Google Chrome Frame
Google Chrome Frame is an open source plug-in that seamlessly brings Google Chrome's open web technologies and speedy JavaScript engine to Internet Explorer.
Retiring Chrome Frame - developer FAQ
Please read our June 2013 Chromium blog post for details and background of the plan to retire Google Chrome Frame.
What do I need to do?
Probably not much. If you don't prompt your users to install Chrome Frame or opt-in to Chrome Frame, no action necessary.
-
My sites opt into Chrome Frame with
chrome=1in theX-UA-Compatiblemeta tag or HTTP header.- If you don't require Chrome Frame to use your content, you can remove these opt-in headers now, and slim down the bytes sent to users.
- I prompt my users to install Chrome Frame with a link or
script.
- If you don't need Chrome Frame, you can now remove any references to CFInstall.js. In order to ensure a smooth transition, Chrome Frame will continue be available to install and run until our last update in January 2014.
- My users on older browsers must install Chrome
Frame to view my content.
- You should continue to encourage your users to install and run evergreen browsers, that is, browsers that auto-update their users to the latest and greatest. See below for the Chrome Frame support timeline.
- I'm an IT administrator with Chrome Frame
installed on company machines.
- First up, thank you! We appreciate your support in delivering modern web experiences within your organization.
- Secondly, all existing Chrome Frame installs will continue to work as expected.
- Any site that requires Chrome Frame can, of course, run flawlessly in the secure and stable Google Chrome browser. Deploying Chrome for Business lets you configure over 100 policies to fit your organization's needs. As an admin, you have solid control over the browser deployment, including managing updates, supporting compatibility of older apps, and installing extensions globally.
- Chrome Legacy Browser Support can also help you support internal web apps built for older browsers as well as defaulting your users onto the modern web. This model lets you set a policy for your apps that may work better than using Chrome Frame.
What is Legacy Browser Support?
If your organization wants to take advantage of the Chrome browser, but your users still need to access older websites and apps that require Internet Explorer, you can use Legacy Browser Support to easily and automatically switch between browsers. When your user clicks a link that requires a legacy browser to open (such as a site that requires ActiveX), the URL will automatically open in the legacy browser from Chrome. You can specify which URLs to launch into a second browser and deploy this Chrome policy for the organization. More info on Legacy Browser Support in our help center.
How long will Chrome Frame be supported by Google?
We want to minimize any impact to users with this change. With your help, visitors to your website may never have to take any action. We plan to push our final update to Chrome Frame in January 2014.
How should I deliver feature-forward experiences across browsers now?
Continue to use feature detection to identify capabilities of a browser. Scaling experiences across desktop and mobile in a performant way may require reducing the amount of effects for older browsers. You can define a browser support policy that outlines the various levels of support and/or consider a low-res edition where the content is very accessible, though it's lacking significant visual and interaction design.
Learn more
- Download the stable version of Google Chrome Frame.
- Read the Chrome Frame FAQ and Developer Guide.
- If you're a system administrator, see the Chrome Frame Administrator's Guide
- Join our discussion group to provide feedback.
- Find and file bugs.
Video
From 2009, a look at Chrome Frame and the challenges it set out to solve.