alex313031/thorium

Thorium is a modified version of Chromium, the open-source browser that Google Chrome is built from. The project applies a large collection of patches on top of Chromium's source code to improve speed, restore features that were removed, and reduce data collection. It is built primarily for Linux, with separate repositories providing Windows, macOS, Android, and Raspberry Pi builds. One of the main focuses is performance. Thorium is compiled with aggressive optimization settings and is released in multiple variants tuned for different generations of Intel and AMD processors. The builds target different sets of processor instructions, so users with newer hardware can download a version that takes advantage of capabilities their CPU supports. The README includes guidance for choosing between them. On the media side, Thorium adds support for codecs that Chromium omits from its standard Linux builds due to licensing, including HEVC video and a broader range of audio and video formats. It also restores JPEG XL image support and FTP URL support that Google removed from Chromium in past versions. For privacy, the browser disables Google's ad-targeting systems including FLOC and Privacy Sandbox, enables Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control by default, and applies DNS-over-HTTPS patches. It shows the full URL including the path in the address bar, a behavior Google changed, and removes the addition of Google's own software repository to your package manager during installation. On the interface side, Thorium restores the classic Chrome look from before a 2024 redesign, brings back the older download shelf at the bottom of the screen, shows the bookmarks bar and home button by default, and adds several search engines including DuckDuckGo and Brave Search to the options available in all regions. This repository covers the source code and Linux builds. Builds for other platforms are maintained in separate repositories linked in the README.