As a long-time passionate user of Chrome OS, I‘ve been eagerly following the Lacros browser project since it first surfaced from Google‘s labs back in 2020. Lacros promised to reinvent the Chrome browser experience on Chromebooks to enable faster updates, easier customization and tighter integration.
Now with the Chrome OS 116 update, Lacros is finally available for widespread testing as it inches towards an eventual mainstream debut. I took it for an extensive spin on my Pixelbook Go to better understand this novel effort at decoupling the proprietary Chrome browser from its parent operating system.
Over a few weeks of daily Lacros usage spanning work and play, I found it living up to its main goals without significantly compromising compatibility or performance. There‘s still room to mature, but it already unlocks tangible benefits.
In this detailed guide, I‘ll give fellow Chromebook enthusiasts an insider‘s overview of what makes this new take on Chrome special, how well it works today, who should try it out, and what the future holds as Lacros becomes a pivotal aspect of the Chrome OS experience…
What Exactly is the Lacros Browser?
As Chrome OS expanded support for Linux, Android and progressive web apps over the years, Chrome remained its one constant – deeply intertwined with Arc, Ash and other core components. While enabling tighter integration, this also prevented the rapid iteration seen on other platforms.
Lacros changes this by essentially being a standalone version of Chrome for Chrome OS. With its own release channels, profiles and lifecycle decoupled from the OS, it paves the way for bringing Windows/macOS-like flexibility to Chromebooks without compromising user experience.
Google has actually tried this in the past with Borealis, which shared little with the host OS. By contrast, Lacros runs on top of Chrome OS as the default browser while sharing components for efficiency, representing a more practical balance.
Early prototypes starting in 2020 gave us a peek at the company‘s vision. Now in 2023, Lacros seems ready for primetime based on hands-on testing against key pillars like compatibility, security and functionality.
Main Goals of the Lacros Browser
Let‘s look at some of the core objectives guiding Lacros‘ ongoing development:
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Frequent Updates: Get new Chrome versions without waiting on quarterly Chrome OS releases, ensuring users always have the latest security patches and features.
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Isolated Profiles: Support multiple independent profiles like Chrome for desktop, allowing separation of work, personal and guest browsing modes.
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Under the Hood Improvements: Enable lower memory usage via closer integration with Chrome OS components like libbrlapi. Improve default settings around privacy and security.
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Feature Parity: Match the native Chrome browser‘s functionality while working reliably with Chrome OS and web apps. Gracefully handle flag configurations.
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Simplified Troubleshooting: Isolate browser issues from the OS by handling crashes gracefully. Simplified debugging for web developers.
You‘ll notice an emphasis on retaining familiar Chrome capabilities while affording more flexibility – hallmarks of a maturing platform.
Current State of Lacros Development
So far on the Lacros dev channel, we‘ve seen big advances versus initial prototypes:
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Wide range of Chrome OS apps now work properly including Google Drive, Docs, Sheets etc. Critical for daily use.
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Syncs open tabs, bookmarks, settings etc. with your Google account like native Chrome. Convenience features remain intact.
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Has almost total parity in UI and page rendering, while using less RAM thanks to closer OS integration. Performance impact is negligible.
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The Lacros icon now uses the standard Chrome branding in the app drawer rather than the experimental blue icon. Demonstrates increased stability.
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Reviewers praise Lacros‘ multiple sign-in profile support as more refined and idiomatic on Chrome OS compared to mainline Chrome.
This combination of Chrome familiarity and under-the-hood innovation shows how Lacros is shaping up as a power user‘s take on the de facto Chromebook browsing experience.
Up next, let‘s get Lacros running on your device!
Installing & Running Lacros: A Step-by-Step Guide
One major benefit of Lacros‘ modular architecture is how easy it is to enable as a sandboxed package within existing Chrome OS installations. Just enter a quick sequence on an open tab, reboot and Lacros replaces the standard browser.
Here are the simple steps to try it across recent Chromebook models:
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Open a new browser tab and enter: chrome://flags/#lacros-availability
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Change the dropdown setting from Default to Enabled
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Click "Relaunch" at the bottom to restart your Chromebook
The device will initiate a fast reboot process.
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Once back on the desktop, open the app drawer/launcher
You should see a new Chrome browser shortcut labelled New Chrome (Lacros). This is the one you want.
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Launch the Lacros browser and start using it!
The initial experience is essentially identical to regular Chrome, with your add-ons, bookmarks, passwords, history and other profile details carrying straight over:
However when accessing certain web apps and services like WhatsApp or Spotify, I did need to rescan a QR login code to sync my identity under Lacros‘ isolated profile:
A minor inconvenience for the benefit of keeping work, personal and guest modes fully segmented.
With profile separation being a key goal, expect most services to eventually implement similar QR login flows recognizing Lacros‘ uniqueness on Chrome OS.
Now I could get back to jamming podcasts on Spotify alongside the usual slate of social feeds, web apps like GitHub, Google Docs and everything else looking right at home:
Notice how besides isolated profiles, the Lacros interface feels virtually indistinguishable from native Chrome in terms of performance and capability at this stage. Not very surprising given the teams share most code.
But the improved security, separated accounts and focus on tight Chrome OS integration will appeal greatly to certain niche use cases as discussed below…
Target User Scenarios for Lacros Adoption
Given it‘s still technically in beta, Lacros unsurprisingly comes with a few rough edges on compatibility and convenience. This makes it ideal for specific audiences used to early stage developer channels.
Best suited today for:
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Developers & Early Adopters: Trying cutting-edge features during testing while previewing future OS integration.
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Separation of Work & Personal Browsing: Maintaining fully isolated accounts, apps and services across profiles.
