Overview
Opera has always shipped features other browsers left to extensions. The content blocker is built into the network layer rather than bolted on, the proxy service is a checkbox in settings, and the tab management ideas, workspaces, tab islands, the sidebar, arrived here years before anyone else copied them. Underneath it is Chromium, so pages render identically to every other browser in that family and extensions from the usual store install without complaint.
This build removes the parts that exist to promote something. The sponsored speed dial tiles, the sidebar entries for gaming and cryptocurrency features, the promotional notifications and the first run offers are all gone, and the telemetry service is stripped rather than switched off. The features people actually use are untouched.
Blocking, tracking and the proxy
The content blocker filters at the network level, which means blocked requests are never made rather than being hidden after loading. It carries the usual filter lists and accepts custom rules, and there is a separate tracker blocker with its own list. On a heavy news site the difference in load time is not subtle.
The built in proxy service routes browser traffic through a chosen region and is enabled with a single toggle. It is a browser proxy, not a system wide tunnel, and it should be described that way rather than as a full privacy solution. For getting around a regional page restriction or keeping a network operator from seeing which sites you visit it is convenient and it costs nothing to turn on.
Tabs, workspaces and the sidebar
Workspaces are separate sets of tabs in the same window, switched from the sidebar, so a research session and an ordinary browsing session do not interleave. Tab islands group related tabs automatically when they were opened from each other, and the grouping visibly holds them together in the tab strip rather than only in a menu.
The sidebar holds pinned web applications that stay loaded, and messenger panels that show a chat next to a page rather than in a separate tab. With the promotional entries removed, the sidebar contains only what you put there. Search in tabs finds an open tab by its content as well as its title, which at fifty tabs is the only workable way to find anything.
Reading, media and everyday use
Video can be popped out into a floating window that stays above other applications and follows you between tabs, which is the feature most people keep the browser for. There is a snapshot tool with annotation for capturing part of a page, and a reader mode that strips a page to text.
Profiles, bookmarks and history behave like any Chromium browser, and importing from another browser brings everything over in one pass. Synchronisation between devices is available and optional, and with it switched off the browser keeps everything local.
What you get
- Network level content and tracker blocking with custom rule support
- Built in browser proxy with regional selection, one toggle to enable
- Workspaces for keeping separate sets of tabs in one window
- Automatic tab islands that group related tabs in the strip
- Sidebar with pinned web applications and messenger panels
- Search in tabs that matches page content as well as titles
- Floating video window that stays above other applications
- Snapshot tool with annotation and a text only reader mode
- Full Chromium extension support and one pass import from other browsers
Inside the archive
- Opera offline installer, x86 and x64
- Configuration profile with promotional components disabled at startup
- Language packs for the interface list shown above
- Notes listing the removed sidebar entries and services
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 10 version 21H2 or Windows 11 |
|---|---|
| Processor | Any dual core processor |
| Memory | 4 GB minimum, 8 GB with many tabs |
| Graphics | Any card with hardware acceleration |
| Storage | 500 MB |
| Display | Any resolution |
Installing it
- Unpack the archive and pick the architecture matching your system.
- Run the installer. There is no offer step to decline.
- On first launch, import from your existing browser if you want bookmarks and passwords carried over.
- Open settings and confirm the block lists are enabled, since they default to off on a fresh profile.
- Check the sidebar. It should contain only the panels you add yourself.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Direct is usually faster at this size | Online |
Release history
- Rebased on the current Chromium branch
- Removed two sidebar entries reintroduced upstream
- Fixed the floating video window losing focus on multiple monitors
- Telemetry service stripped rather than disabled
- Workspace switching hotkeys made configurable
- Speed dial sponsored tiles removed at build level
Questions about this release
Is the built in proxy a full virtual private network?
No. It routes browser traffic only and nothing else on the machine. It is convenient, it is free, and it should not be treated as a complete privacy tool.
Do Chrome extensions work?
Yes, from the usual store, unmodified. The browser is Chromium underneath.
Will the sidebar promotions come back?
Not from this build. An upstream update would bring them back, which is why the updater is disabled and new builds are posted here instead.
Why is the content blocker not blocking anything?
It defaults to off on a fresh profile. Turn on both the advertisement and tracker lists in settings after install.
Comments
Pop out video following me between tabs is worth it on a single monitor.
Remember to turn the block lists on, they are off by default on a new profile.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
Workspaces are the reason I keep coming back. Clean sidebar with nothing I did not add.