Windows 11, 10
How to install, update and remove Chromium, on Windows?
About updates: your settings, bookmarks, extensions, history, passwords, cookies... will be saved. Do not worry!
For automated updates, choose one of the Chromium #updaters
Installer
- Download the EXE executable file (This is a 7-zip self-extracting archive. So you can unzip it to see its content)
- Close Chromium browser if opened
- Execute this EXE file
- Wait for 2 or 3 seconds (Installation is silent)
- Open Chromium browser. It is updated!
- To remove it definitively: use the standard way (or a software like Bulk Crap Uninstaller, Geek Uninstaller, Revo Uninstaller, Ccleaner...)
Archive
- Download the ZIP archive file
- Close Chromium browser if opened
- Unzip this ZIP file
- Delete all the files from your installation directory
- Move the files from the unzipped directory to your installation directory
- Open Chromium browser. It is updated!
- To remove it definitively: delete your installation directory
Portable
Note: Chromium has #secure-preferences feature based on the machine SID. So extensions, certificates and passwords are not portable. The best way to migrate your data is to synchronize them.
- Download and unzip "chrlauncher-xxxxxxx.zip"
- Execute chrlauncher.exe (chrlauncher is a free and open-source Chromium launcher/updater)
- Close Chromium browser if a notification displays a new version
- Click on the "Download" button
- Wait for download and automatic installation
- Open Chromium browser. It is updated!
- To remove it definitively: delete the chrlauncher folder
Package
- Install Chocolatey (A free and open-source package manager) in command-line
- Chromium will be automatically updated via Chocolatey (using our API)
- To remove it definitively: use the "uninstall" command-line via Chocolatey
Windows 8.1, 8, 7, XP, Vista... and old versions
Since version 110, Chromium is not available on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, Server 2012 and Server 2012 R2 (Archive: 1)
For help, version 109 works fine. The last stable version for them is 109.0.5414.120
- installer, archive (win64 • stable)
- installer, archive (win32 • stable)
- installer, archive (win64 • stable • ungoogled)
- Thorium releases for Windows 7/8: installer, archive (win32/win64 • stable)
Since version 89, Chromium needs a CPU with SSE3 support (Archive: PDF)
For help, version 88 works fine on older CPU processors. The last stable version is 88.0.4324.190
- installer, archive (win32 • stable)
- installer, archive (win32/win64 • stable • ungoogled)
Since version 50, Chromium is not available on XP and Vista (Archive: 1)
For help, version 49 works fine. The last stable version for Windows XP and Vista is 49.0.2623.112
- installer, archive (win32 • stable • archived source)
- portable (win32 • stable)
- Other old versions: portable (win32 • dev)
Since version 35, Chromium needs a CPU with SSE2 support (Archive: 1)
For help, version 34 works fine on older CPU processors.
- portable (win32 • dev)
- builds before 253860 (win32 • dev)
Chromium for 64-bit Windows
Reference: Google Chrome 131.0.6778.85/86 • 8 days agoPortable • Archive • Installer • Package →
Info:
131.0.6778.86 (1368529) • 7 days ago
Info:
- sha1: bcd4185285aeef3ff18fce0e756880861c0fd8de
.(virus?) - chrome.sync.7z - sha1: 8e7021167937e7c8eefa247fc3b55da296eb2a54
.(virus?) - mini_installer.sync.exe - Portable: The free and open-source chrlauncher tool is used to install, update and launch Chromium.
- Package: The free and open-source Chocolatey tool is used to install, update and launch Chromium.
- List of changes
- Previous versions (win64)
- Source: Github repository
Portable • Archive • Installer
Standard build of Eloston's ungoogled-chromium. All patches applied apart from "Safe Browser".
Info:
131.0.6778.93 (1368529) • 4 days ago
Standard build of Eloston's ungoogled-chromium. All patches applied apart from "Safe Browser".
Info:
- sha1: 30784e092c486a91a6ceaf3427c8fafb625b7ca4
.(virus?) - ungoogled-chromium-131.0.6778.93-1_Win64.7z - sha1: f7453dc8e146fdb67e62fe6b8313159ca8e0847a
.(virus?) - 131.0.6778.93_ungoogled_mini_installer.exe - Portable: The free and open-source chrlauncher tool is used to install, update and launch Chromium.
- Previous versions (win64)
- Source: Github repository
Chromium for 64-bit Windows on Arm
Reference: Google Chrome 131.0.6778.85/86 • 8 days ago In collaboration with the Open Source Software group at Arm, we share Chromium for Windows on Arm. (Official announce)
Chromium for 32-bit Windows
Reference: Google Chrome 131.0.6778.85/86 • 8 days agoPortable • Archive • Installer • Package →
Info:
109.0.5414.120 (1070088) • 1 year ago
Info:
- sha1: 0914ccdc66e8ebd58cbad511584bd23a8aea02e8
.(virus?) - chrome.sync.7z - sha1: 2982a6dc966da2ddd3db47464b5f14d091177b7f
.(virus?) - mini_installer.sync.exe - Portable: The free and open-source chrlauncher tool is used to install, update and launch Chromium.
- Package: The free and open-source Chocolatey tool is used to install, update and launch Chromium.
- List of changes
- Previous versions (win32)
- Source: Github repository
Portable • Archive
Standard build of Eloston's ungoogled-chromium. All patches applied apart from "Safe Browser".
Info:
109.0.5414.120 (1070088) • 1 year ago
Standard build of Eloston's ungoogled-chromium. All patches applied apart from "Safe Browser".
Info:
- sha1: 7674d5f744db66f457800caab16b489b1de84ce0
.(virus?) - ungoogled-chromium-109.0.5414.130-1_Win32.7z - Portable: The free and open-source chrlauncher tool is used to install, update and launch Chromium.
- Previous versions (win32)
- Source: Github repository
macOS 10.15+
How to install, update and remove Chromium, on macOS?
About updates: your settings, bookmarks, extensions, history, passwords, cookies... will be saved. Do not worry!
For automated updates, choose one of the Chromium #updaters
Installer
- Download the DMG file
- Close Chromium browser if opened
- Execute this DMG file
- Drag its icon on Applications folder
- You may then "Eject" and throw away this disk image
- To remove it definitively: drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash.
Archive
- Download the ZIP archive file
- Close Chromium browser if opened
- Unzip this ZIP file
- Double click on the unzipped folder to open it
- Drag its icon on Applications folder
- To remove it definitively: drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash
Chromium for 64-bit macOS
Reference: Google Chrome 131.0.6778.85/86 • 8 days agoArchive
Info:
127.0.6533.61 (1313161) • 4 months ago
Info:
- sha1: 99c329a87b7ff538d0e13ad017a52edf5042fa10
.(virus?) - Chromium.app.sync-127.0.6533.61.tar.xz - Use #updaters-on-mac
- List of changes
- Previous versions
- Source: Github repository
Archive
Info:
131.0.6778.93 (1368529) • 1 day ago
Info:
- sha1: 6939afba6a4c92fab5c1c649fdd27cf37117b889
.(virus?) - Chromium.app.ungoogled-131.0.6778.93.tar.xz - Use #updaters-on-mac
- List of changes
- Previous versions (ungoogled)
- Source: Github repository
Chromium for 64-bit macOS on Arm
Reference: Google Chrome 131.0.6778.85/86 • 8 days agoChromium for 32-bit macOS
Since version 39, Chromium and Google Chrome are not available in 32-bit version for macOS.
Linux
How to install, update and remove Chromium, on Linux distributions?
In most cases, Chromium is directly available in the official repository of each Linux distribution. So it is easy to install, update and remove it via the integrated software/package manager or in command-lines.
There are other ways like:
- chromium snap-package (Snap)
- chromium flatpak-package (Flatpak)
- For more, check a list of software package management systems.
Chromium for 64-bit Linux
Reference: Google Chrome 131.0.6778.85 • 8 days agoArchive
Tested under Ubuntu 18+
Info:
131.0.6778.93 (1368529) • 3 days ago
Tested under Ubuntu 18+
Info:
- sha1: d1f86fecc4e4db32f0aac19b2c5368e69979d513
.(virus?) - ungoogled-chromium_131.0.6778.93_1.vaapi_linux.tar.xz - Previous versions (ungoogled)
- Source: Github repository
Binaries →
If you prefer, you can install the Flatpak package of Ungoogled Chromium.
Info:
Available in different repositories
If you prefer, you can install the Flatpak package of Ungoogled Chromium.
Info:
- Website: ungoogled-chromium
- FAQ: ungoogled-chromium-wiki/faq
- Extensions: chromium-web-store
Chromium for 64-bit and 32-bit Linux
Reference: Google Chrome 131.0.6778.85 • 8 days agoArch Linux
Available in the official repository
sudo pacman -S chromium
If you prefer, you can install the Snap package or Flatpak package of Chromium.
