Cannot install Chrome browser

[tomcloyd]

I have searched for previous posts on this topic but nothing turned up.

I have just downloaded the current Ubuntu installation package from https://www.google.com/chrome/next-s...=empty&default browser=0

Trying to install it with QApt, I get this:

Error: cannot satisfy dependencies

The details tab won't copy.

The included files tab is this:

./etc/cron.daily/

./etc/cron.daily/google-chrome

./opt/google/

./opt/google/chrome/CHROME_VERSION_EXTRA

./opt/google/chrome/MEIPreload/manifest.json

./opt/google/chrome/MEIPreload/preloaded_data.pb

./opt/google/chrome/PrivacySandboxAttestationsPreloaded/manifest.json

./opt/google/chrome/PrivacySandboxAttestationsPreloaded/privacy-sandbox-attestations.dat

./opt/google/chrome/WidevineCdm/LICENSE

./opt/google/chrome/WidevineCdm/_platform_specific/linux_x64/

./opt/google/chrome/WidevineCdm/_platform_specific/linux_x64/libwidevinecdm.so

./opt/google/chrome/WidevineCdm/manifest.json

./opt/google/chrome/chrome-management-service

./opt/google/chrome/chrome-sandbox

./opt/google/chrome/chrome_100_percent.pak

./opt/google/chrome/chrome_200_percent.pak

./opt/google/chrome/chrome_crashpad_handler

./opt/google/chrome/cron/google-chrome

./opt/google/chrome/default-app-block

./opt/google/chrome/default_apps/external_extensions.json

./opt/google/chrome/google-chrome

./opt/google/chrome/icudtl.dat

./opt/google/chrome/libEGL.so

./opt/google/chrome/libGLESv2.so

./opt/google/chrome/liboptimization_guide_internal.so

./opt/google/chrome/libqt5_shim.so

./opt/google/chrome/libqt6_shim.so

./opt/google/chrome/libvk_swiftshader.so

./opt/google/chrome/libvulkan.so.1

./opt/google/chrome/locales/af.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/am.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/ar.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/bg.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/bn.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/ca.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/cs.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/da.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/de.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/el.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/en-GB.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/en-US.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/es-419.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/es.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/et.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/fa.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/fi.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/fil.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/fr.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/gu.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/he.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/hi.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/hr.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/hu.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/id.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/it.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/ja.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/kn.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/ko.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/lt.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/lv.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/ml.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/mr.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/ms.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/nb.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/nl.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/pl.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/pt-BR.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/pt-PT.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/ro.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/ru.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/sk.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/sl.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/sr.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/sv.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/sw.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/ta.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/te.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/th.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/tr.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/uk.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/ur.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/vi.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/zh-CN.pak

./opt/google/chrome/locales/zh-TW.pak

./opt/google/chrome/product_logo_128.png

./opt/google/chrome/product_logo_16.png

./opt/google/chrome/product_logo_24.png

./opt/google/chrome/product_logo_256.png

./opt/google/chrome/product_logo_32.png

./opt/google/chrome/product_logo_32.xpm

./opt/google/chrome/product_logo_48.png

./opt/google/chrome/product_logo_64.png

./opt/google/chrome/resources.pak

./opt/google/chrome/v8_context_snapshot.bin

./opt/google/chrome/vk_swiftshader_icd.json

./opt/google/chrome/xdg-mime

./opt/google/chrome/xdg-settings

./usr/bin/

./usr/bin/google-chrome-stable

./usr/share/appdata/

./usr/share/appdata/google-chrome.appdata.xml

./usr/share/applications/google-chrome.desktop

./usr/share/doc/google-chrome-stable/

./usr/share/doc/google-chrome-stable/changelog.gz

./usr/share/gnome-control-center/default-apps/

./usr/share/gnome-control-center/default-apps/google-chrome.xml

./usr/share/man/man1/

./usr/share/man/man1/google-chrome-stable.1.gz

./usr/share/man/man1/google-chrome.1.gz

./usr/share/menu/google-chrome.menu

Every recent attempt to install this package has had the same result.

I don't know what to do at this point. Suggestions?

[jlittle]

You could try the flatpak:

flatpak install chrome

I chose 'flathub' (user) and app/com.google.Chrome/x86_64/stable, and it worked. The advantage of packaging methods like flatpaks and snaps etc. is avoiding dependency issues like you've hit.

[tomcloyd]

Well, that makes perfect sense. Wish it had occurred to me!

However, it doesn't work for me, and I don't underatand why:

tomc@tom-galagopro:~$ flatpak install chrome
Looking for matches…
F: An error was encountered searching remote ‘flathub’ for ‘chrome’: Unable to load summary from remote flathub: Signature made Tue 04 Feb 2025 03:14:42 PM PST using RSA key ID 562702E9E3ED7EE8
Can't check signature: public key not found
error: No remote refs found for ‘chrome’
tomc@tom-galagopro:~$​

I then thought to try installing the download package with apt:

[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#000000]sudo apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][sudo] password for tomc: [/COLOR]
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
Note, selecting 'google-chrome-stable' instead of './google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb'
The following NEW packages will be installed:
google-chrome-stable
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 7 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B/114 MB of archives.
After this operation, 372 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 /home/tomc/software_archive/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb google-chrome-stable amd64 133.0.6943.53-1 [114 MB]
Selecting previously unselected package google-chrome-stable.
(Reading database ... 356306 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking google-chrome-stable (133.0.6943.53-1) ...
Setting up google-chrome-stable (133.0.6943.53-1) ...
update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/google-chrome-stable to provide /usr/bin/google-chrome (google-chrome) in auto mode
Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.36.0-1.1ubuntu3) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.12.0-4build2) ...
Processing triggers for mailcap (3.70+nmu1ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.27-2build1) ...
[COLOR=#b26818]N: [/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]Download is performed unsandboxed as root as file '/home/tomc/software_archive/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb' couldn't be accessed by user '_apt'. - pkgAcquire::Run (13: Permission denied) [/COLOR]
[COLOR=#54ff54][B]tomc@tom-galagopro[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]:[/COLOR][COLOR=#5454ff][B]~/software_archive[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]$[/COLOR][/FONT]

I am once again clueless as to how to move forward with this.

[claydoh]

Don't use qapt it is crap and bit-rotting, use Discover -- right click on the deb and use the "Open With" option.
But:
The error warning you get for using apt is weird. But it seems like the package was still installed.
The message seems to indicate that apt (and the system account "_apt") doesn't like the permissions/ownership of the directory the file is in, I think. Maybe another temp or caching directory? So it used 'root' user instead.
if this were from normal apt installs from the archives and not a standalone deb file, the fix for this error is easily found. Being a local folder on the user's home dir, not so sure.



For flatpak, you need to add a source repo -- that *should* be a button in Discover's settings area, something like "add flathub" or similar.