A browser is what enables the user to connect to the Internet. Without a browser, one can not even imagine using a computer; it allows you to access the Internet and just stay connected. Most of the time, when you buy a computer, it comes with a browser.
However, there may come a time when you might want to install a Browser without using a Browser. We will discuss various methods to do the same in this article.
Install a Browser without a Browser in Windows 11/10
Installing a third party such as Chrome or Firefox is pretty simple when you already have Edge installed on your system. You can head over to their website, click on a link and their respective installation media will get downloaded. But, if you want to install Chrome or Firefox browser without a browser, follow any of the methods mentioned below.
- Download a browser from Microsoft Store
- Use WebRequest or Curl to download a browser
- Run the Winget command to download your browser
- Install a browser using Chocolatey
Let us talk about them in detail.
1] Download a browser from Microsoft Store
One of the easiest ways to download a browser if you don’t have one is via Microsoft Store. Microsoft Store has an enormous app library and we are certain you will find something worth downloading.
So, open Microsoft Store. You can click on its icon from the Taskbar or search it out from the Start Menu. Once you have launched the store, type “Browser” in the Search bar and hit Enter. You will see multiple browsers. Download the one you like. In case you don’t like any browser hosted on MS Store, download any browser and use it to download the browser of your choice. Edge, and Firefox, and Brave are some of the more reliable browsers available on the Microsoft Store.
2] Use WebRequest or Curl Command to download a browser
With the help of the Invoke-WebRequest command, we can install a browser. Invoke-WebRequest command send sends HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and FILE requests to a web page, which we can use to make a request from the web for our browser. It may sound a little wearying, but actually, it is quite simple and can with PowerShell version 3.0 or above.
We can also use the Curl command to download the browser. Curl is another tool to request the web. For both methods, you need the following links.
- Google Chrome (64-bit): https://dl.google.com/chrome/install/standalonesetup64.exe
- Mozilla Firefox (64-bit): https://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-latest&os=win64
- Mozilla Firefox (32-bit): https://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-latest&os=win
- Opera (64-bit): https://net.geo.opera.com/opera/stable/windows
WebRequest
To do the same, first of all, open PowerShell. For that, simply search the app using Start or hit Win + R, type “Powershell” and hit Enter. Once you have PowerShell open, run the following commands.
cd Desktop
Now, execute the following command.
Invoke-WebRequest <browser-link> -o download.exe
Make sure to replace <browser-link> with the aforementioned link
Curl Command
Launch PowerShell without administrative privileges and run the following commands.
cd Desktop
curl -L <browser-link> -o download.exe
This way you can create a copy of the browser on the desktop.
If you get “path does not exist” after running the cd Desktop command, open File Explorer, go to the Desktop folder, click on the address bar, copy the location, and replace it with Desktop in the cd Desktop command.
On some systems, Curl will work, whereas, on some WebRequest will work. You can stick to the one that worked for you.
Once the installation process is over, refresh your Desktop, and there you can see your browser. It will be named Download.exe as that’s what we name it, but it will be the installation media of the browser you have downloaded. You can just simply double-click on it and start the installation process.
3] Run the Winget command to download your browser
Winget is a built-in Windows utility that allows the system to install, uninstall and manage applications. We can use it to download a browser of our choice. Doing so is pretty simple, just launch PowerShell and run the following command.
To install Google Chrome:
winget install -e --id Google.Chrome
To install Firefox:
winget install -e --id Mozilla.Firefox
To install Opera:
winget install -e --id Opera.Opera
This will do the job for you.
4] Install a browser using Chocolatey
Chocolatery is a third-party utility software using which we can install not just browsers but other applications on our computer. One of the best things about this is that once you have set it up, you can install any app using simple strings. So, first of all, let us install Chocolatey on your computer. To do so, open PowerShell as an administrator. Now, run the following commands in the given order.
Set-ExecutionPolicy AllSigned
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))
With these two commands, you have to install Chocolatey on your system.
However, before installing the browser, you should restart PowerShell, and make sure to always open it as an admin when using this tool. Run the following command to install the browser.
choco install googlechrome/firefox/opera/brave/vivaldi
Do not paste the entire command; only paste the name of the browser you want to download. It will take some time to run commands and install the browser. You will be asked to confirm some of the actions. Once the installation process is completed, the browser that you just installed will be pinned in the taskbar.
Hopefully, now you can download and install a browser even if your system does not already have one.
Read: Firefox not installing on Windows
How do I install Chrome without a browser?
You can pretty easily download the Chrome installer on another computer, move the file to yours using a USB stick and then run it. In case you find this process tiresome, just use any of the methods to install Chrome without a browser.
Also Read: Import Chrome Data to Edge without installing Chrome
Can you use other browsers on Windows 11?
Yes, even though Microsoft Edge is the default browser, you can use any browser of your choice in Windows 11. There are some alternative browsers for Windows that you should look at if you are planning to switch. You can also make the newly installed browser a default default on a Windows system.
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