Info:
- Chromium at Arch Linux wiki
- Arch Linux is an independent distribution
CentOS
Available in the official repository
To install the stable Chromium version on CentOS 7+:
$ sudo yum -y update
$ sudo yum install -y epel-release
$ sudo yum install -y chromium
$ - requires given Linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged userTo run it:
$ chromium
If you prefer, you can install the Snap package or Flatpak package of Chromium.
Info:
- CentOS is a distribution affiliated with Red Hat (RHEL).
Debian
Available in the official repository
To install the stable Chromium version:
- use the integrated software/package manager
- or use the Snap package (apt://snapd)
- or use the Flatpak package
- or use the gdebi APT tool (apt://gdebi • Deb files)
- or type these commands:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install chromium chromium-l10n
(chromium-l10n is only used for localization and is optional)Info:
- Chromium at Debian wiki and Debian packages
- Debian is an independent distribution
elementary OS
Unavailable in the official repository but you can install it!
Install the Snap package or Flatpak package of Chromium.
Info:
- elementary OS is a distribution based on #ubuntu
Fedora
Available in the official repository (since Chromium v52)
To install the stable Chromium version:
- use the integrated software/package manager
- or alternatively, type these DNF command:
sudo dnf install chromium
If you prefer, you can install the Snap package or Flatpak package of Chromium.
Info:
- Chromium at Fedora package, Fedora rpms, Fedora wiki and Fedora cloud
- Fedora is an independent distribution
Gentoo Linux
Available in the official repository
If you prefer, you can install the Flatpak package of Chromium.
Info:
- Chromium at Gentoo Linux packages
- Gentoo Linux is an independent distribution
Linux Mint
Available in the official repository
To install the stable Chromium version:
- Use the integrated software/package manager
- or type this command (on Linux Mint 20+):
sudo apt install chromium
- or follow this tutorial to install the Snap ("Ubuntu") version of Chromium
- or install the Flatpak package of Chromium.
Info:
- Chromium at Linux Mint Community and Linux Mint's blog
- Linux Mint is a distribution based on #ubuntu and #debian
Mageia
Available in the official repository
Info:
- Chromium at Mageia Application Database
- Mageia is an independent distribution
Manjaro
Available in the official #arch-linux repository
sudo pacman -S chromium
If you prefer, you can install the Snap package or Flatpak package of Chromium.
Info:
- Chromium at Arch Linux wiki
- Manjaro is a distribution based on #arch-linux
openSUSE
Available in the official repository
If you prefer, you can also install the Snap package or Flatpak package of Chromium.
Info:
- Chromium at openSUSE package, openSUSE wiki and RPM resource chromium
- openSUSE is an independent distribution
Puppy Linux
Available in the official repository
Follow the posts at Announcements about LxPup, ScPup, UPups, Chromium, LXQt, Kernels etc.
1) Install it via Menu → Internet → Get Web Browser
2) or download it from the Sourceforge repository
Info:
- Old discussion on the Puppy Linux forum
- Chromium at PuppyLinux wiki
- Puppy Linux is an independent distribution
Solus
Unavailable in the official repository but you can install it!
Install Snappy on Solus (if not installed). Then type this command:
sudo snap install chromium If you prefer, you can install the Flatpak package of Chromium.
Info:
Ubuntu
Unavailable in the official repository (since Ubuntu 19.10+) but you can install it!
To install the stable Chromium version, there are different ways.
The Snap version
- For Ubuntu 19.10+, use the snap package (Deb to snap transition article).
snap install chromium
snap run chromium chromium::snap-package- or type these commands about the Olivier Tilloy's PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:canonical-chromium-builds/stage
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install chromium-browser The "Debian package" version
Type these commands about the Rob Savoury's PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/ffmpeg4
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:savoury1/chromium
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install chromium-browser To add language packages:
sudo apt-get install chromium-browser-l10n To add only the patent-free (ogg, vorbis, theora and av1) codecs:
sudo apt-get install chromium-codecs-ffmpeg
To add the patent-free codecs + mp3, aac, ac3, mpeg4 (audio/h264), mov:
sudo apt-get install chromium-codecs-ffmpeg-extra
If you prefer, you can install the Flatpak package of Chromium.
Info:
- Chromium at Ubuntu packages and Launchpad
- Ubuntu is a distribution based on #debian
BSD
Chromium for 64-bit and 32-bit BSD
Reference: Google Chrome 131.0.6778.85 • 8 days agoFreeBSD
Available in the official repository
Info:
- Chromium at FreeBSD wiki, FreshPorts and FreeBSD source code
- FreeBSD is an independent distribution
OpenBSD
Available in the official repository
Info:
- Chromium at OpenBSD ports and OpenBSD source code
- OpenBSD is an independent distribution
Android 8.0+
Chromium for 64-bit and 32-bit Android
Reference: Google Chrome 131.0.6778.81 • 8 days agoPackage
All Bromite patches applied.
Info:
131.0.6778.95 (1368529) • 2 days ago
All Bromite patches applied.
Info:
- sha1: fda54a46d04949916d5265b6ffe3fcc17f57e9c5
.(virus?) - arm64_ChromePublic_HEVC-131.0.6778.95.apk - List of changes
- Previous versions
- Source: Github repository
iOS
Reference: Google Chrome 131.0.6778.73 • 15 days agoChromium on iOS is a big fake!
Check the official blog post and build instructions to understand that Chromium cannot use the existing content/implementation, which is based on V8/Blink. It is just a skin on top of Safari. Go your way!
Notes
Obviously, you know this site is not the Chromium official website. As a regular user (not an expert), I created it in 2013 because there was no easy way to download good and stable releases of Chromium, on Windows. I try to keep it as safe and fast as possible! ;) This is absolutely a non-profit site. Please, read the privacy policy.In short:
- Since the beginning of the Chromium project until today, there is no binary of stable Chromium shared by the official team.
- The official website is development oriented. Users are invited to download Google Chrome.
- The official download page gives to users only ZIP archives of development builds (also known as "snapshot", "nightly", "vanilla" or "raw" builds) which can be very unstable. Users are invited to download Google's Chrome Canary.
- This site gives to users a choice of builds: development (also on its simplest download page), stable and portable builds.
All downloads are only from reliable sources:
- Google Storage → development builds from the official repository (Chromium buildbot)
- GitHub, AWS and SourceForge → other free and open-source builds
1. Project
Chromium exists since 2008. It is the free and open-source project (#features) behind the famous Google Chrome browser. There are many advantages for an enterprise to work on an open-source project. Intrinsically, Chromium is a Google project maintained by many authors (developers, engineers, graphic designers, security researchers...) from Google, Adobe, Amazon, ARM, Brave, Cloudflare, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Igalia, Intel, Logitech, Microsoft, Mozilla, Nvidia, Opera, Samsung, Vivaldi, Xiaomi, Yandex... and external contributors (Official graph).Chromium is not only a web browser. It is a blend of different important open-source projects:
- ANGLE (Graphics engine abstraction layer)
- Blink (Rendering/layout engine)
- Native Client (Sandbox for running native code)
- PDFium (PDF generation and rendering library)
- Sandbox (Security mechanism for separating running programs)
- Skia (Graphics library)
- V8 (JavaScript engine)
- and others...
One or more projects are used in Chromium browser (obviously!) and other software/service like Google Chrome, Googlebot Evergreen, Bingbot Evergreen, Mozilla Firefox (ANGLE, Skia), Opera, Vivaldi, Microsoft Edge (Search "chromium" at Microsoft Third Party Disclosures. Official PDF presentation), Adobe Acrobat, Android WebView, Discord, Bitwarden, Microsoft Visual Studio Code, Minecraft, Signal, Skype, Slack, Spotify, Steam, TeamViewer, Trend Micro, Twitch, Unity3D, Unreal Engine, WhatsApp, Electron, CEF, QtWebEngine...
Chromium is not fully designed by Google! However, as a primary investor, Google gives a consistent guidance and provides all free tools and services related to this project.
2. Stable Chromium version
Officially, Chromium does not have a stable release. The official developers (aka The Chromium Authors) do not release it to end users. So it is continually in development. Google Chrome is the stable release... but is not open-source.Chromium is the project then Google Chrome is the product.
In fact, Chromium has a stable version! ^^
Chromium being open-source (#source-code), anybody can compile it. It is reproductible. You should be a developer to do this. Just get the current stable version (131.0.6778.85) from the official Git repository and compile it!
For example, the current stable version on #linux is 131.0.6778.85. In this version, there are 85 patches which correct many issues (bugs, feature requests, enhancements...).
All stable versions of Chromium on #windows, #mac, #linux... are always made by third-party developers.
The stable version of Chromium is compiled by:
- Google developers (USA) → Google Chrome
- Microsoft developers (USA) → Microsoft Edge
- Opera developers (Norway/China) → Opera
- Samsung developers (South Korea) → Samsung Internet
- Vivaldi developers (Iceland) → Vivaldi
- Yandex developers (Russia) → Yandex browser
- Hibbiki and Marmaduke developers → Chromium, on #windows and #mac
- Some developers → Chromium, on each #linux and #bsd distribution
- Some developers → Chromium-based browsers
- Some developers → other projects like CEF, Electron, Qt WebEngine, Chromely, NW.js, Beaker, JxBrowser ...
