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Getting Involved‎ > ‎

Early Access Release Channels

Contents

  1. 1 Before you change channels
    1. 1.1 Back up your data
    2. 1.2 Enable anonymous usage statistics
  2. 2 Subscribing to a channel
    1. 2.1 Windows
    2. 2.2 Mac
    3. 2.3 Linux
  3. 3 Reporting Dev channel problems
  4. 4 Going back to a more stable channel
Google Chrome releases updates to different release channels. Subscribing to the Beta or Dev channel means you'll get more frequent (but less stable) updates and you'll get to try new features first. There are three release channels:
  • Stable channel. Everyone is on the Stable channel when they first install Google Chrome. The Stable channel is updated with features and fixes once they have been thoroughly tested in the Beta channel. If you want a rock solid browser but don't need the latest features, the Stable channel is for you.
  • Beta channel. People who like to use and help refine the latest features subscribe to the Beta channel. Every month or so, we promote stable and complete features from the Dev channel to the Beta channel. The Beta channel is more stable than Dev, but may lack the polish one expects from a finished product.
  • Dev channel. This developer preview channel is where ideas get tested (and sometimes fail). The Dev channel can be very unstable at times, and new features usually require some manual configuration to be enabled. Still, simply using Dev channel releases is an easy (practically zero-effort) way for anyone to help improve Google Chrome. If you're writing extensions, you need to use the Windows Dev channel.
Note: Early access releases (Dev and Beta channels) will be only partly translated into languages other than English. Text related to new features might not get translated into all languages until the feature is released in the Stable channel.

Before you change channels

Back up your data

Before you switch, you should make a backup of your profile (bookmarks, most visited pages, history, cookies, etc). If you ever want to switch back to a more stable channel, your updated profile data might not be compatible with the older version.

Make a copy of the User Data\Default directory (for example, copy it to 'Default Backup' in the same location). The location depends on your operating system:
  • Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
  • Windows Vista: \Users\username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
Note: If you're using Explorer to find the folder, you might need to set Show hidden files and folders in Tools > Folder Options... > View.

Enable anonymous usage statistics

Please enable sending anonymous usage statistics in Google Chrome. The statistics we gather have no personally identifiable information. The aggregate of all the stats for all users in a release channel really help us understand how stable the release is and how people are using any new features.

Choose [Wrench menu] > Options, go to the Under the Hood tab, and check Help make Google Chrome better by automatically sending usage statistics and crash reports to Google.

Note: On Mac and Linux Dev channel builds, this setting is not yet implemented except as a question in the first-run dialog.

Subscribing to a channel

Windows

Download and run the installer for the desired channel:
You'll need to restart Google Chrome to get the update. If this didn't work to get the latest build on a channel, try using the Channel Changer.

Mac

Requirements: Intel CPU; Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later.

Note: The Mac build still lacks certain privacy features, and is not appropriate for general consumer use.

Download and open the disk image for the desired channel: Then drag the app to the usual place.

Linux

Requirements: Intel Pentium 4 / Athlon 64 or later CPU; 32- or 64-bit Ubuntu 8.04 or later, or 32-bit Debian 5. Support for other Linux distributions is planned; unpacking the .deb files by hand may work.

Note: Installing Google Chrome will add the Google repository so your system will automatically keep Chrome up to date. If you don't want Google's repository, do "sudo touch /etc/default/google-chrome" before installing the package.

Download and install the package appropriate for your system (just clicking on it should do the right thing):

Reporting Dev channel problems

Remember, Dev channel browsers may still crash frequently. See bug-reporting-guidlines-for-the-mac-linux-builds before reporting problems in Mac or Linux Dev channel builds.

Going back to a more stable channel

If you decide to switch from Dev to Beta or from Beta to Stable, the new channel will be on an earlier version of Google Chrome. You won't get automatic updates on that channel until it reaches a version later than what you're already running.

You can uninstall Google Chrome and re-install from http://www.google.com/chrome to go back to an earlier version.

If you re-install an older version, you might find that your profile is not compatible (because the data formats changed in the newer version you had been running). You'll have to delete your profile data. Delete the User Data\Default folder (see the Before You Change Channels section above for the location). If you made a back up of your Default directory, you can then rename it to Default so that you at least restore some of your previous bookmarks, most visited pages, etc.
Subpages (2): Release Notes Using the Channel Changer