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This article is about the web browser. For the operating system, see ChromeOS. For
other uses, see Chrome (disambiguation).

Google Chrome is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google. It

was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free
software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox.[16] Versions
were later released for Linux, macOS, iOS, and also for Android, where it is
the default browser.[17] The browser is also the main component
of ChromeOS, where it serves as the platform for web applications.

Google Chrome
Google Chrome running on Windows 11

Develo Google
per(s)

Initial Windo Beta / September 2,

release ws XP 2008; 15 years ago

Windo 1.0 / December 11,

ws XP 2008; 14 years ago

macOS Preview / June 4, 2009;

, Linux 14 years ago

macOS Beta / December 8,

, Linux 2009; 13 years ago

Multi- 5.0 / May 25, 2010; 13

platfor years ago
m

Stable release(s) [±]

Windows, 117.0.5938.132[1] / 27
macOS, Linux September 2023; 3 days
ago

Windows 109.0.5414.165[2] /
Server 13 September 2023; 17
2012/2012 R2 days ago

Android 117.0.5938.140[3] / 27
 September 2023; 3 days
ago

iOS 117.0.5938.117[4] / 26
September 2023; 4 days
ago

Extended 116.0.5845.228[5] / 28
Support September 2023; 2 days
Release ago

Preview release(s) [±]

Windows, 118.0.5993.32[6] / 28
macOS, Linux September 2023; 2 days
ago

Android 118.0.5993.32[7] / 28
September 2023; 2 days
ago

iOS 118.0.5993.29[8] / 28
September 2023; 2 days
ago

Written C, C++, Assembly, HTML, Java (

in Android app
only), JavaScript, Python[9][10][11]

Engine Blink (WebKit on iOS), V8

s JavaScript engine

Operat  Android Nougat or

ing later[12]
syste  ChromeOS
m  iOS 15 or later[13]
 Linux
 macOS 10.15 or later
 Windows 10 or later
 Platfor IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7, ARMv8-A
m

Included  Android Nougat or later

with  ChromeOS

Available 47 languages[14]
in

Type Web browser, mobile browser

Licens Proprietary freeware, based on

e open source components[15][note 1]

Website www.google.com/chrome/

Most of Chrome's source code comes from Google's free and open-source
software project Chromium, but Chrome is licensed as proprietary freeware.
[15] WebKit was the original rendering engine, but Google eventually forked it
to create the Blink engine;[18] all Chrome variants except iOS used Blink as of
2017.[19]
As of October 2022, StatCounter estimates that Chrome has a 67%
worldwide browser market share (after peaking at 72.38% in November
2018) on personal computers (PC),[20] is most used on tablets (having
surpassed Safari), and is also dominant on smartphones[21][22] and at 65%
across all platforms combined, making it the most used web browser in the
world today.[23] Because of this success, Google has expanded the "Chrome"
brand name to other products:
ChromeOS, Chromecast, Chromebook, Chromebit, Chromebox,
and Chromebase.
History
See also: History of Google

Google CEO Eric Schmidt opposed the development of an independent web

browser for six years. He stated that "at the time, Google was a small
company", and he did not want to go through "bruising browser wars". After
co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page hired several Mozilla
Firefox developers and built a demonstration of Chrome, Schmidt said that
"It was so good that it essentially forced me to change my mind." [24]
In September 2004, rumors of Google building a web browser first appeared.
Online journals and U.S. newspapers stated at the time that Google was
hiring former Microsoft web developers among others. It also came shortly
after the release of Mozilla Firefox 1.0, which was surging in popularity and
taking market share from Internet Explorer, which had noted security
problems.[25]
Development of the browser began in 2006,[26] spearheaded by Sundar
Pichai.[27] Chrome was "largely developed" in Google's Kitchener office.[28]
Announcement
The release announcement was originally scheduled for September 3, 2008,
and a comic by Scott McCloud was to be sent to journalists and bloggers
explaining the features within the new browser. [29] Copies intended for
Europe were shipped early and German blogger Philipp Lenssen of Google
Blogoscoped made a scanned copy of the 38-page comic available on his
website after receiving it on September 1, 2008. [30][31] Google subsequently
made the comic available on Google Books,[32] and mentioned it on their
official blog along with an explanation for the early release. [33] The product
was named "Chrome" as an initial development project code name, because
it is associated with fast cars and speed. Google kept the development
project name as the final release name, as a "cheeky" or ironic moniker, as
one of the main aims was to minimize the user interface chrome.[34][35]
Public release

