How to Check Google Chrome Browser Version

Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers available today. With its sleek interface, robust feature set, strong security, and seamless integration with Google services, Chrome has become the browser of choice for many internet users.

However, with Google constantly rolling out updates to Chrome, it can be difficult to keep track of exactly which version you have installed. Knowing your Chrome version is important to understand if your browser is up-to-date with the latest features, performance improvements, and security patches. Thankfully, checking your Google Chrome version is easy.

In this comprehensive guide, we provide three simple methods to check your Chrome browser version on any desktop operating system, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS.

Overview of Google Chrome Browser

Before we dive into the specifics on version checking, let’s briefly recap what makes Google Chrome such a versatile, user-friendly browser:

• Speed and Performance: Chrome is built for speed, loading complex web pages quickly with its multi-process architecture.

• Security: Google prioritizes security with Chrome, implementing robust safeguards like sandboxing and regular patches.

• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Chrome offers native installers for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

• Syncing Capabilities: Chrome lets you sync bookmarks, passwords, and other settings across all your devices logged into your Google account.

• Extensions: Chrome features a huge library of extensions, tools that add functionality and customize the browsing experience.

• Dev Tools: Chrome has strong built-in tools for web development and troubleshooting issues with pages.

Now that you know the benefits of Google’s browser, let’s check which version you have installed.

Method #1: Check Chrome Version from Menu

The easiest way to check your Chrome version is through the main Chrome menu:

1. Click the 3-dot menu button in the upper right corner.
2. Select Help > About Google Chrome in the drop-down menu.

A dialog box with your version number will pop up:

This menu will show:

• Your Chrome version number at the top.

• Extra version numbers for Blink (Chrome’s rendering engine) and V8 (its JavaScript engine).

• Details on Chrome’s update status, notifying you if updates are available or scheduled.

Click “Relaunch” to apply any new updates. Otherwise, your current version will remain in effect.

That’s all there is to it! Now let’s look at a quicker method within the browser itself.

Method #2: chrome://version

Chrome has a special built-in page to show your version info. Just type the following URL into the address bar:

chrome://version

Here you’ll see key details including:

• Google Chrome Version: Your browser’s current version number.

• OS Version: Details on the operating system you’re running.

• Javascript V8 Version: The version for Chrome’s built-in JS engine.

• User Agent: Data on the browser signature Chrome sends to websites.

This technical “under the hood” data can be useful for troubleshooting or determining Chrome release channels like stable versus beta builds.

One other nice touch with chrome://version—click on your version number to be taken right to the Chrome release blog with details on changes to that specific release. Definitely check that if you notice big differences after an update and want explanations!

Method #3: Command Line Version Check

Last but not least, you can use your system’s command line to check the Chrome version.

This method works well for Chrome installs on Linux, Mac, or using PowerShell on Windows. Here are the commands:

On Linux/ChromeOS:

google-chrome --version

On Mac:

/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --version

On Windows (in PowerShell):

Get-Item -Path "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\*" | select VersionInfo

The command will print out text including your Chrome version number:

Google Chrome 93.0.4577.63 

Now when you run commands that depend on very specific versions, like Chrome extension scripts, you can double check you’re browser’s status from the terminal.

Power users may prefer this for the flexibility over a simple pop-up dialogue. But all 3 methods give you what you need to keep Chrome current!

Keeping Google Chrome Up-to-Date

As you can now easily check, it’s vital to keep your Chrome web browser fully updated. Updates contain crucial security fixes, support modern web standards, and fix bugs improving stability.

It’s smart to check your Chrome version weekly or after noticing issues browsing. That way you stay current with the latest improvements from Google.

Thankfully with Chrome there are two automatic update options:

1. Background updater: Chrome runs an auto-updater in the background that quietly checks for new stable versions. If found, it will download the update and ask you to relaunch to install it on next browser restart.

2. Automatic updater system: Alternatively, enable Chrome to automatically download and install updates in the background without prompting you. Navigate to Settings > Advanced > Software Update and toggle on “Update automatically”.

Of course, you can always manually install updates as soon as they are available. Simply quit out of Chrome entirely and reopen to trigger a new version check.

Through some combination of manual checks and enabling automatic updating, it’s simple to stay current with the world’s most popular web browser!

Chrome Version History and Release Channels

Chrome employs a versioning scheme of 4 numbers, separated by dots. Here’s what each number designates in the scheme:

w.x.y.z

• w: Major milestone version number

• x: Indicates significant new features and improvements

• y: Reserved for regular updates like bug fixes or security patches

• z: Patch number for ultra-minor changes

Google offers Chrome releases through a series of “channels”:

• Stable: Public releases ready for general usage with full testing.

• Beta: Previews upcoming major features currently in development.

• Dev: Experimental builds only recommended for web developers to test compatibility or rendering issues.

• Canary: Daily cutting edge builds that often have bugs and break sites. Use with caution.

You‘ll likely be running the Stable channel. But Chrome beta can give you early access to upcoming browser improvements if you‘re willing to risk more glitches.

Summing Up Chrome Version Checking Methods

It’s crucial you know which version of the Google Chrome browser you have installed—whether for feature awareness, troubleshooting web issues, or keeping your browser secure. Hopefully this guide gave you a full set of techniques to easily determine your Chrome version number:

• Check About Google Chrome in the main menu
• Load chrome://version in the address bar
• Use OS command line tools like google-chrome –version

Plus you now understand Chrome channels, releases, and best practices for keeping your browser auto-updated. So stay knowledgeable on your web browser! Whether Chrome or any other browser, keeping it patched brings the best in stability, speed, and security to each website you visit.