Chrome is finally coming to ARM64 Linux devices, years after it turned up on macOS and Windows on Arm.
Google confirmed the impending release (due in Q2 2026) on the Chromium blog and, according to the company: “Launching Chrome for ARM64 Linux devices allows more users to enjoy the seamless integration of Google’s most helpful services into their browser.”
Chromium has long been available for Linux (and a wide variety of other platforms), however, the operating system in ARM64 guise has lagged behind others when it comes to Chrome, which adds Google’s services to the Chromium engine.
At a technical level, the announcement is very much an “about time too.” The lack of an official Chrome build was a puzzling omission and a pain point for administrators of fleets of ARM-based Chromebooks. The ability to sign in to a Google account and have services, settings, and bookmarks follow a user across devices is certainly attractive.
However, the proprietary nature of Chrome is not so appealing for some members of the Linux community, nor is the requirement to have a Google account in order to access many of the search giant’s products. That said, given that Chrome currently has a 73.26 percent market share (according to Statcounter), installing the browser is tempting, even with the familiar Chromium engine behind the scenes.
Google wrote: “This move addresses the growing demand for a browsing experience that combines the benefits of the open-source Chromium project with the Google ecosystem of apps and features.
“This release represents a significant undertaking to ensure that ARM64 Linux users receive the same secure, stable, and rich Chrome experience found on other platforms.”
The lengthy wait is notable, given that the x64 version has long been available and that porting Chrome to other ARM64-based operating systems has presented few technical problems. As one wag in Vulture Central noted, “Someone somewhere ticked a box on a build farm…”
The question, therefore, is, why would Google do this now? A surge in Chromebooks? Or perhaps the company is seeking to take advantage of Windows refugees, offering an escape from Microsoft and its hardware requirements and telemetry gathering. What could be more familiar than Chrome in an otherwise different operating system?
Mr. Frying Pan, meet Mr. Fire. ®