An early version of Chromium for Linux, explaining the

difference between Chrome and Chromium

The browser was first publicly released, officially as a beta version,[36] on

September 2, 2008, for Windows XP and newer, and with support for 43
languages, and later as a "stable" public release on December 11, 2008. On
that same day, a CNET news item drew attention to a passage in the Terms
of Service statement for the initial beta release, which seemed to grant to
Google a license to all content transferred via the Chrome browser. [37] This
passage was inherited from the general Google terms of service. [38] Google
responded to this criticism immediately by stating that the language used
was borrowed from other products, and removed this passage from the
Terms of Service.[15]
Chrome quickly gained about 1% usage share.[33][39][40] After the initial
surge, usage share dropped until it hit a low of 0.69% in October 2008. It
then started rising again and by December 2008, Chrome again passed the
1% threshold.[41] In early January 2009, CNET reported that Google planned
to release versions of Chrome for OS X and Linux in the first half of the year.
[42] The first official Chrome OS X and Linux developer previews were
announced on June 4, 2009,[43] with a blog post saying they were missing
many features and were intended for early feedback rather than general use.
[44] In December 2009, Google released beta versions of Chrome for OS X
and Linux.[45][46] Google Chrome 5.0, announced on May 25, 2010, was the
first stable release to support all three platforms. [47]
Chrome was one of the twelve browsers offered
on BrowserChoice.eu to European Economic Area users of Microsoft Windows
in 2010.[48]
Development
Chrome was assembled from 25 different code libraries from Google and
third parties such as Mozilla's Netscape Portable Runtime, Network Security
Services, NPAPI (dropped as of version 45),[49] Skia Graphics Engine, SQLite,
and a number of other open-source projects. [50] The V8 JavaScript virtual
machine was considered a sufficiently important project to be split off (as
was Adobe/Mozilla's Tamarin) and handled by a separate team in Denmark
coordinated by Lars Bak. According to Google, existing implementations
were designed "for small programs, where the performance and interactivity
of the system weren't that important", but web applications such
as Gmail "are using the web browser to the fullest when it comes
to DOM manipulations and JavaScript", and therefore would significantly
benefit from a JavaScript engine that could work faster.
Chrome initially used the WebKit rendering engine to display web pages. In
2013, they forked the WebCore component to create their own layout
engine Blink. Based on WebKit, Blink only uses WebKit's "WebCore"
components, while substituting other components, such as its own multi-
process architecture, in place of WebKit's native implementation. [18] Chrome
is internally tested with unit testing, automated testing of scripted user
actions, fuzz testing, as well as WebKit's layout tests (99% of which Chrome
is claimed to have passed), and against commonly accessed websites inside
the Google index within 20–30 minutes.[32] Google created Gears for
Chrome, which added features for web developers typically relating to the
building of web applications, including offline support. [32] Google phased out
Gears as the same functionality became available in the HTML5 standards.
[51]
In March 2011, Google introduced a new simplified logo to replace the
previous 3D logo that had been used since the project's inception. Google
designer Steve Rura explained the company reasoning for the change:
"Since Chrome is all about making your web experience as easy and clutter-
free as possible, we refreshed the Chrome icon to better represent these
sentiments. A simpler icon embodies the Chrome spirit – to make the web
quicker, lighter, and easier for all."[52]
On January 11, 2011, the Chrome product manager, Mike Jazayeri,
announced that Chrome would remove H.264 video codec support for its
HTML5 player, citing the desire to bring Google Chrome more in line with the
currently available open codecs available in the Chromium project, which
Chrome is based on.[53] Despite this, on November 6, 2012, Google released
a version of Chrome on Windows which added hardware-accelerated H.264
video decoding.[54] In October 2013, Cisco announced that it was open-
sourcing its H.264 codecs and would cover all fees required. [55]
On February 7, 2012, Google launched Google Chrome Beta for Android
4.0 devices.[56] On many new devices with Android 4.1 and later preinstalled,
Chrome is the default browser.[57] In May 2017, Google announced a version
of Chrome for augmented reality and virtual reality devices.[58]
Features
Google Chrome features a minimalistic user interface, with its user-interface
principles later being implemented into other browsers. For example, the
merging of the address bar and search bar into the omnibox or omnibar[59]
[60] Chrome also has a reputation for strong browser performance. [61][62]
Web standards support

The results of the Acid3 test on Google Chrome 4.0

Learn more
This section needs to
be updated. (September 2022)

