Installing a browser is very simple, and companies have taken care to keep it that way. The real challenge is using it without all the unwanted extras that hinder our browsing experience, which is its original purpose.
With that seemingly simple goal, a developer has launched “Just the Browser.” This innovative tool enables users to disable artificial intelligence functions, sponsored content, telemetry, and other features that many of us find intrusive in mainstream browsers. Let’s explore how it works.
Browsers Overloaded with Features
The creator of this initiative is Corbin Davenport, a software developer and technology writer. Davenport’s philosophy is straightforward: modern browsers have strayed from their fundamental role, becoming feature-laden platforms that often serve as distractions.
If you prefer to avoid AI in your browser, it’s increasingly becoming a challenge, as browsers like Chrome, Edge, and even Firefox are steering towards a future heavily laden with generative AI—regardless of user preference. Fortunately, there are measures to counter this, and “Just the Browser” is a viable solution.
The Innovation Behind Just the Browser: Enterprise Group Policies
What makes Just the Browser particularly interesting is its approach. Instead of creating a fork of another popular browser (as projects like LibreWolf, Waterfox, or Pale Moon have done), it utilizes group policy settings provided by Google, Mozilla, and Microsoft for corporate users.
These corporate policies enable IT departments to disable specific functions on work or school computers. Davenport has ingeniously repurposed this functionality for individual users seeking a cleaner browsing experience.
The process does not modify executable files or require additional extensions. Instead, it simply applies settings that browsers are designed to respect consistently—something that doesn’t always hold true for settings offered to home users.
What Does Just the Browser Remove?
Just the Browser disables several aspects of your web experience:
- Most generative AI features, both cloud-based and on-premises, with the exception of page translation in Firefox.
- Shopping integrations, such as price tracking, coupon codes, and loan offers.
- Sponsored or third-party content, including suggested articles and promoted sites.
- Reminders to set the browser as default.
- Initial setup experiences and automatic data import prompts.
- Telemetry and data collection, while allowing crash reporting as a separate option.
- Autostart functionalities with the operating system.
Davenport emphasizes that the scope of these settings is intentionally limited, as what one user considers bloatware might not be the same for another. The project does not aim for extreme minimalism and does not require additional privacy extensions.
Easy Installation via Scripts
The tool is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can find automated installation scripts on the official website, which run with a single command in your system terminal. Alternatively, users can download configuration files from their GitHub page for manual application.
Active policies can be checked anytime via ‘about:policies’ in Firefox or ‘chrome://policy’ in Chromium-based browsers. Users may encounter a “Your browser is being managed by your organization” message, a normal warning when group policies are applied, but it is nothing to worry about.
The project is completely open-source, and Davenport encourages the community to help keep the configurations updated as browsers change.
Limitations
Currently, the tool only supports desktop computers. Mobile device compatibility is not available, although users have already requested its addition for Android and iOS on GitHub.
It’s important to remember that the effectiveness of Just the Browser hinges on the continued adherence of browsers to these group policies. Should Google, Mozilla, or Microsoft decide to alter or remove these corporate controls, the settings may cease to function. Nonetheless, since these policies are targeted at corporate clients, significant changes are unlikely to happen without prior notice.
Cover image | Denny Muller.