Chromium, first released by Google in 2008, is one of the most popular software projects in the world. A vast majority of internet users use Chromium in some way — it’s the software unpinning both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
The reason that Chromium is so popular is that it’s open-source, meaning that anyone can use the software for free as a base to build another program or app. And developers have answered this call — more than two dozen internet browsers are built on Chromium.
Chromium is also the name of a standalone internet browser, based entirely on the Chromium code with no extra additions. It’s similar to Google Chrome, without many of the features that make Chrome popular.
You can download Chromium to use as an internet browser, or to build your own apps on it.
You can install Chromium from the Download Chromium website. The site will automatically recognize your operating system and offer the correct version for your device.
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When you download it, it’ll be kept in a .zip file. Open the .zip, move the files inside to another folder, and then run the program called “Chrome.”
New versions of Chromium are uploaded every day, and occasionally multiple times a day. However, there’s not usually much difference between these versions — just a few lines of code — so you don’t need to worry about being outdated.
However, you should be aware that while Chromium is available to anyone as a free download, it’s not made for regular users. Chromium isn’t meant to be a regular internet browser, but is instead meant to be the open-source platform developers can use to make new apps.