The first release of Google Chrome passed both the Acid1 and Acid2 tests.
Beginning with version 4.0, Chrome has passed all aspects of the Acid3 test.
[63]
As of May 2011, Chrome has very good support for
JavaScript/ECMAScript according to Ecma International's ECMAScript
standards conformance Test 262[64] (version ES5.1 May 18, 2012). This test
reports as the final score the number of tests a browser failed; hence lower
scores are better. In this test, Chrome version 37 scored 10 failed/11,578
passed. For comparison, Firefox 19 scored 193 failed/11,752 passed and
Internet Explorer 9 has a score of 600+ failed, while Internet Explorer 10 has
a score of 7 failed.
In 2011, on the official CSS 2.1 test suite by standardization
organization W3C, WebKit, the Chrome rendering engine, passes 89.75%
(89.38% out of 99.59% covered) CSS 2.1 tests.[65]
On the HTML5 web standards test, Chrome 41 scores 518 out of 555 points,
placing it ahead of the five most popular desktop browsers. [66][67] Chrome 41
on Android scores 510 out of 555 points.[68][69][70] Chrome 44 scores 526,
only 29 points less than the maximum score.[71]
User interface
Google Chrome logos

2D motif from March 2011 until October 2015

Material Design motif used from September 2014 onward for mobile versions and
October 2015 onward for desktop versions

New Google Chrome logo from 2022. It has increased brightness and clarity
compared to the previous logo.

By default, the main user interface includes back, forward, refresh/cancel

and menu buttons. A home button is not shown by default, but can be added
through the Settings page to take the user to the new tab page or a custom
home page.[72]
Tabs are the main component of Chrome's user interface and have been
moved to the top of the window rather than below the controls. This subtle
change contrasts with many existing tabbed browsers which are based
on windows and contain tabs. Tabs, with their state, can be transferred
seamlessly between window containers by dragging. Each tab has its own
set of controls, including the Omnibox.[32]
The Omnibox is a URL box that combines the functions of both the address
bar and search box. If a user enters the URL of a site previously searched
from, Chrome allows pressing Tab to search the site again directly from the
Omnibox. When a user starts typing in the Omnibox, Chrome provides
suggestions for previously visited sites (based on the URL or in-page text),
popular websites (not necessarily visited before – powered by Google
Instant), and popular searches. Although Instant can be turned off,
suggestions based on previously visited sites cannot be turned off. Chrome
will also autocomplete the URLs of sites visited often.[32] If a user types
keywords into the Omnibox that do not match any previously visited
websites and presses enter, Chrome will conduct the search using the
default search engine.
One of Chrome's differentiating features is the New Tab Page, which can
replace the browser home page and is displayed when a new tab is created.
Originally, this showed thumbnails of the nine most visited websites, along
with frequent searches, recent bookmarks, and recently closed tabs; similar
to Internet Explorer and Firefox with Google Toolbar, or Opera's Speed Dial.
[32] In Google Chrome 2.0, the New Tab Page was updated to allow users to
hide thumbnails they did not want to appear. [73]
Starting in version 3.0, the New Tab Page was revamped to display
thumbnails of the eight most visited websites. The thumbnails could be
rearranged, pinned, and removed. Alternatively, a list of text links could be
displayed instead of thumbnails. It also features a "Recently closed" bar that
shows recently closed tabs and a "tips" section that displays hints and tricks
for using the browser.[74] Starting with Google Chrome 3.0, users can install
themes to alter the appearance of the browser.[75] Many free third-party
themes are provided in an online gallery,[76] accessible through a "Get
themes" button in Chrome's options.[77]
Chrome includes a bookmarks submenu that lists the user's bookmarks,
provides easy access to Chrome's Bookmark Manager, and allows the user to
toggle a bookmarks bar on or off.
On January 2, 2019, Google introduced Native Dark Theme for Chrome
on Windows 10.[78]
In 2023, it was announced that Chrome would be completely revamped,
using Google's Material You design language, the revamp would include
more rounded corners, Chrome colors being swapped out for a similar
dynamic color system introduced in Android 12, a revamped address bar,
new icons and tabs, and a more simplified 3 dot menu. [79]
Built-in tools
Starting with Google Chrome 4.1 the application added a built-in translation
bar using Google Translate. Language translation is currently available for 52
languages.[80] When Chrome detects a foreign language other than the
user's preferred language set during the installation time, it asks the user
whether or not to translate.
Chrome allows users to synchronize their bookmarks, history, and settings
across all devices with the browser installed by sending and receiving data
through a chosen Google Account, which in turn updates all signed-in
instances of Chrome. This can be authenticated either through Google
credentials, or a sync passphrase.