3. Development
The development builds (also known as "snapshot", "nightly", "vanilla" or "raw" builds) are built automatically several times a day by the Chromium Buildbot (buildbot console) and made available as binary code releases.Snapshot
Once a snapshot has been built, it is placed in the chromium-browser-snapshots root directory of Google Cloud Storage and is automatically tested. This build is really just development tool for checking whether issues are fixed in the latest Chromium code. It can be buggy and unstable. They are downloadable on the official site, my alternative webpage and this site (Check The Chromium Authors tag).LKGR
If that snapshot build successfully passes the automated tests, it is considered as a good build (known as LKGR meaning "Last Known Good Revision") and can become potentially a stable build. For info, LKGR builds were stored in the chromium-browser-continuous root directory until Friday, 18 Mar 2016. The Chromium team has removed few LKGR builders (407399, 576253 and chromium-dev) but other ones still work (latest commit). Finally, there is no LKGR binary shared by the Chromium team... but any developer can re-compile it! ^^Stable
A stable build is a development build tested by the Buildbot then improved by the Chromium team and all contributors.4. Conclusion
Note this website and the Chromium builds are made and shared by volunteers (devoted developers), freely, in their spare time. There is absolutely no business, no revenue (Privacy policy). We are neither Google nor a corporation. So please, respect our work. Officially, the #stable-chromium-version does not exist at all. We need time to re-compile Chromium. If you cannot wait for the latest version, prefer to use a development version (download page) or compile Chromium yourself (#source-code) or use other #browsers.Jerry (admin)
Features
Chromium vs Google Chrome.Chromium browser has:
- only an open #source-code
- different licences:
- mainly open-source licenses (BSD license, MIT license, LGPL, MS-PL and MPL+GPL+LGPL tri-licensed)
- 1 proprietary licence (but for available source code: UnRAR),
- few unlicensed files.
It is a FOSS project. A full list of software developed by third-parties is viewable within the browser at chrome://credits (similar to this online page) - a trademark according to Google (Search "Chromium™" at Trademarks list)
- a blue-colored logo (Search "Chromium" at Logos list)
- the similar system requirements as Google Chrome
- the similar user interface and settings as Google Chrome
- the similar sandbox as Google Chrome
- the similar support for extensions and themes as Google Chrome
- the similar user agent as Google Chrome
- the similar experiments Field Trials (Finch) (viewable as a list in "Variations" at chrome://version) as Google Chrome (and similar as Mozilla Firefox studies and as Microsoft Edge's ECS)
- the built-in Chrome PDF Viewer (known as PDFium), on Windows
- the built-in Chromoting Viewer (To use it, you need to first install the Chrome Remote Desktop extension)
- the built-in Google Native Client
- the built-in Print preview and print system
- no stable version offered by the official team (aka The Chromium Authors)
- no digital signature
- no auto-update system (Solution: Use #updaters • On #linux, use the integrated software/package manager, even a PPA)
- no Google API keys (Solution: Check #google-api-keys)
- no built-in Flash player (Solution: Check #flash)
- no unwanted software protection (known as Chrome Cleanup and "software_reporter_tool.exe"), on Windows
- no support of proprietary codecs (AAC, H.264/MP4) (Solution: Check #html5-audio-video)
- no user RLZ identifier
- no user metrics (usage statistics) (opt-in option)
- no crash report (opt-in option)
- More details on the official site, focused on Linux.
Why I used the "similar" word, here?
I cannot certify that it is "same/identical" as Google Chome because Chrome is a closed-source software.
Some developers maintain #chromium-forks that offer more features and enhancements. Thanks a lot for developers! ;)
Secure Preferences
Chromium has "Secure Preferences" feature which protect user data against #malware. On Windows, macOS and Linux, the user profile is encrypted based on the machine SID (For info, you can change the SID on Linux). So extensions, certificates and passwords are not portable. It works for Chromium and all #chromium-forks like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Vivaldi, Brave, ungoogled-chromium... (except Cent Browser which is closed-source and therefore can be easily corrupted)Info relative to this feature:
- PortableApps::Google Chrome portable (Read "App Notes")
- PortableApps::Opera portable (Read "App Notes")
- Portapps::Brave portable (Read "Infos"... or detailed info on Github)
- Copy Chrome extensions from one computer to another
- How to migrate Google Chrome profile (extensions, cookies, etc.) to another Windows installation?
- profile_pref_store_manager.cc (Chromium code source)
- machine_id.cc (Chromium code source)
How to migrate user data from one computer to another?
The simple way to migrate your data is to synchronize them.
For info, you can also use free services like floccus, xBrowserSync.
Also, to export/import data manually:
- Bookmarks: chrome://bookmarks
- Passwords: chrome://flags/#PasswordImport → Enabled (screenshot). Then restart the browser. Then chrome://settings/passwords (screenshot). For info, you can also use the #flag: --enable-features=PasswordImport (screenshot)
- Extensions: Import and export do not exist. But with an extension like Export links of all extensions (Archive: ZIP), it is possible to list, in an HTML file, all browser extensions used.
There are unstable ways too:
using these #command-line-flags: --disable-machine-id --disable-encryption (info)- using an hacking method to bypass "Secure Preferences".
Google API keys
By default, few Google services (Chrome Sync...) are not available on Chromium. They are reserved for Google Chrome users. For example, the Chrome Sync capability in Chromium based browsers allows you to login to Google’s Sync cloud servers and save your passwords, browsing history and bookmarks/favorites to your personal encrypted cloud vault inside Google’s infrastructure. Extremely convenient for people who access the Internet using multiple devices.To use these Google services, Chromium needs Google API keys.
Chromium can display a top message if the Google API keys are needed for Google services (screenshot):
Google API keys are missing. Some functionality of Chromium will be disabled. Learn MoreHow to just hide the top message "Google API keys are missing..."?
Add the --no-default-browser-check flag at the end of the Chromium shortcut and restart the browser (screenshot)
How to create your own Google API keys?
With your own Google API keys, many Google services (Chrome Sync...) will work.
- Follow the official API Keys page to get them.
- Other info at Github Gist.
- A tutorial video on Youtube (mirror)
Then set three environment variables.
On Windows
Launch Command Prompt (cmd.exe) and enter the following commands: setx GOOGLE_API_KEY yourkey
setx GOOGLE_DEFAULT_CLIENT_ID yourclientid
setx GOOGLE_DEFAULT_CLIENT_SECRET yourclientsecret
(setx = set environment variables permanently)On macOS
This tutorial was written by Aargl on december 7, 2018 (#comment-4078). Thanks to him. There are 2 methods:1. Method with ChromiumSyncEnabler
ChromiumSyncEnabler (Archive: ZIP)- Put Chromium_template and ChromiumSyncEnabler.py at the root of the current user (~/)
- Put Chromium.app in ~/Applications
- In Terminal, type: python /Users/your_user_name/ChromiumSyncEnabler.py
- Enter your API keys
N.B.: if you want to activate for all users, do the same procedure putting the files respectively in / and /Applications (I haven't tried, but I can't see why it wouldn't work...)
2. Method with a plist file
Creation of a ~/Library/LaunchAgents/setenv.ChromiumSync.plist containing: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "https://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd ">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Label</key>
<string>setenv.ChromiumSync</string>
<key>ProgramArguments</key>
<array>
<string>/bin/launchctl</string>
<string>setenv</string>
<string>GOOGLE_API_KEY</string>
<string>your_key</string>
<string>/bin/launchctl</string>
<string>setenv</string>
<string>GOOGLE_DEFAULT_CLIENT_ID</string>
<string>your_key</string>
<string>/bin/launchctl</string>
<string>setenv</string>
<string>GOOGLE_DEFAULT_CLIENT_SECRET</string>
<string>your_key</string>
</array>
<key>RunAtLoad</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</plist> (with "your_key" being the corresponding Google API key)Of course, you can name the LaunchAgent setenv.ChromiumSync or anything you want.
- This is perfectly working in 10.11
- In 10.9, you must create 3 separate LaunchAgent files instead (one for each key)
- I couldn't test more recent OSes, but I think it should work as in 10.11
The choice between method 1 or 2 depends on wether you want to enter your API keys each time or not... ;-)
On Linux
export GOOGLE_API_KEY yourkey
export GOOGLE_DEFAULT_CLIENT_ID yourclientid
export GOOGLE_DEFAULT_CLIENT_SECRET yourclientsecret
How to disable Google API keys?
Without Google API keys, many Google services (Chrome Sync...) will not work.
On Windows
Launch Command Prompt (cmd.exe) and enter the following commands: setx GOOGLE_API_KEY "false"
setx GOOGLE_DEFAULT_CLIENT_ID "false"
setx GOOGLE_DEFAULT_CLIENT_SECRET "false"
(setx = set environment variables permanently)Now launch Chromium.
