Score:0

How do I install Mozilla Firefox to my PC?

ru flag

When I download Mozilla Firefox, I am unable to install it from the extracted files. I downloaded it from this page: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/exp/firefox/new/

The file (which was zipped/compressed) saved to my Downloads folder and I extracted the file to that folder. But I don't know how to use these files to actually install Firefox to my PC.

I already have Firefox 85.0.1 but this version I downloaded is 95.0.2 and I only downloaded it because I get this error message when I try to stream from Netflix using Firefox. https://help.netflix.com/en/node/109144

I'm using Ubuntu version 20.04.2 LTS. No geek language please - English. I'm just a user.

user535733 avatar
cn flag
Are you asking how to install unpackaged software? Or are you asking how to obtain a packaged version of the latest Firefox? The latter is easier.
ChanganAuto avatar
us flag
If you still have v85 you've been missing a lot of updates. For your own safety you should keep your system updated at all times.
Allan avatar
ru flag
@user535733 I don't know what "packaged" and "unpackaged" mean. I went to the Mozilla Firefox page and clicked "download", thinking I could download and install it. I couldn't see anything in what actually downloaded which would install it. Just icons and text and whatever. May as well be empty.
Allan avatar
ru flag
@ChanganAuto The information I found claimed that Firefox updates automatically. When I tried to update it from the menu, it did not search for updates and no Update button was displayed. But then when I downloaded the latest (?) version from the Mozilla website, the version number was 95.0.2
ChanganAuto avatar
us flag
Firefox is updated alongside everything else in Ubuntu from the official repositories. Just make sure you install the latest system updates.
Allan avatar
ru flag
BTW It seems that Firefox did somehow update to 95.0.2 since I posted this question. The next day, after powering my PC, and then browsing for a few minutes, Firefox suddenly "crashed" and said it needs to "restart" and next thing I had a new version of Firefox. No idea how this happened.
Allan avatar
ru flag
@NOrbert I looked up a few ways of installing. I tried it from the Ubuntu software centre on my desktop menu but it told me I already have the latest version. Before that I tried downloading it from the Mozilla website and extracting the file, but there was no visible way of actually installing it from those files. I didn't think I'd need to resort to terminal commands to do it.
us flag
`I went to the Mozilla Firefox page and clicked download` -- That is the Windows way to install software. In GNU/Linux, you should use the package manager (either CLI or GUI) to install and update software.
Score:7
us flag

You can use Ubuntu's package manager to update the already installed Firefox. Open a terminal, and enter the following commands one by one.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install firefox -y

You can update the whole system with

sudo apt dist-upgrade

Alternatively, if you prefer GUI, use the Update Manager to update apps.


You cannot "install" the version of Firefox you download from the Mozilla website. You can run the executable file inside it, but it is much simpler to use the default version. If you still want to use this method, head over to the manual installation section in the Ubuntu Community Help Webpage.

ChanganAuto avatar
us flag
This is correct, particularly the last paragraph, but overall it misses the point. The commands won't change the OP's situation because Firefox is already installed. The problem is not having installed updates for who know how long... So, it should be `sudo apt upgrade` or `sudo apt full-upgrade` and check for eventual errors the likely will shows up. It's not normal someone still has version 85.
us flag
@ChanganAuto `apt install firefox` should selectively update firefox
mangohost

Post an answer

Most people don’t grasp that asking a lot of questions unlocks learning and improves interpersonal bonding. In Alison’s studies, for example, though people could accurately recall how many questions had been asked in their conversations, they didn’t intuit the link between questions and liking. Across four studies, in which participants were engaged in conversations themselves or read transcripts of others’ conversations, people tended not to realize that question asking would influence—or had influenced—the level of amity between the conversationalists.