For web developers, Chrome features an element inspector which allows

users to look into the DOM and see what makes up the webpage. [81]
Chrome has special URLs that load application-specific pages instead of
websites or files on disk. Chrome also has a built-in ability to enable
experimental features. Originally called about:labs , the address was
changed to about:flags to make it less obvious to casual users. [82][83]
The desktop edition of Chrome is able to save pages as HTML with assets in
a "_files" subfolder, or as unprocessed HTML-only document. It also offers an
option to save in the MHTML format.[84]
Desktop shortcuts and apps
Chrome allows users to make local desktop shortcuts that open web
applications in the browser. The browser, when opened in this way, contains
none of the regular interface except for the title bar, so as not to "interrupt
anything the user is trying to do". This allows web applications to run
alongside local software (similar to Mozilla Prism and Fluid).[32]
This feature, according to Google, would be enhanced with the Chrome Web
Store, a one-stop web-based web applications directory which opened in
December 2010.[85][86]
In September 2013, Google started making Chrome apps "For your desktop".
This meant offline access, desktop shortcuts, and less dependence on
Chrome—apps launch in a window separate from Chrome, and look more like
native applications.[87]
Chrome Web Store
Main article: Chrome Web Store

Announced on December 7, 2010, the Chrome Web Store allows users to

install web applications as extensions to the browser, although most of these
extensions function simply as links to popular web pages and/or games,
some of the apps like Springpad do provide extra features like offline access.
The themes and extensions have also been tightly integrated into the new
store, allowing users to search the entire catalog of Chrome extras. [88]
The Chrome Web Store was opened on February 11, 2011, with the release
of Google Chrome 9.0.[89]
Extensions
Browser extensions are able to modify Google Chrome. They are supported
by the browser's desktop edition.[90] These extensions are written using web
technologies like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.[91] They are distributed
through Chrome Web Store,[92] initially known as the Google Chrome
Extensions Gallery.[90]
On September 9, 2009, Google enabled extensions by default on Chrome's
developer channel, and provided several sample extensions for testing. [93] In
December, the Google Chrome Extensions Gallery beta began with
approximately 300 extensions.[46][94] It was launched on January 25, 2010,
along with Google Chrome 4.0, containing approximately 1500 extensions.
[95]
In 2014, Google started preventing some Windows users from installing
extensions not hosted on the Chrome Web Store.[96][97] The following year
Google reported a "75% drop in customer support help requests for
uninstalling unwanted extensions" which led them to expand this restriction
to all Windows and Mac users.[98]
Notable examples
See also: Category:Google Chrome extensions
 Adblock Plus[99]
 Adblock for Chrome
 Cut the Rope
 Dropbox
 Evernote Web
 Facebook Messenger[100]
 Ghostery
 Google Maps
 HTTPS Everywhere (discontinued)
 Pandora Radio
 Pixlr Express
 Privacy Badger
 Streamus (discontinued)
 Turn Off the Lights
 TweetDeck
 Stop Tony Meow
 uBlock Origin[101]

Speed
The JavaScript virtual machine used by Chrome, the V8 JavaScript engine,
has features such as dynamic code generation, hidden class transitions,
and precise garbage collection.[32]
In 2008, several websites performed benchmark tests using the SunSpider
JavaScript Benchmark tool as well as Google's own set of computationally
intense benchmarks, which include ray tracing and constraint solving.
[102] They unanimously reported that Chrome performed much faster than all
competitors against which it had been tested, including Safari (for
Windows), Firefox 3.0, Internet Explorer 7, Opera, and Internet Explorer 8.
[103][104][105][61]{[106][107] However, on October 11, 2010, independent tests of
JavaScript performance, Chrome has been scoring just
behind Opera's Presto engine since it was updated in version 10.5. [108]
On September 3, 2008, Mozilla responded by stating that their
own TraceMonkey JavaScript engine (then in beta), was faster than Chrome's
V8 engine in some tests.[109][110][111] John Resig, Mozilla's JavaScript
evangelist, further commented on the performance of different browsers on
Google's own suite, commenting on Chrome's "decimating" of the other
browsers, but he questioned whether Google's suite was representative of
real programs. He stated that Firefox 3.0 performed poorly on recursion-
intensive benchmarks, such as those of Google, because the Mozilla team
had not implemented recursion-tracing yet.[112]
Two weeks after Chrome's launch in 2008, the WebKit team announced a
new JavaScript engine, SquirrelFish Extreme,[113] citing a 36% speed
improvement over Chrome's V8 engine.[114][115][116]
Like most major web browsers, Chrome uses DNS prefetching to speed up
website lookups,[81] as do other browsers like Firefox,[117] Safari,[118] Internet
Explorer (called DNS Pre-resolution),[119] and in Opera as a UserScript (not
built-in).[120]
Chrome formerly used their now-deprecated SPDY protocol instead of
only HTTP[121][122] when communicating with servers that support it, such as
Google services, Facebook, Twitter. SPDY support was removed in Chrome
version 51. This was due to SPDY being replaced by HTTP/2, a standard that
was based upon it.
In November 2019, Google said it was working on several "speed badging"
systems that let visitors know why a page is taking time to show up. The
variations include simple text warnings and more subtle signs that indicate a
site is slow. No date has been given for when the badging system will be
included with the Chrome browser.[123]
Chrome formerly supported a Data Saver feature for making pages load
faster called Lite Mode.[124] Previously, Chrome engineers Addy Osmani and
Scott Little announced Lite Mode would automatically lazy-load images and
iframes for faster page loads.[125] Lite Mode was switched off in Chrome 100,
citing a decrease in mobile data costs for many countries. [126]
Security
See also: Browser security