Widevine plugin
Widevine is a closed-source Google plugin to play DRM content (= protected audio/video files) for web browsers. Companies including Amazon Prime Video, BBC, Hulu, Netflix, Spotify and Disney+ use Widevine to manage the distribution of premium content.Chromium does not support Widevine natively. Note that Chromium developers and most of Chromium users do not use this Google plugin at all. We do not bundle/share it. Other people tried to obtain a licence from Google for an open-source project and finally did not get it (Archive: 1).
On this website, the widevine support is enabled on the stable versions. (These versions are compiled with the GN argument: enable_widevine = true). So you need to install the Widevine CDM plugin yourself to play DRM content.
In Chromium and Google Chrome, you can check the Widevine support at chrome://components → "Widevine Content Decryption Module" → The number must be different than 0.0.0.0 (screenshot)
Websites to freely test Widevine:
- https://bitmovin.com/demos/drm
- https://demo.castlabs.com/ (Choose videos with labeled "DRM")
- https://shaka-player-demo.appspot.com/demo/
How to install the Widevine CDM plugin?
- First of all, make sure you have a Chromium version with the enabled support of:
- the protected content
chrome://settings/content/protectedContent - Widevine and H.264/MP4
Check these tags on this website: widevine all-codecs
- the protected content
- Now, get the Widevine CDM plugin. The latest version is: 4.10.2830.0
For info, this is an automated update via this official TXT file.
2.1 From official links:- 4.10.2830.0-win-x64.zip (64-bit Windows)
- 4.10.2830.0-win-arm64.zip (64-bit Windows on ARM)
- 4.10.2830.0-win-ia32.zip (32-bit Windows)
- 4.10.2830.0-mac-x64.zip (64-bit macOS)
- 4.10.2830.0-mac-arm64.zip (64-bit macOS on ARM)
- 4.10.2830.0-linux-x64.zip (64-bit Linux)
4.10.2830.0-linux-ia32.zip(32-bit Linux)
2.2 Or from offline installers of Google Chrome
Prefer these following websites because you can unzip the executable files (*.exe) and see the whole content. Note these download links of Google Chrome are official.- Chrome offline installers
- [JP] chrome::lutra-fs.me
- [JP] chrome::noki.eu.org
- [JP] chrome::iplaysoft.com
- [JP] chrome::atvnk.com
2.3 Or from the Google Chrome website
In this case, you must to install Google Chrome because you cannot unzip the executable files (*.exe) :/
Official standalone versions:- Google Chrome (64-bit / Windows)
- Google Chrome (32-bit / Windows)
- Google Chrome
- Unzip the content of this Widevine CDM plugin
(This is a 7-zip self-extracting archive) - Copy this Widevine CDM plugin's content to your Chromium "WidevineCdm" folder like this following structure, on Windows:
(screenshot)WidevineCdm
├── LICENSE.txt
├── manifest.json (Note: this file contains the Widevine version or even the file paths ^^)
│
├── _platform_specific
├── win_x64 (Note: if it is for 64-bit Windows, obviously!)
├── widevinecdm.dll
├── widevinecdm.dll.sig - Launch Chromium browser
- Go to the top of this website and check if the "widevine" tag is displayed. (screenshot)
and check chrome://components → "Widevine Content Decryption Module" - End.
Flash plugin
Flash is a deprecated multimedia software platform. Adobe retired Flash on January 1, 2021, on all plateforms. Roadmap for Chromium. Roadmap for Firefox.- Since 2021, the Flash PPAPI plugin (aka PepperFlash) plugin is discontinued. For info, PepperFlash is secure because it works in a sandbox. In short, it executes in its own process, separate from the browser's rendering engine.
- Since 2015, the Flash #npapi plugin is discontinued.
How to quickly install the Flash plugin? (Obsolete content!)
On Windows and macOS, Chomium find PepperFlash itself (= without #command-line-flags)
- Install PepperFlash (PPAPI) from Adobe website.
- Disable the checkbox in the chrome://settings/content/flash page. (screenshot)
- Test if animation works on the Flash Player versions page.
- Enjoy!
How to manually install the Flash plugin? (Obsolete content!)
This is a full manual installation tutorial.
(If Google Chrome is already installed, go directly to "3. Add command-line flags"
1. Get PepperFlash (PPAPI)
This plugin is a non-free (proprietary) software developed by Adobe, and distributed bundled with Google Chrome. So get it from the official sources: Adobe or Google.1.1 From Adobe
Different official ways:- Stable version - Download page: Adobe Flash Player (Other versions) (Choose your OS and the PPAPI version)
- Stable version - Direct link: install_flash_player_ppapi.exe (Windows)
- Stable version - Direct link: install_flash_player_osx_ppapi.dmg (macOS)
- Beta version - From Adobe Labs (Search "PPAPI" and "Chromium" for your platform)
After install, the plugin path will be:
- On a 64-bit #windows:
- C:\Windows\system32\Macromed\Flash\pepflashplayer64_[version].dll (64-bit version)
- C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash\pepflashplayer32_[version].dll (32-bit version)
- C:\Windows\system32\Macromed\Flash\pepflashplayer32_[version].dll (32-bit version)
1.2 From Google Chrome
Canary channel:- On #windows, get pepflashplayer.dll from Chrome Canary (64-bit) if you use 64-bit Chromium
- On #windows, get pepflashplayer.dll from Chrome Canary (32-bit) if you use 32-bit Chromium
- On #mac, get PepperFlashPlayer.plugin from Chrome Canary (64-bit)
1.3 From an unofficial source
(Use an online service to prevent #malware)- Search "PepperFlash" or "PPAPI" at [RU] effect8.ru or patheticcockroach.com
- Download and open the .7z archive
- Get "pepflashplayer.dll" (rename it, if needed) and "manifest.json" files.
Optionally, get the Flash version number:
(If you want to see the correct version number on Chromium internal pages)
- On all platforms, open the manifest.json text file in the PepperFlash folder.
- On Windows, you can do a right-click → Properties → Details, on the .dll file
2. Change the plugin directory
If you want, prefer a short path for the plugin. It will be easier for the next step. ^^Example on Windows: Put this .dll file in a path like C:\PepperFlash\ (Create the directory if needed)
3. Add command-line flags
Use these #command-line-flags:- --ppapi-flash-path=[plugin path]
- --ppapi-flash-version=[plugin version]
- And optionally --allow-outdated-plugins to disable browser notifications about outdated plugins
On #windows, create a Chromium shortcut. Then go to its properties and edit the target field:
--ppapi-flash-path="C:\PepperFlash\pepflashplayer.dll" --ppapi-flash-version="32.0.0.465" --allow-outdated-pluginsOn #mac, you will need to launch it from the command-line (in the Terminal):
/Applications/Chromium.app/Contents/MacOS/Chromium --ppapi-flash-path=/Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/PepperFlashPlayer/PepperFlashPlayer.plugin --ppapi-flash-version=32.0.0.465& The "&" at the end is not a typo. It is there to make sure Chromium is launched in a separate thread. Without the "&", Chromium would exit as soon as you quit the Terminal. Moreover, to simplify the Chromium launch, check How to create simple Mac apps from shell scripts (Archive: 1). Also see the #comment-566 and #comment-344. 4. Restart the browser
Relaunch it to apply changes.5. Check the installation
- Type chrome://settings/content/flash to manage it.
- For update, check the Flash Player version on the official page.
- For security information, see the security bulletins and advisories
6. Enjoy!
Now, even after browser updates, Chromium uses PepperFlash. ^^NPAPI plugin
NPAPI is a deprecated API that allows browser extensions to be developed. Chromium 45.0.2416.0 (331982) is the last version which still has NPAPI plugin support enabled via chrome://flags or group policy registry. (source • NPAPI deprecation)How to still use a NPAPI plugin?
Few ways:
- Switch to other browsers still supporting NPAPI plugins (like Waterfox browser).
- or install an older Chromium version (Ex: 331982, 331959, 331938, 331935...)
- or install the IE Tab addon which allows users to view pages using the IE layout engine
More info on site archives:
- chromium::wayback.machine (9 years ago)
- chromium::archive.is (9 years ago)
HTML5 audio/video
By default, Chromium does not support proprietary codecs (AAC, H.264/MP4) in the HTML <audio> and <video> elements.How to use Chromium with all audio/video codecs?
Few ways:
- On #windows and #mac, use builds with all-codecs or all-codecs+
- or compile Chromium from #source-code with proprietary codecs, yourself.
- or install an older version having ffmpegsumo file (Ex: 333350, 333334, 333283, 333258...)
- or choose other #browsers
- On #linux, you can use Chromium with proprietary codecs (ex: FFmpeg under Ubuntu)
Before 4 June 2015, we used an alternative with the Google Chrome ffmpegsumo file and our Patch HTML5 Media extension. More info on site archives:
- chromium::wayback.machine (9 years ago)
- chromium::archive.is (9 years ago)
Note about the H.265/HEVC video codec
Chromium does (and will) not natively support the H.265/HEVC codec. (official source)
- The licence of H.265/HEVC is non-free. It is currently mainly supported by Apple. (Support of H.265/HEVC in web browsers)
- The Chromium team prefers to focus on the open-source AV1 codec. This one is supported by major companies (Alliance for Open Media) like Google, Microsoft, Intel, Samsung... (Support of AV1 in web browsers).
