---
description: Installing ShardBrowser, adding a proxy and launching your first profile
icon: browser
---

# ShardBrowser

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-cover_black.svg" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-cover_white.svg" alt="ShardBrowser logo">
  </picture>
</figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
ShardBrowser is a Chromium-based anti-detect browser by the ShardX team. Every profile gets its own fingerprint of a real device and its own proxy, so websites see your profiles as different computers. The program is free and provided "as is". If you run into a serious issue, please file a bug report on [GitHub](https://github.com/ProxyShard/ShardBrowser/issues).
{% endhint %}

Official ShardBrowser website: [shardbrowser.com](https://shardbrowser.com/).

<figure><img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-website.png" alt="Official ShardBrowser website"><figcaption>Official ShardBrowser website</figcaption></figure>

## Windows system requirements

| Component      | Minimum                                | Recommended                                  |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| OS             | Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11, 64-bit  | Windows 11 64-bit                            |
| Architecture   | x64 / x86\_64                          | x64                                          |
| CPU            | Dual-core 64-bit with SSE3 support     | Quad-core or better                          |
| RAM            | 4 GB                                   | 8 GB (16 GB when running many profiles)      |
| Disk space     | 1 GB                                   | 5 GB or more                                 |
| Runtime        | Microsoft Edge WebView2                | Latest version                               |

---

## Installing on Windows

Download the latest version:

{% embed url="https://github.com/ProxyShard/ShardBrowser/releases/latest" %}

Under <mark style="color:purple;">**Assets**</mark>, pick the installer <mark style="color:purple;">`ShardBrowser.Launcher_<version>_x64-setup.exe`</mark>. If you need a version that runs without installation, download <mark style="color:purple;">`ShardBrowser-Launcher-portable-win-x64.exe`</mark>.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-github-release-assets_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-github-release-assets_white.png" alt="Pick x64-setup.exe under Assets">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>Pick x64-setup.exe under Assets</figcaption>
</figure>

Run the downloaded file. <mark style="color:purple;">Windows SmartScreen</mark> may show a warning. Click <mark style="color:purple;">**More info**</mark>, then <mark style="color:purple;">**Run anyway**</mark>.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-windows-smartscreen_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-windows-smartscreen_white.png" alt="SmartScreen: click Run anyway">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>SmartScreen: click Run anyway</figcaption>
</figure>

## Installing on macOS

Under <mark style="color:purple;">**Assets**</mark>, download <mark style="color:purple;">`ShardBrowser.Launcher_<version>_aarch64.dmg`</mark>. This build supports Macs with Apple Silicon processors.

Open the `.dmg` file and drag <mark style="color:purple;">**ShardBrowser Launcher**</mark> to <mark style="color:purple;">**Applications**</mark>. The build is not notarized, so macOS may block the first launch. Run this command in Terminal:

```bash
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/ShardBrowser Launcher.app"
```

You can also allow the app under <mark style="color:purple;">**System Settings**</mark> → <mark style="color:purple;">**Privacy & Security**</mark> → <mark style="color:purple;">**Open Anyway**</mark>.

## Installing on Linux

The <mark style="color:purple;">**Assets**</mark> section provides `.AppImage`, `.deb` and `.rpm` builds. To run the AppImage, make it executable:

```bash
chmod +x ShardBrowser.Launcher_<version>_amd64.AppImage
./ShardBrowser.Launcher_<version>_amd64.AppImage
```

Install the `.deb` package with:

```bash
sudo apt install ./ShardBrowser.Launcher_<version>_amd64.deb
```

## First launch

After installation and launch, the <mark style="color:purple;">**All profiles**</mark> home screen opens. The section menu is on the left: profiles, proxies, fingerprints, extensions, bookmarks, automation and your ShardX account.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-profiles-empty_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-profiles-empty_white.png" alt="ShardBrowser home screen">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>ShardBrowser home screen</figcaption>
</figure>

---

## Adding a proxy

Go to <mark style="color:purple;">**Proxies**</mark> and click <mark style="color:purple;">**+ Add proxies**</mark>.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-proxies-empty_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-proxies-empty_white.png" alt="Proxies section">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>Proxies section</figcaption>
</figure>

In the <mark style="color:purple;">**Add proxies**</mark> window, choose the type in <mark style="color:purple;">**Type for lines without one**</mark> (<mark style="color:purple;">SOCKS5</mark> by default) and paste your proxies, one per line. Supported formats:

```
host:port
host:port:user:pass
user:pass@host:port
socks5://user:pass@host:port
```