Chrome periodically retrieves updates of two blacklists (one for phishing and
one for malware), and warns users when they attempt to visit a site flagged
as potentially harmful. This service is also made available for use by others
via a free public API called "Google Safe Browsing API".[32]
Chrome uses a process-allocation model to sandbox tabs.[127] Using
the principle of least privilege, each tab process cannot interact with critical
memory functions (e.g. OS memory, user files) or other tab processes –
similar to Microsoft's "Protected Mode" used by Internet Explorer 9 or
greater. The Sandbox Team is said to have "taken this existing process
boundary and made it into a jail". This enforces a computer security
model whereby there are two levels of multilevel security (user and sandbox)
and the sandbox can only respond to communication requests initiated by
the user.[128] On Linux sandboxing uses the seccomp mode.[129][130]
In January 2015, TorrentFreak reported that using Chrome when connected
to the internet using a VPN can be a serious security issue due to the
browser's support for WebRTC.[131]
On September 9, 2016, it was reported that starting with Chrome 56, users
will be warned when they visit insecure HTTP websites to encourage more
sites to make the transition to HTTPS.[132]
On December 4, 2018, Google announced its Chrome 71 release with new
security features, including a built-in ad featuring system. In addition, Google
also announced its plan to crack down on websites that make people
involuntarily subscribe to mobile subscription plans. [133]
On September 2, 2020, with the release of Chrome 85, Google extended
support for Secure DNS in Chrome for Android. DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), was
designed to improve safety and privacy while browsing the web. Under the
update, Chrome automatically switches to DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), if the
current DNS provider supports the feature.[134]
Password management
Windows
Since 2008, Chrome has been faulted for not including a master password to
prevent casual access to a user's passwords. Chrome developers have
indicated that a master password does not provide real security against
determined hackers and have refused to implement one. Bugs filed on this
issue have been marked "WontFix".[135][136] As of February 2014, Google
Chrome asks the user to enter the Windows account password before
showing saved passwords.[137]
Linux
On Linux, Google Chrome/Chromium can store passwords in three
ways: GNOME Keyring, KWallet or plain text. Google Chrome/Chromium
chooses which store to use automatically, based on the desktop
environment in use.[138] Passwords stored in GNOME Keyring or KWallet are
encrypted on disk, and access to them is controlled by dedicated daemon
software. Passwords stored in plain text are not encrypted. Because of this,
when either GNOME Keyring or KWallet is in use, any unencrypted passwords
that have been stored previously are automatically moved into the
encrypted store. Support for using GNOME Keyring and KWallet was added in
version 6, but using these (when available) was not made the default mode
until version 12.
macOS
As of version 45, the Google Chrome password manager is no longer
integrated with Keychain, since the interoperability goal is no longer
possible.[139]
Security vulnerabilities
No security vulnerabilities in Chrome were exploited in the three years
of Pwn2Own from 2009 to 2011.[140] At Pwn2Own 2012, Chrome was
defeated by a French team who used zero day exploits in the version of Flash
shipped with Chrome to take complete control of a fully patched 64-
bit Windows 7 PC using a booby-trapped website that overcame Chrome's
sandboxing.[141]
Chrome was compromised twice at the 2012 CanSecWest Pwnium.[141][142]
[143] Google's official response to the exploits was delivered by Jason Kersey,
who congratulated the researchers, noting "We also believe that both
submissions are works of art and deserve wider sharing and
recognition."[144] Fixes for these vulnerabilities were deployed within 10
hours of the submission.[145][146]
A significant number of security vulnerabilities in Chrome occurred in
the Adobe Flash Player. For example, the 2016 Pwn2Own successful attack
on Chrome relied on four security vulnerabilities. Two of the vulnerabilities
were in Flash, one was in Chrome, and one was in the Windows kernel. [147] In
2016, Google announced that it was planning to phase out Flash Player in
Chrome, starting in version 53. The first phase of the plan was to disable
Flash for ads and "background analytics", with the ultimate goal of disabling
it completely by the end of the year, except on specific sites that Google has
deemed to be broken without it. Flash would then be re-enabled with the
exclusion of ads and background analytics on a site-by-site basis. [148]
Leaked documents published by WikiLeaks, codenamed Vault 7 and dated
from 2013 to 2016, detail the capabilities of the CIA, such as the ability to
compromise web browsers (including Google Chrome). [149][150]
Malware blocking and ad blocking
Google introduced download scanning protection in Chrome 17. [151] In
February 2018, Google introduced an ad blocking feature based on
recommendations from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Sites that employ
invasive ads are given a 30-day warning, after which their ads will be
blocked.[152] Consumer Reports recommended users install dedicated ad-
blocking tools instead, which offer increased security against malware and
tracking.[153]
Plugins
 Chrome supported, up to version 45, plug-ins with the Netscape Plugin
Application Programming Interface (NPAPI),[154] so that plug-ins (for
example Adobe Flash Player) run as unrestricted separate processes outside
the browser and cannot be sandboxed as tabs are. ActiveX is not supported.
[154] Since 2010, Adobe Flash has been integral to Chrome and does not need
be installed separately. Flash is kept up to date as part of Chrome's own
updates.[155] Java applet support was available in Chrome with Java 6 update
12 and above.[156] Support for Java under OS X was provided by a Java
Update released on May 18, 2010.[157]
 On August 12, 2009, Google introduced a replacement for NPAPI that is more
portable and more secure[158] called Pepper Plugin API (PPAPI).[159] The
default bundled PPAPI Flash Player (or Pepper-based Flash Player) was
available on ChromeOS first, then replaced the NPAPI Flash Player on Linux
from Chrome version 20, on Windows from version 21 (which also reduced
Flash crashes by 20%),[160] and eventually came to OS X at version 23. [161]
 On September 23, 2013, Google announced that it would be deprecating and
then removing NPAPI support. NPAPI support was removed from Linux in
 Chrome release 35.[162] NPAPI plugins like Java can no longer work in Chrome
(but there are workarounds for Flash by using PPAPI Flash Player on Linux
including for Chromium).[163]
 On April 14, 2015, Google released Chrome v42, disabling the NPAPI by
default. This makes plugins that do not have a PPAPI plugin counterpart
incompatible with Chrome, such as Java, Silverlight and Unity. However,
NPAPI support could be enabled through the chrome://flags menu, until the
release of version 45 on September 1, 2015, that removed NPAPI support
entirely.[164]