Check HTML5 audio/video support at https://tools.woolyss.com/html5-audio-video-tester/
If there is a video issue, disable hardware acceleration (see #browser-crash).
Advanced
1. Internal pages
To access to all internal pages, use chrome://about. Copy and paste this special URL directly into the address bar (omnibox). Obviously, this special URL works only in Chromium and Google Chrome. Note: About configuration settings, there is nothing similar to Firefox's about:config in Chromium.Few internal pages:
- chrome://components (Show and update info about available components like Widevine...)
- chrome://conflicts (List all modules loaded into the browser)
- chrome://credits (View all licensing info • Similar to this online page)
- chrome://flags (View all experimental features • You can set each feature)
- chrome://gpu (Show info about GPU)
- chrome://net-export (Get all networking related info)
- chrome://omnibox (Test and follow responses of the searches via the omnibox/address bar)
- chrome://policy (Manage Chromium, for administrators • Policy list)
- chrome://predictors (List autocomplete action predictors and resource prefetch predictors based on user recent search and browsing history)
- chrome://quota-internals (Show info about disk space and storage usage)
- chrome://settings/content/all (List the number of cookies each site has set)
- chrome://sync-internals (Show info about the Chromium sync feature)
- chrome://translate-internals (View all supported internal languages)
- chrome://version (Show details of Chromium version)
About browser plugins
Since version 57, the chrome://plugins page no longer exists. (official source)
Info:
- Manage PDF viewer and Flash plugins: chrome://settings/content
- Update components (like Widevine): chrome://components
2. Keyboard shortcuts
To use keyboard shortcuts (on Windows, Mac and Linux), check this full list of official shortcuts... and this one if you are developer. Most of the shortcuts are similar to IE, Firefox or any other browser.3. Command-line flags
There are command-line flags (or "switches") that Chromium accept in order to enable particular features or modify otherwise default functionality. Note flags often contain experimental or obsolete code, so they tend not to stick around for long.- Run Chromium with flags
- List of Chromium command-line switches (Auto-updated list provided by Peter Beverloo)
How to start Chromium directly in incognito (or private) mode, on Windows?
Add the "--incognito" flag at the end of the Chromium shortcut and restart the browser. (screenshot)
"C:\{...}\Chromium\Application\chrome.exe" --incognito4. User data directory
About your profile (history, bookmarks...), it is important to know where is stored your user data.How to change the user data directory?
Add the "--user-data-dir" flag at the end of the Chromium shortcut and restart the browser. (screenshot)
"C:\{...}\Chromium\Application\chrome.exe" --user-data-dir=..\my-profile-path5. External extension installation
How to install an external browser add-on?
If you wish to install extensions directly instead of just downloading the .crx source file, you must:
- Change the flag chrome://flags/#extension-mime-request-handling to "Always prompt for install".
- Click on the link of the .crx file you want to install
Download the .crx source file of any extension directly from the Chrome Web Store via Get CRX or via a site like Chrome Extension Downloader, CRX Extractor, Crx4Chrome. (For info, you can see the source code before to download the extension: CRX Viewer)
- Go to chrome://extensions
- Drag and drop the .crx file on chrome://extensions
If it does not work...
- Add the "--enable-easy-off-store-extension-install" flag at the end of the Chromium shortcut and restart the browser. (screenshot)
- Go to chrome://extensions
- Drag and drop the .crx file on chrome://extensions
If it still does not work...
- Unzip the .crx file
- Go to chrome://extensions
- Drag and drop the unzipped folder on the page... or click on Developer mode (Toggle in top right) then Load unpacked extension... (screenshot)
About updates:
- You have to update manually
- You can update when you want! ^^
- If ever a new version sucks, just re-install the previous one
6. Source code
Before all, check the official guide for developers.Official links to easily get or see the full Chromium source code:
- Google Git chromium/src
- The official GitHub mirror of the Chromium source
- Chromium Code Search or chromium/src (Old pages: Code search or chromium/src/)
- - Source tarballs and its mirror ("-lite" is for building desktop Chromium).
- Also, there is the official Github mirror. - Chromium source code of the latest stable version: chromium-131.0.6778.85.tar.xz (mirror • File checksums)
ViewVC(Obsolete since the version 39.0.2132.2, on August 2014)
Interesting info:
- [video] Building Chromium from source (by Aphrx • 2021 • mirror)
- Building ungoogled-chromium (by Eloston • 2020)
- How to build chromium on Windows (by Intel • 2019)
- How to build chromium on macOS (by Intel • 2019)
- How to build chromium for Android (by Intel • 2019)
- How to build chromium for Linux (by Intel • 2019)
- Building Chromium on Windows from source (by Jeremy Sinclair • 2019 • Archive: 1)
- How to compile Chromium with audio/video codecs for Windows (by Nik • 2018 • Archive: ZIP)
- How to build Chromium with proprietary codecs (OS X) (by No encoding • 2018 • Archive: 1)
- Bash script to build and install latest stable Chromium from source on OS X (by Bobo • 2017 • Archive: ZIP)
- [UA] Компіляція браузера Chromium для Ubuntu (x265, HEVC) (by D.Bilous • 2016 • Archive: 1)
How to compile Chromium for Mac(by sbagmeijer • 2015 • Original site is down!)Contributing to Chromium: an illustrated guide(2015 • Archives: 1 or PDF)
7. Older version
Never update your browser with a very old version. It even does not start.To downgrade Chromium installed with the Installer (.exe):
- Open Chromium and check its actual version at chrome://version
- Close Chromium.
- Uninstall Chromium WITHOUT to delete your #user-data-directory. It is an option of its uninstaller. (screenshot)
- Get the Installer (.exe) of an older version (from the → download/ page or Snapshots repository about "official" builds)
- Execute it to install Chromium.
- Open Chromium and check the new installed version at chrome://version
8. Browser crash
You have encountered a browser crash or issue :/Few ways to help you:
- To disable hardware acceleration: chrome://flags/#disable-accelerated-video-decode or chrome://settings → [Advanced] → System
- To disable/enable a browser feature: chrome://flags
- To check for conflicting software: chrome://conflicts
- To disable extensions/add-ons: chrome://extensions
Also you can use #command-line-flags: --disable-gpu, --disable-accelerated-video-decode...
8. Browser benchmark
To test performances of the browser, do differents benchmarks.Except as otherwise noted, for the result, a higher number is better.
Free websites without registration:
- ARES-6 (Various tests using the newest web standards and features)
- Basemark (Various tests using the newest web standards and features)
- JetStream (JavaScript benchmark developed by Apple)
- Kraken (JavaScript benchmark developed by Mozilla • Result: A lower number is better)
- MotionMark (Graphics benchmark developed by the WebKit team)
- Octane (JavaScript benchmark developed by Google)
- Speedometer (Performance benchmark that repeats the same actions using DOM APIs)
- WebXPRT (HTML5 and JavaScript test developed by benchmark maker Principled Technologies)
API
This is a free and simple API for developers to update Chromium to the latest good build via a bash (shell) script, a browser extension... Read my #notes. Please, do not use this API to build other websites. To prevent abuse, the site can audit each API request.API details
GET request parameters:
- os → (required) windows or mac or android
- bit → (optional • 64 by default) 64 or 32
- out → (optional • json by default) json or string or revision
Response:
chromium → windows or mac or android →
- architecture → (string) 64-bit or 32-bit
- timestamp → (integer) Unix time of this release built on the Chromium Buildbot server
- editor → (string) The Chromium Authors
- channel → (string) dev
- repository → (string) snapshots
- version → (string) (like xx.x.xxxx.x)
- revision → (integer) Git revision's commit position
- commit → (string) Git revision's commit hash
Examples:
Links
Except the Wikipedia's Chromium page, these links are official and point only to the Google sites.Focused on Chromium:
- Chromium Blog
- Chromium Browser Snapshots
- Chromium Dash
- Chromium Discussion (on Google Groups)
- Chromium Gerrit (Code review)
- Chromium Main Console (Buildbot console)
- Download Chromium (ZIP archives)
- Chromium Issue Tracker
- Monorail (The issue tracking tool for chromium-related projects)
- The Chromium Projects (The main Chromium website)
- Wikipedia's Chromium page
Focused on Google Chrome:
- Chrome Platform Status
- Chrome Release Channels
- Chrome Web Store (Extensions and themes 100% compatible with Chromium)
- Google Chrome Help (100% compatible with Chromium)
- Release updates from the Google Chrome team (Google blog)
Browsers
1. Chromium forks
In simple words, a fork of Chromium means Chromium engine is used to create another web browser.Proprietary browsers:
(developed by official contributors of the Chromium #project)
- Google Chrome (USA)
- Microsoft Edge (USA)
- Opera (Norway/China • Opera (company), Otello Corporation, Golden Brick Capital/Qihoo 360)
- Samsung Internet (South Korea)
- Vivaldi (Iceland • Chromium's modified code is still open source)
- Yandex Browser (Russia)
I do not recommend:
- 360 Secure Browser (Proprietary)
- Comodo Dragon (Proprietary • Famous company but its Chromium is ever outdated compared to the #stable-chromium-version)
- Epic (Proprietary • Reviews)
- Slimjet (SlimBrowser) (Proprietary • Reviews - Archive: 1)
- SRWare Iron (Proprietary • Versioning system is not clear: no source code of the latest version available since 2011 - Archive: 1)
- or other proprietary browser with "better privacy" than Google Chrome.
