Customize Your Toolbar: Orion for Linux Beta Update Brings New Features!

A new beta version of Orion for Linux, the WebKitGTK port of Kagi’s web browser, has been released, introducing several feature updates aimed at aligning it more closely with the Apple versions. The latest iteration, Orion Beta v0.4.3, now enables users to customize the toolbar effectively.

Previously, an option to modify the toolbar existed but was essentially non-functional; this has now been rectified. Users can drag items from their current toolbar to a palette for removal, and pull new items from the palette to add them to their toolbar. The arrangement can also be altered by simply dragging items around. There’s even an option to revert to the default toolbar layout.

Additionally, the latest beta includes a functional Find in Page feature for quick text searches within a website, along with easy access to release notes in Orion’s About dialog. More options for ‘website settings’ have been incorporated as well.

In a prior update, v0.4.2, features such as Page Tweaks were introduced, allowing users to enforce dark mode for specific sites, modify font size, disable sticky headers, and erase unwanted elements from pages.

As expected, this update also includes numerous bug fixes, addressing issues like the sidebar and toolbars not hiding in fullscreen mode and a missing lock icon in the address bar. Kagi’s team has mentioned refinements to the GTK4/libadwaita UI, although some design aspects, such as the oversized hamburger menu, remain unchanged.

As Orion for Linux is still in beta, users can expect some instability and bugs. It is recommended to use it alongside a more stable browser, such as Firefox 156.

To install the Orion Beta on Ubuntu, it is available exclusively as a Flatpak app. Users should first ensure they have added Flathub to access the necessary runtime:

sudo apt install flatpakflatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepoflatpak remote-add --if-not-exists orion-beta https://flatpak.orionbrowser.com/orion-beta.flatpakrepoflatpak install orion-beta com.kagi.Orion

Once installed, users can launch Orion Beta from their application grid.