Privacy
Incognito mode
"Incognito mode" redirects here. For other uses, see Incognito.

Google Chrome Incognito mode message

The private browsing feature called Incognito mode prevents the browser
from locally storing any history information, cookies, site data, or form
inputs.[165] Downloaded files and bookmarks will be stored. In addition, user
activity is not hidden from visited websites or the Internet service provider.
[166]
Incognito mode is similar to the private browsing feature in other web
browsers. It does not prevent saving in all windows: "You can switch between
an incognito window and any regular windows you have open. You'll only be
in incognito mode when you're using the incognito window". [167]
The iOS version of Chrome also supports the optional ability to lock incognito
tabs with Face ID, Touch ID or the device's passcode. [168]
Listening capabilities
In June 2015, the Debian developer community discovered that Chromium 43
and Chrome 43 were programmed to download the Hotword Shared Module,
which could enable the OK Google voice recognition extension, although by
default it was "off". This raised privacy concerns in the media. [169][170] The
module was removed in Chrome 45, which was released on September 1,
2015, and was only present in Chrome 43 and 44.[171][172]
User tracking concerns
Chrome sends details about its users and their activities to Google through
both optional and non-optional user tracking mechanisms. [173][174]
Some of the tracking mechanisms can be optionally enabled and disabled
through the installation interface[175] and through the browser's options
dialog.[176] Unofficial builds, such as SRWare Iron, seek to remove these
features from the browser altogether.[177] The RLZ feature is not included in
the Chromium browser either.[178]
In March 2010, Google devised a new method to collect installation statistics:
the unique ID token included with Chrome is now used for only the first
connection that Google Update makes to its server. [179]
The optional suggestion service included in Google Chrome has been
criticized because it provides the information typed into the Omnibox to the
search provider before the user even hits return. This allows the search
engine to provide URL suggestions, but also provides them with web use
information tied to an IP address.[180]
Chrome previously was able to suggest similar pages when a page could not
be found. For this, in some cases Google servers were contacted. [181] The
feature has since been removed.[citation needed]
A 2019 review by Washington Post technology columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler
found that in a typical week of browsing, Chrome allowed thousands of more
cookies to be stored than Mozilla Firefox. Fowler pointed out that because of
its advertising businesses, despite the privacy controls it offers users, Google
is a major producer of third-party cookies and has a financial interest in
collecting user data; he recommended switching to Firefox, Apple Safari, or
Chromium-based Brave.[182]

Tracking methods

O
pt
Information Optio
Method[17 When -
7] sent nal?
in
?