Why not recommended?
Because all of these browsers are closed-source, outdated, based on Chromium like Google Chrome... and most of the features they remove don't even exist in Chromium, in the first place. Control your personal info and #privacy yourself ^^
Colin (InsanityBit) explains this very well at "SRWare Iron Browser – A private alternative to Chrome?" (2012 • Archives: 1, 2)
Note if a new browser with "better privacy" than Google Chrome is based on Chromium and is fully open-source, it should be ok for me. But... Google is famous. Its privacy policy and marketing strategy are well known. So you have to ask you some questions. Do you trust in an unknown team more than Google? Is an outdated Chromium fork?
- Google engineer finds holes in three 'secure' browsers (2016 • Archive: 1)
- Google calls out Comodo's Chromodo Chrome-knockoff as insecure crapware (2016 • Archive: 1)
- Google warns! (2015 • Archive: 1)
Few free and open-source Chromium-based browsers:
- Brave (Block website trackers and remove intrusive internet advertisements • code differences with Chromium )
- Bromite (Patches for Chromium with adblocking features and enhanced privacy)
- Dooble
- Falkon (Formerly QupZilla)
- Iridium (tarball, git, github, code differences with Chromium • Reviews)
- Kiwi Browser (Browser with extensions support, ads & cryptojacking protection...)
- Otter Browser
- qutebrowser (A minimalist browser)
- Thorium (Chromium fork with patches for speed, privacy and usability)
- ungoogled-chromium (A set of patches for removing Google integration • 2016 reviews, 2018 reviews, 2020 reviews)
Aviator(Discontinued project since 2016 • Reviews)Inox(A set of patches applied on the Arch Linux chromium package • Arch Linux website)Superbird(Based on a development version • No source code since 2016 - Archive: 1)
2. Other open-source "non-Chromium-based" browsers
- Basilisk (Firefox-based using an old Firefox core version)
- Firefox
- LibreWolf (Firefox-based)
GNU IceCat(Outdated since 2019)- Midori (Webkit-based)
- NetSurf (Works on any OS)
- Pale Moon (Firefox-based using an old Firefox core version)
- Tor Browser (Firefox-based using Tor, an anonymity network)
- Waterfox (Firefox-based using an old Firefox core version • Acquired by System1, an advertising company)
- and other open-source browsers.
Privacy
For a better privacy protection, use open-source #browsers like Chromium, Firefox. Do not forget: It is open-source does not mean it is secure and respects user privacy. Moreover, security ≠ privacy ≠ anonymity. If your browser is fully "open-source", it means that somebody with the capability can review the #source-code. It is easier for developers to find malicious code with versioning tools like Git or SVN. (Ex: Chromium downloads a Chrome extension as a binary without source code → corrected 7 days after the report). Only an open-source code allows such defense. This is better for secure browsing and user privacy. The security of Chromium is very solid. While I recommend ungoogled-chromium, Bromite and Firefox (cf. about:config/user.js settings, containers system, better content-filtering, easier way to stop browser automatic connections, support of a self-hosted Firefox Sync server) as the most reliable browsers for privacy enthusiasts in a standard web browsing, Chromium is probably a reasonable alternative for everyday web browsing.My way for a standard web-browsing (but do as you like ^^):
- Modify your #hosts-file to stop "natively" domains who serve ads, spyware and malware
- Use a VPN with strong encryption for your whole OS or router to bypass many restrictions on Internet. Note you are not anonymous behind a VPN service (cf. Browser fingerprint, Server-side tagging...) (It is better than browser VPN/proxy #extensions)
- Use an up-to-date web browser
- Change few #browser-settings
- Install few #extensions
How to really be anonymous on the Web?
The anonymization solutions are especially necessary for the exercise of freedoms (ex: for journalist, political opponent in certain countries, researcher, whistleblower...). These solutions are obviously very used by hackers too. Personally, I think most people cannot be anonymous on the Web even using a VPN, proxy or TOR network. It is a myth that you cannot be tracked online. If you exist, you are findable, especially if you use multiple devices and websites. There are a lot of technologies to identify a user and get its data. Check the #guides and #tests for more information.
But it is possible to really be anonymous on the Web if your respect all security rules. The book "The Art of Invisibility" written in 2017 by Kevin D. Mitnick will convince you. In a few words, do not trust proprietary software/services, third-party VPN service providers (VPN Leaks, 'no log' VPN providers..., Another VPN leak..., VPN hacked...) and the cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin).
- Buy a new computer (like a used computer) with cash, from an unknown person.
- Then remove the internal HDD (or format it). You will not use it. Prefer an external USB flash/SSD drive.
- Use Tails, Whonix, Qubes OS or a similar live Linux distribution. These ones uses the Tor network (Note Tor is often attacked).
- Change the MAC address.
- Connect to a public WiFi connection.
- Do not change settings or add extensions on Tor Browser. It will prevent your Browser fingerprint.
- Never login to a site/service for which you are already known.
- SearX and .onion addresses are welcome.
- Here we go!
Do you know...
Sure you can protect your privacy against tracking and profiling tools but it is really painful because these tracking tools are everywhere today: on Internet (website, app...), at home (computer, phone, router, smart TV, smart home speaker, smart bulb, smart grid...), in your car (GPS system, connected car...), in the street (video surveillance camera...), at your ISP and elsewhere. You can find them in hardware (firmware) and software (operating system, app, website, extension...).
Do you know in all computers (excepted RISC-V and Libreboot) there is an exploit-friendly firmware that user has no access?
Ex: in Intel processors, in AMD processors, in Raspberry Pi (proprietary Broadcom processor).
Do you know you are readily recognizable if you install browser extensions like an ad-blocker? It means, if you install browser extensions, your Browser fingerprint is unique. So you are unique on the Web.
Ex: browserleaks::proxy, Browser Fingerprint
Do you know there are probably untrusted certificates on your computer?
Ex: Apple, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla..., Dell..., Google..., Microsoft..., Lenovo..., Surveillance firm...
Do you know it is possible to follow a user behind Tor browser?
Ex: Advanced Tor browser fingerprinting, Browser Fingerprinting, Tor and its discontents, with CSS (noscript-tracking.go, CrookedStyleSheets), with extension fingerprinting or with a zero-day exploit!...
About the "No log" mention of a VPN, do you know the jurisdiction of the country where the VPN server is located has authority on the jurisdiction of the country where the VPN provider is located?
Ex: Choose a VPN provider from United Kingdom and connect to a French VPN server. There are no log in United Kingdom. Ok, but this is not the problem! The VPN server is in France and there will be logs in France. This is the law. [FR] Minimal logs lifetime in France: 360 days (Source: "Article 3"). [FR] Minimal logs lifetime in Europe: 14 days. So be careful when your VPN provider and its VPN server are located in countries from the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes or Fourteen Eyes.
Do you know Linux (like Windows and Mac) devices have a unique identifier?
Ex: Linux devices have a unique identifier called machine-id. Here is how to change it.
1. Browser update
The reason for updating to the latest version is security. As security threats are found, they are fixed. Using an old version expose user to a number of security holes and privacy issues. Browsers are far more subject to hacking than other software.2. Browser settings
Adjust all settings and advanced settings in chrome://settings:- Do not log in with a Google account in the browser (screenshot • Do not sync your data!)
- Do not save passwords in the browser (Prefer a free and open-source password manager like Bitwarden, KeePass, LessPass or Password Safe)
- Enable the incognito (or private) mode (Ctrl+Shift+N shortcut • Use a #flag to start Chromium in this mode)
- Disable all options in the "Privacy and security" section (chrome://settings/privacy) because most of them use an external Google service. (Ex: "Safe Browsing" option uses Google Safe Browsing • More info about privacy settings)
- Block third-party cookies (chrome://settings/content/cookies)
- Block the #flash plugin (chrome://settings/content/flash)
- Do not share your location (chrome://settings/content/location)
- Prevent canvas fingerprinting (Use the --disable-reading-from-canvas #flag)
3. Hosts file
Modify your hosts file to prevent your OS from connecting to domains who serve ads, spyware and malware. This will increase your OS security and save bandwidth.- Dan Pollock's list
- MVPS HOSTS
- Peter Lowe's list
- Malware Domain List
- Unified hosts file with base extensions
- No more ads, tracking and other virtual garbage
Note:
- Few #extensions like uBlock Origin can also use these lists in their settings.