Lines starting with `#` are ignored. Proxies you already have (same type, host, port, username and password) are skipped.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-add-proxies-paste_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-add-proxies-paste_white.png" alt="Paste one proxy per line and click Preview">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>Paste one proxy per line and click Preview</figcaption>
</figure>

Click <mark style="color:purple;">**Preview**</mark>. In the preview window, click <mark style="color:purple;">**Test all**</mark> to check the proxies before adding them. After the test every proxy gets a status and a country.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-add-proxies-preview_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-add-proxies-preview_white.png" alt="Click Test all, then Add 1 proxy">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>Click Test all, then Add 1 proxy</figcaption>
</figure>

Proxies marked <mark style="color:purple;">**UDP**</mark> support <mark style="color:purple;">SOCKS5 UDP</mark> and therefore <mark style="color:purple;">WebRTC</mark>, which matters a lot against serious anti-fraud systems. Without the <mark style="color:purple;">**UDP**</mark> mark the profile switches to <mark style="color:purple;">**TCP-only**</mark> mode: your IP won't leak, but the traffic may look suspicious to advanced anti-fraud systems. We strongly recommend [proxies with UDP support](../our-products/about-udp/).

<mark style="color:purple;">**Select working only**</mark> keeps only the working proxies selected. Click <mark style="color:purple;">**Add 1 proxy**</mark> - the proxy appears in the list.

---

## Creating your first profile

Go to <mark style="color:purple;">**All profiles**</mark> and click <mark style="color:purple;">**+ New profile**</mark>. You can also import a profile from the clipboard with <mark style="color:purple;">**Import from clipboard**</mark>.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-new-profile-button_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-new-profile-button_white.png" alt="All profiles section">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>All profiles section</figcaption>
</figure>

The <mark style="color:purple;">**New profile**</mark> window opens with the <mark style="color:purple;">**Basics**</mark>, <mark style="color:purple;">**Proxy**</mark>, <mark style="color:purple;">**Fingerprint**</mark> and <mark style="color:purple;">**Extensions**</mark> tabs. On <mark style="color:purple;">**Basics**</mark>, enter a profile name. Here you can also pick a folder, tags and a color, add a note and load a cookies file.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-new-profile-basics_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-new-profile-basics_white.png" alt="Enter the profile name">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>Enter the profile name</figcaption>
</figure>

On the <mark style="color:purple;">**Proxy**</mark> tab, pick a saved proxy from the list. <mark style="color:purple;">**+ Add a new proxy**</mark> lets you add a new one right away.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-new-profile-proxy_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-new-profile-proxy_white.png" alt="Pick a proxy for the profile">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>Pick a proxy for the profile</figcaption>
</figure>

You don't have to change anything on the <mark style="color:purple;">**Fingerprint**</mark> tab - ShardBrowser picks a fingerprint for the chosen OS by itself. If you want, choose the <mark style="color:purple;">operating system</mark> (macOS, Windows, Linux, Android), a specific fingerprint, the graphics card, CPU cores, memory, refresh rate and screen resolution.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-new-profile-fingerprint_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-new-profile-fingerprint_white.png" alt="Profile fingerprint settings">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>Profile fingerprint settings</figcaption>
</figure>

Click <mark style="color:purple;">**Create profile**</mark>.

---

## Launching a profile

The profile appears in the list. The profile card opens on the right: proxy, extensions, notes, fingerprint settings, timezone and language (taken from the proxy by default). Click <mark style="color:purple;">**Start**</mark>.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-profile-start_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-profile-start_white.png" alt="Click Start to launch the profile">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>Click Start to launch the profile</figcaption>
</figure>

The browser starts with an isolated fingerprint and proxy. The `chrome://shardx` start page lists the profile's protections.

<figure>
  <picture>
    <source srcset="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-profile-browser-started_black.png" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)">
    <img src="../.gitbook/assets/shardbrowser-profile-browser-started_white.png" alt="Profile launched">
  </picture>
  <figcaption>Profile launched</figcaption>
</figure>

---

## Troubleshooting

### The app doesn't start

Most likely <mark style="color:purple;">Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime</mark> is not installed. Download and install it:

{% embed url="https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2/consumer" %}

Original Windows 10/11 images already include WebView2. Stripped-down builds may have it removed.