Installat Randomly
ion generated token
included in an
installer; used On
to measure the installat No —
success rate of ion
Google Chrome
once at
installation[183]

RLZ Encoded strin  O Partial No

identifie g, according to n [note
r[184] G 2]
Google,
oo [183]
contains non-
gl
identifying e
information on se
where Chrome ar
was ch
downloaded qu
er
from and its
y
installation
week; it is used  O
to measure n
promotional fir
st
campaigns;
la
[183] Google
un
provides source ch
code to decode an
this string[178] d
fir
Can be st
disabled in us
ChromeOS. e
[183] For of
Chrome ad
browsers dr
running in es
s
all other
ba
operating r[1
systems: 83]
[183]
 Deskt
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e can
avoid
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oading
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er
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e.
 Mobile
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 alway
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first
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.

clientID[ Unique
176] identifier along
with user
Yes[18 Ye
preferences, Unknown
5] s
logs of use
metrics and
crashes

Omnibo Text typed into

x the address
predicti bar is sent to
ons[176] the user's
search engine
when not in
While
incognito mode. Yes No
typing
When in
incognito mode,
the suggestions
are created on-
device instead.
[183]

Google Information
Update about how
often Chrome is Partial
Periodicall [note
used, details No
y 3]
about the OS [186]
and Chrome
version

FLoC
Main article: Federated Learning of Cohorts

In January 2021, Google stated it was making progress on developing

privacy-friendly alternatives which would replace third-party cookies
currently being used by advertisers and companies to track browsing habits.
Google then promised to phase out the use of cookies in their web-browser
in 2022, implementing their FLoC technology instead. The announcement
triggered antitrust concerns from multiple countries for abusing the Chrome
browser's market monopoly, with the U.K.'s Competition and Markets
Authority and the European Commission both opening formal probes.[187][188]
[189][190] The FLoC proposal also drew criticism from DuckDuckGo, Brave, and
the Electronic Frontier Foundation for misrepresenting its ability to track
users online.[191][192][193][194]
On January 25, 2022, Google announced it had killed off development of its
FLoC technologies and proposed the new Topics API to replace it. Topics is
similarly intended to replace cookies, using one's weekly web
activity[clarification needed] to determine a set of five interests. Topics is
supposed to[clarification needed] refresh every three weeks, changing the type of
ads served to the user and not retaining the gathered data. [195][196]
Do Not Track
In February 2012, Google announced that Chrome would implement the Do
Not Track (DNT) standard to inform websites the user's desire not to be
tracked. The protocol was implemented in version 23. In line with the W3's
draft standard for DNT,[197] it is turned off by default in Chrome.[198]
Stability

Screenshot of a Chrome browser crash

A multi-process architecture is implemented in Chrome where, by default, a

separate process is allocated to each site instance and plugin. [199] This
procedure is termed process isolation,[200] and raises security and stability
by preventing tasks from interfering with each other. An attacker
successfully gaining access to one application gains access to no others,
[201] and failure in one instance results in a Sad Tab screen of death, similar
to the well-known Sad Mac, but only one tab crashes instead of the whole
application. This strategy exacts a fixed per-process cost up front, but results
in less memory bloat over time as fragmentation is confined to each instance
and no longer needs further memory allocations. [32] This architecture was
later adopted in Safari[202] and Firefox.[203]
Chrome includes a process management utility called Task Manager which
lets users see what sites and plugins are using the
most memory, downloading the most bytes and overusing the CPU and
provides the ability to terminate them.[204] Chrome Version 23 ensures its
users an improved battery life for the systems supporting Chrome's GPU
accelerated video decoding.[205][54]
Release channels, cycles and updates
The first production release on December 11, 2008 marked the end of the
initial Beta test period and the beginning of production. Shortly thereafter,
on January 8, 2009, Google announced an updated release system with three
channels: Stable (corresponding to the traditional production), Beta, and
Developer preview (also called the "Dev" channel). Where there were before
only two channels: Beta and Developer, now there were three. Concurrently,
all Developer channel users were moved to the Beta channel along with the
promoted Developer release. Google explained that now the Developer
channel builds would be less stable and polished than those from the initial
Google Chrome's Beta period. Beta users could opt back to the Developer
channel as desired.