- Few tools like Pi-hole and AdAway can also use these lists in their settings.
- Free and open-source auto-updating Hosts managers: hostsmgr, HostsFileEditor (on Windows), Gas Mask (on macOS)
4. DNS services
By default you are using the DNS servers of your ISP but you do not have to stick with them. Before to choose one, compare DNS performance. Free alternative Internet DNS services for personal use:- Adguard DNS
- Cloudflare DNS resolver (by Cloudflare • 1.1.1.1 for Families)
- Comodo Secure DNS (by Comodo)
- DynDNS (by Dyn)
- Google Public DNS
- Nextdns
- OpenDNS (by Cisco)
- OpenNIC
- Quad9 DNS
- Yandex.DNS (by Yandex • Technical details - IPv4 and IPv6)
Note:
- The DNS over HTTPS (aka DoH) page on the official Chromium website.
- You can also use a DNS over HTTPS client (screenshot of Firefox 62+). Check Publicly available servers.
- You can also use a DNSCrypt client (Ex: Encrypt your DNS traffic with Simple DNSCrypt for Windows)
- You can also use your own DNS resolver with Unbound or other software.
5. Web search engines
Note: Few #dns-services and #extensions exist to protect user privacy on search engines.Search engines
Search engines index the content of web pages by running an algorithm on a web crawler.Metasearch engine
Metasearch engines use another search engine's data to produce its own results from the Internet. Search engine map.- Disconnect Search (by Disconnect.me • Uses Bing, Yahoo... results)
- DuckDuckGo (uses its own crawler + Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Wikipedia... results, on Amazon servers (AWS) • Review at an 8ch page archive • To search without JS, choose the html or lite version)
- Ecosia (uses Bing results)
- Fireball (uses Bing results)
- Oscobo
- Private.sh (by Private Internet Access • Uses Gigablast results)
- Qwant (uses its own crawler but is partner with Microsoft for Bing results, Bing Ads and Microsoft Azure • Its lite version)
- Startpage (uses Google results • Owned by System1, an advertising company)
- Swisscows (uses its own crawler + Bing results with enabled parental filter)
- YaCy (A peer-to-peer search engine)
If you are a web developer, develop your own metasearch engine yourself ^^
- Searx (uses many search engines • Source code in Python • Author: Adam Tauber, @Searx_engine • Searx instances)
- MetaGer (uses Yahoo... results • Source code in PHP)
- Whoogle Search (uses Google results • Source code in Python • Author: Ben Busby)
- Googol (uses Google results • Source code in PHP • Author: Bronco)
6. Extensions
Note:- With the use of extensions, you become more easily identifiable (cf. Browser fingerprint, Server-side tagging...)
- Extensions hosted on the Chrome Web Store are updated via the Chrome update mechanism (cf. Chromium source code) which developers and users do not control. For a manual installation, read the #external-extension-installation part.
- Here, priority to open-source (and non-obfuscated code) extensions for Chromium and Firefox:
Block ads, trackers, scripts and popups
uBlock Origin- Download: store, amo
- Alternatives: Privacy Badger, Adblock Plus, AdBlock, Disconnect, Ghostery, Adguard AdBlocker, Fair AdBlocker, Forget Me Not, NoScript
- Info: Add filters to your ad-blocker via FilterLists (an open-source website)
- My advice: By default, block third-party scripts and frames (uBlock Origin medium mode • screenshot). Also, about Adblock Plus or AdBlock, disable "Acceptable Ads" option (screenshot).
Stop link redirection in Google, DuckDuckGo and Yandex search pages
Don't track me Google- Download: store, amo
- Alternatives: Redirect Blocker, Redirect Bypasser
Clean URLs to remove tracking elements from URLs
ClearURLsControl the HTTP Referer on a per-site basis
Referer Control- Download: store, amo
- Alternatives: Smart Referer, Web Developer
- Info on wikipedia
Prevent canvas fingerprint
Canvas Blocker (Fingerprint protect)- Download: store, amo
- Alternatives: Canvas Defender, Canvas Fingerprint Defender
- Info on wikipedia, browserleaks, ghacks
Emule locally CDN
Decentraleyes- Download: store, amo
- Alternatives: LocalCDN
- Info on wikipedia, decentraleyes test page, localcdn test page
Prevent WebRTC IP leak
WebRTC Leak Shield- Download: store, amo
- Alternatives: WebRTC Control,
WebRTC Network Limiter,WebRTC Leak Prevent - Info: An extension can only block the leak of your IP address. It does not block WebRTC in the "core" of Chromium. uBlock Origin can protect against the WebRTC IP leak. You can do some #tests.
Prevent CSS Exfil attack
CSS Exfil Protection- Download: store, amo
- Info on BleepingComputer, Github and mike-gualtieri.com
Unblock websites with a browser VPN/proxy
Browsec- Download: store, amo
- Alternatives: anonymoX, HidemanVPN, TunnelloVPN, TouchVPN, Hotspot Shield
- My advice: Prefer to pay for a safe and secure VPN provider protecting your whole OS ; or use a free VPN service without registration. Do not use Hola!, ZenMate or Betternet in their free version. Hola! is a botnet. Betternet shares/sells user data to third-parties. In its free version, ZenMate needs a registration.
Display sites quality
WOT (Web of Trust)- Download: store, amo
- Alternatives: DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials, Terms of Service; Didn’t Read
- My advice for the WOT addon: Do not share your data. (WOT settings → Real-time protection → Set to off)
7. Tools
- Firewall
- Freenet
- I2P (Invisible Internet Project)
- Proxy
- VPN (Virtual private network)
- Tor (Anonymity network)
8. Guides
- Technical analysis of client identification mechanisms (Chromium)
- Privacy tools (2021 • Source code)
- PRISM break (2021 • Source code)
- Privacy Respecting (2021)
- [FR] Google Tag Manager (Server-Side Tagging), la nouvelle arme anti adblock?
(2020 • Google Tag Manager (Server-Side Tagging), the new anti-adblock weapon: [Translated EN] HTML, [Translated EN] PDF) - Web browser privacy: What do browsers say when they phone home? (2020 • Archive: PDF)
- Who left open the cookie jar? (2018 • Archives: 1, PDF)
- Online tracking: A 1-million-site measurement and analysis (2017 • Archive: PDF)
- Are VPN providers more trustworthy than your ISP? (2017 • Archive: 1)
- Don't use VPN services (2015 • Archive: 1)
- Category: Internet privacy (Wikipedia)
- Chromium privacy
9. Tests
Reputable and reliable sites to show or prevent user data tracking:- Am I Unique (Device fingerprinting)
- AudioContext fingerprint test page
- Browser Leaks (WebRTC IP leak, System fonts, HTML5 Canvas fingerprinting...)
- BrowserSpy (It shows how much information can be retrieved from web browser)
- Browsing experience security check (Secure DNS, DNSSEC, TLS 1.3, Encrypted SNI)
- Device Info (Web browser security/privacy testing)
- VPN & Torrent IP Leak Test (IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks)
- DNS leak test
- EFF Cover Your Track (Device fingerprinting)
- Evercookie (Persistent cookies)
- IP Leak (IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks)
- IP Leak privacy test (IP address, DNS, WebRTC...)
- Permission.site (To test the interaction of web APIs and browser permissions)
- TorZillaPrint (Advanced scripts for Firefox and Tor browsers • Test site, Mirror)
- Toolz (Ad Block Test • Test site)
- Webpage tracking only using CSS (and no JS)
Malware
Your antivirus has detected a malicious software in Chromium files.False positive?
You have downloaded Chromium from a reliable source (#notes) and maybe also used open-source #updaters. In this case, it is surely a false positive. The detection is generic (heuristic). There is absolutely no backdoor or other malware inside Chromium. Remember that the full #source-code is available. You will get a similar result if you compile Chromium yourself.Note a specific thing about Chromium browser:
- Chromium has no digital signature (unlike Google Chrome). It is not signed because is open source and not "owned" per se by any one particular developer or organization. Moreover, a certificate is not free for developers (Apple Developer Program).
- Antivirus use generic detection and database of malware signatures.
- VirusTotal which aggregates many antivirus is a Google service using its Trusted Source project to limit false positives for software like Google Chrome (because it is digitally signed), not for Chromium.
- So, unsigned Chromium + any antivirus or VirusTotal service = More chance to get an antivirus alert.
