Help

Installing

On a Mac, ilo needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later on Apple silicon. Open the download and drag ilo into Applications.

On Windows, ilo needs 64-bit Windows 10 or later. Run the installer, which installs ilo for you alone and asks for no administrator. The installer isn't signed yet, so Windows may say it protected your PC: choose More info, then Run anyway.

On Linux, ilo is a Flatpak for x64. Open the download with your software centre, or run flatpak install --user ilo-linux-x86_64.flatpak where you saved it. Flatpak fetches the runtime ilo runs on from Flathub if you don't have it.

To bring your tabs, bookmarks and history from another browser, choose Import from Other Browsers… in the ilo menu, or type "import" in the command bar.

Spaces and profiles

A Space holds the tabs for one part of your life, such as work or a trip, each with its own colour. Switch Spaces with ⌃1 to ⌃9, ⌥⌘← and ⌥⌘→, a click on a dot at the foot of the sidebar, or a two-finger swipe over the sidebar.

A profile holds your logins, cookies, history and extensions. Several Spaces can share a profile, so you stay signed in across them, or a Space can have a profile of its own to keep a work account apart.

Tabs

The sidebar keeps a Space's tabs. New tabs go under Today. Pin a tab with ⌘D to keep it, or drag it into the favorites at the top, which the Spaces of a profile share unless you choose otherwise in Settings › General. ⌘S hides the sidebar and shows it again.

Today tabs tidy themselves: one you haven't looked at for 12 hours goes to the archive, as one you close with ⌘W does. Clear, or ⇧⌘K, closes Today's tabs but the one you're on, and ⌘Z brings them back. ⇧⌘T reopens the tab you closed last. The archive is in the Library, ⇧⌘L, for 30 days.

The command bar

⌘T opens the command bar. Type an address, a search, an open tab's name or a command, such as "clear cookies", and press Return. ⌘L opens it on the page's address to change it. ⇧⌘C copies the page's address.

Split view

⌃⇧= adds a page beside the one you're on, and you can drag a tab from the sidebar onto the page to split it there. A split stays together in the sidebar as one row.

Extensions and ad blocking

Chrome's extensions work in ilo: install them from the Chrome Web Store, and find them in the Extensions menu. ilo blocks ads and trackers from the start. If a site breaks, turn blocking off for that site in Site Controls, the button in the address field, or everywhere in Settings › General.

Updates

ilo updates itself. To look now, choose Check for Updates… in the ilo menu, or type "update" in the command bar. On Linux, Flatpak updates it with your other Flatpak apps. What changed is in the changelog.

Reporting a problem

Help › Report a Problem… opens a new issue on GitHub with ilo's version and your system filled in. Nothing is sent until you submit it. You can also look through the issues others have reported. What ilo sends and where is on Privacy.

Questions

What is ilo?

ilo is a free, open-source web browser for Mac, Windows and Linux, built on Chromium. It keeps each part of your life in its own Space, down a sidebar that tidies itself, with one command bar for addresses, searches, open tabs and commands.

Is ilo free?

Yes. The whole browser is free on every computer it runs on, with no ads, no licence checks and no paid features. It's GPL-3.0, and it makes no money for now.

Is ilo open source?

Yes. All of ilo that runs on your computer is under the GPL-3.0, and its source is on GitHub at github.com/MartinPTielemans/ilo.

What is ilo built on?

ilo is built on ungoogled-chromium, which cuts Chromium's calls to Google, with an interface of its own written in Rust with GPUI. Sites work as they do in Chrome.

Which computers does ilo run on?

Mac: macOS 15 Sequoia or later, on Apple silicon. Windows: 64-bit Windows 10 or later. Linux: a Flatpak, for x64.

Does ilo work with Chrome extensions?

Yes. Chrome's extensions work in ilo: install them from the Chrome Web Store, and find them in the Extensions menu.

Does ilo block ads?

Yes. ilo blocks ads and trackers from the first page with uBlock Origin, built in. You can turn blocking off for a site in Site Controls, or everywhere in Settings.

Does ilo collect my data?

No. ilo needs no account, and has no analytics and no ads, and sends no record of how you use it. Crash reports leave your computer only if you choose to send them. ilobrowser.com/privacy lists every service ilo talks to.

Can I move my tabs and bookmarks to ilo?

Yes. Choose Import from Other Browsers… in the ilo menu, or type “import” in the command bar, to bring your tabs, bookmarks and history from another browser.

Does ilo sync between computers?

Yes, with an ilo account, end-to-end encrypted. It syncs your Spaces and your first profile's bookmarks, passwords and open tabs, encrypted with 24 recovery words only your devices have. It uses ilo's server unless you run your own, and needs no Google account.

Who makes ilo?

ilo is made by Martin P. Tielemans, in the open. Because it's GPL, if he ever stops, anyone can carry on from the code.