Each channel has its own release cycle and stability level. The Stable
channel updated roughly quarterly, with features and fixes that passed
"thorough" testing in the Beta channel. Beta updated roughly monthly, with
"stable and complete" features migrated from the Developer channel. The
Developer channel updated once or twice per week and was where ideas and
features were first publicly exposed "(and sometimes fail) and can be very
unstable at times". [Quoted remarks from Google's policy announcements.]
[206][207][208]

Google Chrome Canary application icon

On July 22, 2010, Google announced it would ramp up the speed at which it
releases new stable versions; the release cycles were shortened from
quarterly to six weeks for major Stable updates.[209] Beta channel releases
now come roughly at the same rate as Stable releases, though
approximately one month in advance, while Dev channel releases appear
roughly once or twice weekly, allowing time for basic release-critical testing.
[210] This faster release cycle also brought a fourth channel: the "Canary"
channel, updated daily from a build produced at 09:00 UTC from the most
stable of the last 40 revisions.[211] The name refers to the practice of using
canaries in coal mines, so if a change "kills" Chrome Canary, it will be
blocked from migrating down to the Developer channel, at least until fixed in
a subsequent Canary build.[212] Canary is "the most bleeding-edge official
version of Chrome and somewhat of a mix between Chrome dev and the
Chromium snapshot builds". Canary releases run side by side with any other
channel; it is not linked to the other Google Chrome installation and can
therefore run different synchronization profiles, themes, and browser
preferences. This ensures that fallback functionality remains even when
some Canary updates may contain release-breaking bugs. [213] It does not
natively include the option to be the default browser, although on Windows
and OS X it can be set through System Preferences. Canary was Windows-
only at first; an OS X version was released on May 3, 2011.[214]
The Chrome beta channel for Android was launched on January 10, 2013; like
Canary, it runs side by side with the stable channel for Android. [215]
[216] Chrome Dev for Android was launched on April 29, 2015. [217]
All Chrome channels are automatically distributed according to their
respective release cycles. The mechanism differs by platform. On Windows,
it uses Google Update, and auto-update can be controlled via Group Policy.
[218] Alternatively, users may download a standalone installer of a version of
Chrome that does not auto-update.[219][220] On OS X, it uses Google Update
Service, and auto-update can be controlled via the OS X "defaults" system.
[221] On Linux, it lets the system's normal package management
system supply the updates. This auto-updating behavior is a key difference
from Chromium, the non-branded open-source browser which forms the core
of Google Chrome. Because Chromium also serves as the pre-
release development trunk for Chrome, its revisions are provided as source
code and buildable snapshots are produced continuously with each
new commit, requiring users to manage their own browser updates. [222]
In March 2021, Google announced that starting with Chrome 94 in the third
quarter of 2021, Google Chrome Stable releases will be made every four
weeks, instead of six weeks as they have been since 2010. Also, Google
announced a new release channel for system administrators and browser
embedders with releases every eight weeks.[223]
Release version numbers
Releases are identified by a four-part version number, e.g. 42.0.2311.90
(Windows Stable release April 14, 2015[224]). The components are
major.minor.build.patch.[225][226]
Major.minor reflects scheduling policy
Build.patch identifies content progression
 Major represents a product release. These are scheduled 7–8 per year, unlike
other software systems where the major version number updates only with
substantial new content.
 Minor is usually 0. References to version 'x' or 'x.0', e.g. 42.0, refer to
this major.minor designation.
 Build is ever increasing. For a release cycle, e.g. 42.0, there are several builds
in the Canary and Developer period. The last build number from Developer is
kept throughout Beta and Stable and is locked with the major.minor for that
release.
 Patch resets with each build, incrementing with each patch. The first patch is
0, but usually the first publicly released patch is somewhat higher. In Beta
and Stable, only patch increments.

Chromium and Chrome release schedules are linked

through Chromium (Major) version Branch Point dates, published annually.
[225]The Branch Points precede the final Chrome Developer build (initial)
release by 4 days (nearly always) and the Chrome Stable initial release by
roughly 53 days.[227]
Example: The version 42 Branch Point was February 20, 2015. [225] Developer
builds stopped advancing at build 2311 with release 42.0.2311.4 on February
24,[228] 4 days later. The first Stable release, 42.0.2311.90, was April 14,
2015,[224] 53 days after the Branch Point.
Color management
Main article: Color management

Chrome supports color management by using the system-provided ICC v2

and v4 support on macOS, and from version 22 supports ICC v2 profiles by
default on other platforms.[229]
Dinosaur Game
Main article: Dinosaur Game

In Chrome, when not connected to the Internet and an error message

displaying "No internet" is shown, on the top, an "8-bit" Tyrannosaurus rex is
shown, but when pressing the space bar on a keyboard, mouse-clicking on it
or tapping it on touch devices, the T-Rex instantly jumps once and dashes
across a cactus-ridden desert, revealing it to be an Easter egg in the form of
a platform game.[230][231][232][233] The game itself is an infinite runner, and
there is no time limit in the game as it progresses faster and periodically
tints to a black background. A school Chromebook administrator can disable
the game.[234]