Chrome 146, released on March 10, 2026, is the browser’s 146th major version since Google launched it on September 2, 2008. That milestone came faster than ever — Chrome now ships a new stable version every four weeks, a pace Google will double to two weeks starting September 2026. This article breaks down Chrome version history statistics, release cadence shifts, and adoption data through early 2026.
Chrome Version History Statistics: Key Numbers for 2026
- Chrome 146, released March 10, 2026, is the current stable version; Chrome 147 is expected April 7, 2026.
- Google Chrome holds 71.22% global browser market share across all platforms as of December 2025, according to StatCounter.
- Chrome has 3.83 billion users worldwide as of 2026, up 5.8% year over year.
- Starting September 8, 2026, Chrome will move from a four-week to a two-week release cycle, beginning with Chrome 153.
- Chrome for Android alone accounts for 40.58% of total global browser market share.
How Many Chrome Versions Have Been Released?
Google released Chrome 1 in September 2008 as a Windows-only browser. Chrome 146 arrived in March 2026 — 146 major versions across roughly 17.5 years. The rate at which Google ships versions has accelerated significantly, particularly since 2021 when the four-week release cycle replaced the previous six-week schedule.
The table below outlines key milestones from Chrome version history, including platform expansions and the evolving release cadence.
| Version | Release Date | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome 1 | September 2, 2008 | Initial public release (Windows only) |
| Chrome 5 | May 25, 2010 | First stable release for macOS and Linux |
| Chrome 18 | March 28, 2012 | First stable Android release |
| Chrome 49 | March 2, 2016 | Last version supporting Windows XP and Vista |
| Chrome 88 | January 19, 2021 | Dropped support for macOS 10.10 |
| Chrome 90 | April 14, 2021 | First release under the four-week cycle |
| Chrome 110 | February 7, 2023 | Introduced early stable rollouts for improved release quality |
| Chrome 129 | September 17, 2024 | Dropped support for macOS 10.15 Catalina |
| Chrome 139 | August 2025 | Dropped support for macOS 11 Big Sur |
| Chrome 146 | March 10, 2026 | Current stable version |
| Chrome 153 | September 8, 2026 | First planned two-week cycle release |
Source: Chrome for Developers, Browser Calendar, Wikipedia
Chrome’s Release Cycle: From 6 Weeks to 2 Weeks
Chrome launched with an irregular release schedule, settling into a six-week major version cycle as the team standardized its engineering process. That cadence held for nearly 13 years. In March 2021, Google cut the cycle to four weeks, citing faster web platform evolution and user demand for quicker security patches.
On March 3, 2026, Google announced another acceleration: starting with Chrome 153 on September 8, 2026, stable releases will arrive every two weeks. The four-week beta and canary channels are unchanged. The Extended Stable channel — designed for enterprises — stays on an eight-week cycle.
Each shift in cadence directly increased the annual version count. Under a six-week cycle, Chrome shipped roughly eight to nine major versions per year. Four-week cycles pushed that to 13. Two-week cycles will push it toward 26, meaning Chrome version numbers could exceed 170 by the end of 2026.
Source: Chrome for Developers, Browser Calendar
Chrome Version Market Share in 2026
Not every Chrome user runs the latest version. Chrome 140 held 20.54% of the desktop version market share as of late 2025, making it the single most-used desktop Chrome build at the time. Android Chrome is more fragmented — device-specific builds and manufacturer customization schedules spread usage across multiple concurrent versions.
Enterprise environments deliberately lag. Organizations typically maintain a Chrome version for 8 to 12 weeks before upgrading, running one to two versions behind the current stable release. The Extended Stable channel formalizes this, giving IT teams an eight-week window per version. More detail on ChromeOS update installation rates shows how managed fleets handle version adoption differently from consumer devices.
Consumer devices update automatically and generally reach a new stable version within one to two weeks of its release. As a result, roughly 60 to 70% of consumer Chrome users run a version released within the past four to eight weeks at any given time.
Chrome Version History Statistics by Region
Chrome’s global market share sits at 71.22% across all platforms, but regional numbers tell a different story. South America records the strongest Chrome usage at 78.9%. Asia-Pacific follows at 70.2%, driven largely by Android device adoption. Europe (58.6%) and North America (53.1%) show more competition from Safari and Edge — particularly on iOS-heavy markets.