False positive reports known for few years ago:
- False positive - chromium 79 (2019 • Broadcom • Archive: 1)
- Chromium 32bit download has a virus? (2018 • Avast antivirus • Archive: 1)
- IDP.Generic reported for chromium executable (2018 • Avast antivirus • Archive: 1)
- False positive on Chromium executable (2016 • Avast antivirus • Archive: 1)
- False positive with Chromium (2015 • Panda Internet Security • Archive: 1)
- False Positive on latest Chromium Nightly? (2014 • Avast antivirus • Archive: 1)
- AntiVirus detected Malware while syncing using gclient (2014 • Chromium Issue Tracker • Archive: 1)
- pepflashplayer.dll tagged as malware and removed by F-Secure (2012 • Chromium Issue Tracker • Archive: 1)
- Kaspersky detects Chrome as Trojan (2010 • Chromium Issue Tracker • Archive: 1)
- Avast! Anti-Virus reports Google Chrome as Trojan (2008 • Chromium Issue Tracker • Archive: 1)
Authentic malware?
Yes. Obviously, it is also possible.- The common entry methods for Chromium virus are freeware downloads as bundled software (bundleware) and spam e-mails. It means Chromium has been silently installed via another software. Do not forget Chromium is free and open-source. So malware writers use Chromium to push malicious code on to your system. Remove this "fake" or suspicious Chromium web browser (like BeagleBrowser, BoBrowser, BrowserAir, Chedot, eFast Browser, Fusion Browser, Mustang Browser, MyBrowser, Olcinium Browser, Palikan, Qword Browser, Torch, Tortuga Browser...).
- The other way is about a compromised Chromium repository on a reliable source (#notes).
Free tools to scan your system
Anti-malware:- AdwCleaner and Malwarebytes (by Malwarebytes)
- Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool (by Kaspersky)
- Kaspersky Rescue Disk (by Kaspersky • Bootable ISO file)
- Emsisoft Emergency Kit (by Emsisoft)
- Norton Power Eraser (by Symantec)
Antivirus:
(Independent tests and distinctions: AV-Test, Virus Bulletin, AV-Comparatives, Gartner)
- Windows Defender (on Windows 10)
- Avast (Prefer the offline installer. Then choose the advanced installation)
- Kaspersky Security Cloud
- Bitdefender
- Avira
- ClamAV and Immunet (Open-source • Developed by Cisco)
Anti-ransomware:
Free online services to scan your files
(no registration required)- Jotti
- VirusTotal (by Google • Its lite version)
- MetaDefender (by OPSWAT)
- virSCAN
- Hybrid Analysis (by Payload Security)
If you find an issue:
- Contact your anti-virus or anti-malware support
- Report it on the official Chromium supports. For links, see my #comment-1 below.
Chromium updaters
To update Chromium automatically.As always, never install a closed-source software especially if you have never heard it before! GitHub and its Gist service are good places to find good stuff. So, try these free and open-source Chromium updaters:
Updaters on Windows
- For info, in the #windows section, each "Portable" version uses chrlauncher which can install, update and launch Chromium automatically. You can change its settings in the chrlauncher.ini file.
- chrlauncher
(by Henry++ • 2022 • C • Compatible with all Windows releases of this website) - Chocolatey
(by the Chocolatey team • 2023 • In command-line • Compatible with the Hibbiki's releases and The Chromium authors' releases of this website • Package core) - Scoop
(by the Scoop team • 2023 • In command-line • Compatible with the Hibbiki's releases and the Ungoogled releases of this website) - ungoogled-updater
(by NeverDecaf • 2023 • Python • Compatible with the Ungoogled releases of this website) - ChromiumForWindows
(by Ilyó Kovács Levente • 2022 • C# • Compatible with all Windows releases of this website) - Simple Chromium Updater (chrupd.cmd)
(by mkorthof • 2023 • Batchfile • Compatible with all Windows releases of this website) - ChromiumUpdathe (by Hristo Bogdanov • 2021 • C#)
- chromium for windows installer (by Lusito • 2020 • Javascript)
- cr-updater (by pwlin • 2018 • Batchfile, PHP)
- Chromium_Updater (by Programming4life • 2018 • Rust)
- ChrUpdWin.cmd (by Michael Kharitonov • 2018 • Batchfile)
- A web installer for Chromium (by LonelyCannibal • 2017 • AutoIt • Archive: ZIP)
- Chromium Downloader (by stsy • 2016 • C#)
Updaters on macOS
- Homebrew Tap for the Marmaduke Chromium builds
(by Charl P. Botha, then Matthew Salazar • 2023 • Ruby • Compatible with all Marmaduke releases of this website) - chromiumUpdater.js
(by TayIorRobinson • 2021 • NodeJS • Compatible with the stable Chromium version of Marmaduke) - chromium-updater-mac (by wangxufire • 2018 • Python)
- chromium-downloader-script (by Matteo Loporchio • 2017 • Shell)
- chromium-downloader (by Matteo Loporchio • 2017 • C)
- update_chromium_osx (by Klemens Gordon • 2016 • Shell)
- chromium-on-mac (by NicoLargo • 2015 • Shell)
Discontinued updaters
Chromium Update Notifications(by Christian Mund • 2022 • Compatible with all releases of this website • Archive: CRX)Chromium Auto Updater [Root](by Federico Dossena • 2019 • Java)Chromium Updater(by the FreeSMUG team • 2018 • Chrome Web Store • Archive: ZIPgetChromium(by Andrew Wright • 2018 • Java)Chromium Updater (crupdater)(by Muhammer Ayes aka Zychopat • 2016 • Batchfile, AutoIt)chromium-nightly-updater(by Vikrant Chaudhary • 2016 • Java)Chromium updater script for OS X(by Alan Grosskurth • 2016 • Shell)Chromium-Download-Manager(by xinhugo • 2015 • Batchfile)chromium-update(by William Alexander • 2015 • PowerShell)Chromium Upgrader for Mac OS X(by mozamimy • 2015 • Shell)Chromium Updater(by Daniel Huhn • 2014 • Javascript)Chromatic(by Mr Gecko • 2014 • App • Source code)extension.chromium-updater(by Jackson Tan aka Hallbin • 2014 • Javascript, CSS)Chromium-updater(by Das Schwert • 2010 • AutoIt)chromium updater.py(by Curt Micol aka asenchi • 2009 • Python)
Thanks a lot for all developers!
I do not support these tools. Please, contact the developers for thanks, issue, help...
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Please, DO NOT report bugs by a review. Use the official issue tracker or dev topics:
• https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/list
• https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/g/chromium-discuss/about → Conversations
• https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/g/chromium-dev/about → Conversations
• https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/g/embedder-dev/about → Conversations
Also, I prefer direct links. You are not on Twitter ;)
I recommend reading the Chromium Code of Conduct.
https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/master/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
Thank you for your attention!
30 latest comments
Thank you very much for the new version 130.0.6723.92 for Windows 64bit sync. Best regards.
Thank you for the ungoogled-chromium-130.0.6723.96-1_Win64 build release.
With kind regards,
Chromium 132.0.6810.0 (Official Build) (x86_64)
afe590261efae2fb466d88a6f8da9cd8b20f5ebb-refs/branch-heads/6810@{#1}
- OS macOS Version 15.0.1
- only for macOS x86_64 (Intel)
- official build (LTO)
- cross-compiled: Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS (GNU/Linux 6.11.0 x86_64) - batsht
- clang/LLVM default (with macOS intrinsics)
- macOS SDK 15.1 (24B75)
Sync • WebRTC • Widevine
Chromium.app.sync-132.0.6810.0.tar.xz
https://github.com/macchrome/chromium/releases/download/v130.6723.96-M132.0.6810.0-r1376261-macOS/Chromium.app.sync-132.0.6810.0.tar.xz
SHA1 8006E1B29477B25EE9F4F015C44E73BD0CF41AF3
Thank you very much for the update 130.0.6723.117 for Windows 64bit sync. Kind regards.
now has notarized (signed) versions of Chromium 130.0.6723.91 available for the Apple Silicon and Intel platforms.
Thank you for the ungoogled-chromium-130.0.6723.122-1_Win64 build release.
With kind regards,
https://github.com/RobRich999/Chromium_Clang/releases/tag/v133.0.6836.0-r1382329-win64-avx512
Thank you very much for the update 131.0.6778.70 for Windows 64bit sync. Kind regards.
https://github.com/RobRich999/Chromium_Clang/releases/tag/v133.0.6836.0-r1382377-linux64-deb-avx2-znver2
Thank you very much for the update 131.0.6778.70 for Windows 64bit sync. With best regards.
Ungoogled Chromium 131.0.6778.69-1.1
For Win64
By ungoogled-software :
https://github.com/ungoogled-software/ungoogled-chromium-windows/releases
Thx for the ungoogled-chromium-130.0.6723.122 release. Works great!
Cheers
Thank you very much for the update 131.0.6778.86 for Windows 64bit sync. Kind regards.
Ungoogled Chromium Windows 131.0.6778.85-1.1 64bit
By Ungoogled-Software
https://github.com/ungoogled-software/ungoogled-chromium-windows/releases
Thank you for the ungoogled-chromium-131.0.6778.93-1_Win64 build release.
With kind regards,
Hi. Could you update Android Ungoogled too.
Thank you. Regards...
now has a notarized (signed) version of Chromium 131.0.6778.85 available for the Apple Silicon, only..
Many thanks for latest Android update.