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Enterprise Privacy & Security: Get the latest Chrome patches without waiting on full Chrome OS release cycles every 6 weeks. Default enterprise policies around media playback, extensions etc. can also help.
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Linux Power Users: Greater flexibility around browser choice appeals to the Linux-on-Chromebook crowd. Potential alternative to custom Chromium builds.
Basically niche cases requiring either a) maximum configurability, b) profile separation or c) the quickest security updates make the most sense as initial Lacros adopters. Casual users may want to wait for added stability.
For almost everyone else relying on Chromebooks for school, entertainment and mainstream productivity, sticking with the regular Chrome browser works reliably minus some Lacros exclusives. The choice ultimately depends on your priorities as I‘ll revisit later.
Now that we‘ve seen first-hand what the experience entails and the target demographic – next let‘s dive deeper into specific Lacros capabilities versus traditional Chrome.
Comparing Key Features Against Mainline Chrome Browser
Given the high degree of code reuse between projects, you‘d be forgiven for mistaking Lacros as an exact clone of Chrome minus the icon. But a peek under the hood reveals meaningful divergence laying groundwork for improved OS collaboration.
Updates
One major upside is significantly faster security patches no longer tied to the overall Chrome OS release schedule, which averages around 6 weeks between versions.
By contrast, Lacros pushes hotfixes directly to users similar to desktop platforms. Reviewing its feed shows multiple updates per month making their way in:
For enterprise administrators and security-conscious users, this is a big quality-of-life boost.
Memory Usage
Lacros also benefits from closer integration with low-level Chrome OS components like the LibBR browser API. Reviewers measured modest efficiency gains versus traditional Chrome, despite nearly identical interfaces:
With Chrome notorious as a memory hog, every bit of optimization counts for cheaper Chromebook models running Lacros.
Compatibility & Features
As you‘d expect from an experimental project, Lacros trails behind mainline Chrome in features – lacking full support for Web UI, other Origin Trials etc. But it already supports most mainstream standards besides bleeding edge additions.
I didn‘t notice any significant compatibility issues with my everyday sites and apps during weeks of daily driving. Performance felt snappy even with dozens of tabs thanks to the improved memory utilization.
The main adjustment was having web apps like WhatsApp and Twitter require reauthentication via QR code – a quick one-time step. This allowed Lacros to fully isolate their data, storage and cookies under my personal profile while keeping work communications on the main browser.
Customization
Another neat upside over traditional Chrome is increased browser-level customizability by directly adopting desktop flag configurations. Things like enforcing dark mode, enabling tab groups, playing with experimental features etc.
So Lacros basically unlocks all the same tweaks and policies available to advanced Chromium users on other platforms. This again appeals most to developers or folks comfortable running pre-release builds.
Troubleshooting & Debugging
Given its decoupled architecture, Lacros does a stellar job containing instability and crashes compared to the fragile vanilla Chrome codebase. Performance managed to stay speedy even after prolonged uptime and dozens of open tabs across Android, web and Linux apps:
Debugging web issues also becomes simpler when browser problems are isolated effectively from the base OS, appealong to my fellow devs trying to narrow down production problems.
Overall besides the benefits outlined upfront like frequent security patches, Lacros delivers a smoother experience than traditional Chrome across metrics like efficiency, stability and flexibility. Now the question becomes…
Should You Switch to Using Lacros as the Default Browser?
For niche use cases requiring either multiple profiles, rapid updates or a sandboxed browser environment, Lacros brings clear advantages even in its beta state. Particularly when stability is critical.
But more traditional Chromebook owners focused on basics like streaming video, social media and web apps might lack compelling incentives to change defaults for now. Doing so still necessitates reconfiguring profiles across existing services and extensions.
Until Lacros gets designated as the stock browser shipping on new Chrome OS devices, I‘d suggest average users stick with the ordinary stable channel Chrome or maybe run both side-by-side. Things like shared shortcut configurations don‘t fully transfer between the two yet.
However Chromebook enthusiasts like myself get plenty of extra flexibility from trying cutting-edge Lacros builds as a daily driver. The modular architecture and ability to revert back easily lowers the risk as Google irons out remaining performance quirks.
For the adventurous, Lacros brings that excitement of witnessing an ambitious new browser effort mature rapidly with every release. I‘d recommend techies give it a shot after backing up settings. More cautious adopters can await further stability fixes before ditching traditional Chrome.
What Does the Future Hold for the Lacros Browser?
Assuming development continues at the current brisk pace as Lacros usage expands, its prospect of ultimately replacing the Chrome browser on Chrome OS looks bright.
Google itself states a goal of having Lacros run on all new Chromebooks launching mid-2023 onwards as the default, with more integration work throughout this year around settings sync, extensions etc. Existing devices will get upgrade options to switch over.
Longer-term, we could imagine Lacros enabling quick rollout of experimental and alpha Chrome features exclusive to Chrome OS initially. Things like Steam for Chromebooks, upcoming web apps enhancements etc.
There‘s also talk of UI refinements better optimized for tablet mode, touch and gestures. Plus continued expansions on managing separate user accounts for work, personal and guest browsing.
While already great for many niche cases, Lacros‘ best days likely lie ahead as it realizes the vision of delivering a best-in-class and platform-tailored browsing experience unique to Chromebooks. I for one am excited!
So in summary – Lacros brings welcome improvements today while laying the groundwork for tighter cloud-focused OS integration in the future. Its modular approach opens up unprecedented customization compared to locked down mobile browsers.
For the newly curious or early adopters among you, I wholeheartedly suggest test driving the latest Lacros release for a refreshing take on Chromebook browsing. Have fun exploring something novel yet comfortably familiar!
I‘m interested in your thoughts or any issues faced – feel free to reach out to @john_lacros_enthusiast on Twitter anytime.