The Google Chrome statistics data also shows version distribution varies regionally. Asia-Pacific users adopt new Chrome versions faster than European enterprise markets, where older stable versions persist longer due to IT testing cycles.
Source: Cropink, Backlinko, StatCounter
Global Browser Market Share in 2026
As of March 2026, Chrome holds 75.23% of the worldwide PC browser market, according to StatCounter. That is its highest recorded share on personal computers. Across all devices, the figure is 71.22% as of December 2025 — up from 63.87% in 2023. Chrome OS desktop market share data provides additional context for how Chrome’s browser dominance connects to the broader operating system picture.
Safari ranks second globally at roughly 13 to 18% depending on the data source and device type. Safari leads Chrome specifically on US mobile, where it holds 50.18% of iOS traffic. Edge has grown on desktop through Windows 11 pre-installation but remains nearly invisible on mobile at 0.47%.
Source: StatCounter via Wikipedia, Backlinko, Cropink
Chrome Version History and the Extension Ecosystem
The Chrome Web Store listed 111,933 extensions as of August 2024, down from 137,345 in May 2020. Google removed inactive and policy-violating extensions during that period, including all Manifest V2 extensions in June 2025. The Manifest V3 transition affected how extensions interact with web content across all Chrome versions, and also impacted Chromium-based browsers including Edge and Brave.
Productivity tools account for 55.5% of all available extensions. The distribution is heavily skewed: 86.3% of extensions have fewer than 1,000 users, while only 0.24% — about 337 extensions — have passed one million users. Version compatibility is a growing concern as the two-week release cycle arrives. Extensions currently need backward compatibility across at least three major versions to reach most users, and that window will tighten as version numbers advance faster.
Version-specific API changes introduced in Chrome 139 and 140 — including ServiceWorker routing improvements and CSS typed arithmetic — require developers to test against current and recent versions more frequently. The ChromeOS version tracker tools used by IT teams have become similarly important for extension developers managing compatibility across multiple active Chrome builds.
Chrome Version Performance Improvements Over Time
Performance gains across recent versions have been measurable. Chrome versions 138 to 140 delivered 15 to 20% reduced memory consumption compared to earlier builds, along with improved tab management that handles multiple open tabs more efficiently. Chrome 140 recorded 10% faster page load times than Chrome 137 on complex web applications using modern frameworks.
Security update speed has also improved. Chrome now deploys automatic fixes for critical vulnerabilities within 24 hours of patch availability. Weekly security refreshes sit on top of the four-week major release cycle, so users on the stable channel receive targeted patches between major versions without waiting for the next milestone. ChromeOS vs Windows performance benchmarks cover how these browser-level improvements translate to real-world usage on Chromebook hardware.
The Chromebook market, where Chrome is the primary interface rather than just one application, reached $14.7 billion in 2026. Education accounts for 60.1% of Chromebook sales, and 93% of US school districts plan to purchase Chromebooks in 2026. Full Chromebook statistics show how Chrome version adoption in those environments follows a distinct pattern — managed devices on centralized update schedules rather than consumer auto-updates.
FAQ
What is the current stable version of Chrome in 2026?
Chrome 146 is the current stable version, released March 10, 2026. Chrome 147 is expected on April 7, 2026, continuing the four-week release cycle.
How many major Chrome versions have been released in total?
Google has released 146 major Chrome versions from Chrome 1 in September 2008 through Chrome 146 in March 2026, spanning roughly 17.5 years.
When is Chrome moving to a two-week release cycle?
Chrome 153, scheduled for September 8, 2026, will be the first release under the new two-week stable release cycle. The Extended Stable channel for enterprises remains on eight-week cycles.
What is Chrome’s global browser market share in 2026?
Chrome holds 75.23% of the worldwide PC browser market as of March 2026 (StatCounter) and 71.22% across all platforms as of December 2025.
How quickly do users update to a new Chrome version?
Consumer Chrome devices typically update within one to two weeks of a stable release. Enterprise environments lag by 8 to 12 weeks on average, often running one to two versions behind current stable.
