
To install Firefox on Debian-based distros, run:
2. Google Chrome/Chromium
Google Chrome is still the world’s most popular browser, according to Statcounter. It’s not even a close race between Chrome and the second most popular browser, Apple’s Safari.
Chrome runs on a whopping 62 percent among all devices, compared to Safari’s 19 percent. On the desktop alone, Chrome tops out at nearly 65 percent worldwide.
Chrome’s popularity means that if you’re designing a web app, this is your primary market. While you should build an app that works across as many browsers as possible, the vast majority of your users will likely be looking at it through Chrome. That includes Linux users, so it’s worth testing through WSL.
There are two ways you can install the Linux version of Chrome on your Windows machine. You can download the stock version of Chrome through Google’s website, or you can install the open-source version, Chromium, through the package manager.
To install Chrome, just go to the website and download it. By default, it will suggest the Windows version, but you can download an alternate version. Make sure you download the DEB package when prompted.
Download: Google Chrome for Linux
To install Chrome, navigate to the directory where you downloaded it using the cd command. This will be on the Windows side, so you’ll be in the /mnt/c/ hierarchy.
When you get there, use dpkg to install it:
The other way to install the Linux Chrome browser is through Chromium. This is where open-source development happens for Chrome. To install it in WSL Ubuntu, type:
3. Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge is notorious for how its parent company tries to make it the browser of choice over Google’s vastly more popular offering. Microsoft has even claimed Chrome is outdated despite the two browsers being very similar under the hood since they share a rendering engine. If that’s not bad enough, they also support a Linux version.
All joking aside, Microsoft releasing a browser for Linux would have seemed impossible a few short years ago. For any Edge users who are developing a web app or extension for Microsoft Edge, you’ll need to install it on your system for testing.
It might seem strange installing a Linux version of a browser that ships natively with the host OS, but it’s also easy. You just go to the website and download the DEB file and use dpkg, similar to installing Chrome.
Download: Microsoft Edge
4. Dillo
Modern browsers like Firefox, Chrome, and Edge are full-featured behemoths. Dillo takes a different approach, aiming for a minimal footprint. It’s just a browser and nothing more. There’s no way to install plugins that extend its functionality. This may be a downside if you need access to more advanced features.
The upside of this approach is that you know what your browser is doing. There is no native Windows version of this browser available, so you’ll have to use the Linux version unless you want to compile it yourself.
You can install it with this command:
5. Opera
Going from minimal to full-featured again, there’s Opera. Compared to the relative upstarts of Chrome and Edge, Opera is a long-runner, with its first version released in 1995. With a browser that’s pushing 30, it must be doing something right.
Opera’s continuing cult following is due to its cross-platform support. Apart from PCs, everything from cellphones (the pre-smartphones variety) to game consoles support Opera. And yes, there’s a Linux version.
It’s not exactly the same browser as it was in the ’90s, having switched to the Chromium engine used by Chrome and Edge in 2013. It’s got some interesting features that make it worth checking out.
The developers have made privacy a focus of Opera, with built-in access to a VPN, as well as built-in ad and tracker blockers.
For those pining for the days of ChatZilla on Firefox, there’s a built-in chat client that supports Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, VKontakte, and Telegram. You can also share files between devices running Opera. There’s also a cryptocurrency wallet built-in.
Installing Opera is similar to installing Chrome and Edge. You just go to the website and download the DEB file, navigate to the directory you downloaded it to, then run dpkg.
6. Brave
Brave is another browser that’s aiming to compete with the major browsers. Like Dillo, it claims that it’s smaller and faster than Chrome.
Like Opera, Brave advertises itself as a pro-privacy browser, with its own ad and tracker blocker enabled by default. As an alternative to targeted ads, you can earn a cryptocurrency called the Basic Attention Token based on Ethereum by enabling Brave’s own ads in your browser.
You can install the Linux version on WSL by going to the download page for Linux and pasting in some code Brave has provided to install a couple of packages, and adding the repository to APT.
Run the following commands one by one to download the GPG keys:
After you’ve done that, make sure your packages are up to date and install Brave:
Lots of Browsers to Try On WSLg
Whether you’re trying to build a web app or debugging a hot new extension, WSL with Windows 11 gives you options when testing on Linux browsers.
You don’t have to install a VM or try to scrounge up a desktop machine to install Linux. Running graphical apps on WSL ensures that users make the best out of the Linux environment installed within Windows.
