I installed Google Chrome 1.0, here’s how it went

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Google Chrome was first released in 2008 and would later become the most popular web browser in the world. However, does the first version of the world’s most popular desktop web browser still hold up?

The first non-beta version of Chrome was released on December 11, 2008, supporting both Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista – there was no official release for Mac, Linux or mobile yet. There weren’t many features yet, but it was fast and reliable enough to warrant a chance. A ComputerWorld review at the time called it “stripped down, fast and functional, with very few bells and whistles”, while Ars Technica described it as “surprisingly refined and has an assortment of very promising capabilities”. Chrome’s name indicates its simple and streamlined origins.

So how does the first version of Chrome hold up nearly 15 years later? I installed it to find out.

A journey back in time

The first step to running Chrome 1.0 is finding Chrome 1.0, which is easier said than done. Unfortunately, it no longer seems possible to get it directly from Google, or even from archived versions of the Google site. The original download page is still accessible on the Internet Archive, but the executable is a web installer that no longer works.

Google has a hidden repository with every build of Chromium – the open source version of Chrome with some features removed and different branding – and the Windows subdirectory dates back to build 1625 from September 1, 2008. However, it’s not quite the same as Google Chrome and early builds crashed on my config.

I ended up using a mirror of Chrome 1.0.154 from the third party software repository, OldVersion. It’s generally not a good idea to download software from anywhere other than the original source, but the original source here seems to be lost in time. This is also a slightly newer build than the version released in December 2008.

Warning: Don’t try to make this at home. The original version of Google Chrome is missing more than 14 years of security fixes. Browsing the web with it puts your computer and your personal data at risk. Your computer could be compromised and infected simply by visiting the wrong website in an outdated browser like Chrome 1.0.

Surprisingly, I didn’t even need to boot up an old PC or Windows XP virtual machine to try out the web browser. I tried installing it in a Parallels virtual machine running Windows 11 on my MacBook Air M1 and it worked without any changes or additional compatibility settings. Even within three levels of virtualization (x86 translation, Windows on ARM, and Parallels), it boots and browses the web without problems.

Chrome 1.0 on Windows 11

Chrome 1.0 doesn’t look perfect on high DPI displays – understandable, given that the technology was rare on desktop PCs in 2008 – and the blue background and window borders are replaced with white under Windows 11. Running it in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP2 restores the intended design, but also causes each tab to crash immediately.

A familiar feeling

At first glance, Chrome 1.0 isn’t all that different from modern Chrome. You have tabs at the top, a unified search and address bar below, some page navigation buttons, and an optional bookmarks bar. There are some differences once you take a closer look, though.

The most obvious difference may be the toolbar buttons: instead of the single three-dot button found today (representing an overflow menu), this version has a page button and a wrench button. The Page button contains options for creating a desktop shortcut, using the clipboard, saving or printing the current page, or opening developer features. The wrench button has more browser-centric options, such as creating new tabs and windows, opening downloads or history, and checking the current version. Google later merged all of these options into the same menu.

The bookmarks button is to the left of the address bar, rather than the right side of the address bar itself. There’s also a dedicated “go” button, which no longer exists and was intended for people not used to hitting enter on their keyboard. The tabs have hard edges, which are gone in 2018 in favor of the current rounded square design.

There are some other significant differences, though. The settings and bookmark manager don’t appear in the browser, like they do in newer versions of Chrome, and have far fewer options. However, all the basic features are present, and I was able to import my bookmarks from modern Chrome by exporting and then re-importing them.

Finally, instead of the feature-rich developer tools found in modern versions, this first build of Chrome only has a web inspector. It’s plainly obvious that Chrome 1.0 shared some code with Apple’s Safari web browser: Inspector has an interface that matches late-2000s Mac OS X, not Windows.

So, there are some notable differences between the look and feel of Chrome 1.0 and modern versions of Chrome, but not enough to confuse people familiar with only the most recent versions. Can you actually use it to browse the web, though?

The broken network

The web has evolved significantly since 2008, so while Chrome 1.0 was cutting edge at the time, it doesn’t quite hold up today. There is no HTML5 video or audio support yet, so media playback won’t work at all in this post-Flash future, and many HTML and CSS layout features are missing. Chrome 1.0 gets a score of 21 out of 555 in the HTML5test, and most browser benchmarks don’t launch at all.

How-To Geeks and CNNs in Chrome 1.0

Most modern sites, including How-To Geek, are almost completely broken. You may see some text and images, but without the required CSS and HTML functionality, the layouts don’t work as expected. Google web searches work because Google still tries to support older web browsers, but most of the sites you’ll find in the results don’t work.

CNN Lite and Old Reddit in Chrome 1.0

However, there are some web sites and apps that still work. Google Search works in older browsers like Chrome 1.0, reverting to a simplified version of the mobile layout, and the old Reddit site (old.reddit.com) still works mostly. CNN’s main site is completely unusable, but CNN Lite works. Other sites with low bandwidth versions may also work.

The start of something big

Google Chrome 1.0 was the beginning of a browser that would change the web and the way we all use it, but the original release is little more than a novelty at this point. It’s not usable on the modern web, and even if it could handle today’s sites, it would be a bad idea. Google fixes many critical security vulnerabilities in Chrome every month, and this release is more than a decade late on those much-needed fixes.

Still, it’s fun to see Chrome’s humble beginnings as a Windows-only web browser with no extensions or HTML5 media support. The first version of Chrome is a piece of history and doesn’t require any special hardware or operating system to try, at least for now.

(You shouldn’t do it yourself, however, as so many critical security patches are missing and would put your computer at risk. Browser updates are vital to online safety.)

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