Installation

Install Glide Browser on macOS, Linux, or Windows

System Requirements

Before installing Glide Browser, ensure your system meets the Firefox requirements:

• macOS: See macOS build requirements
• Linux: See Linux build requirements
• Windows: Experimental support via WSL

macOS Installation

Homebrew (Recommended)

Install Glide Browser using Homebrew:

brew install --cask glide-browser

This is the recommended installation method for macOS users.

Direct Download

Download the appropriate installer for your Mac:

Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)

curl -LO https://github.com/glide-browser/glide/releases/download/0.1.59a/glide.macos-aarch64.dmg

Intel

curl -LO https://github.com/glide-browser/glide/releases/download/0.1.59a/glide.macos-x86_64.dmg

Then open the downloaded .dmg file and drag Glide to your Applications folder.

Linux Installation

Arch Linux (AUR)

Install from the AUR using your preferred AUR helper:

paru -S glide-browser-bin

Or with yay:

yay -S glide-browser-bin

Binary Download

Download the appropriate archive for your architecture:

x86_64

curl -LO https://github.com/glide-browser/glide/releases/download/0.1.59a/glide.linux-x86_64.tar.xz
tar -xf glide.linux-x86_64.tar.xz

ARM64 (aarch64)

curl -LO https://github.com/glide-browser/glide/releases/download/0.1.59a/glide.linux-aarch64.tar.xz
tar -xf glide.linux-aarch64.tar.xz

Move the extracted binary to your preferred location, such as /usr/local/bin.

Windows Installation

Windows support is experimental. The binaries are not signed yet, so Windows will warn you that you’re installing an app from an “unknown publisher”. You’ll need to click through these warnings to install Glide.

Download and run the installer for your architecture:

x86_64

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://github.com/glide-browser/glide/releases/download/0.1.59a/glide.windows-x86_64.installer.exe -OutFile glide-installer.exe
.\glide-installer.exe

ARM64

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://github.com/glide-browser/glide/releases/download/0.1.59a/glide.windows-aarch64.installer.exe -OutFile glide-installer.exe
.\glide-installer.exe

Building from Source

If you want to build Glide from source, you’ll need:

1. Install Prerequisites

   • Node.js v24
   • pnpm
   • Firefox build dependencies for your platform (see system requirements above)
2. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/glide-browser/glide
   cd glide
   
3. Bootstrap the Project

   pnpm install
   pnpm bootstrap
   pnpm bootstrap:mach
   

   pnpm bootstrap downloads Firefox source code to the engine/ directory, bundles dependencies, builds docs, and applies patches. pnpm bootstrap:mach downloads missing system dependencies and configures Firefox’s internal mach tool.

4. Build Glide

   pnpm build
   

   This can take quite a long time. A fresh build takes approximately 30 minutes on an M4 Max.

5. Launch Glide

   pnpm launch
   

   Run pnpm launch --help to see available launch arguments.

Development Workflow

When developing Glide, always run the file watcher in a terminal:

pnpm dev

This handles:

• Compiling TypeScript files to JavaScript
• Rebuilding documentation
• Copying source files to the Firefox engine/ directory

With the watcher running, you rarely need to explicitly rebuild. Most changes are applied automatically.

Verify Installation

After installation, launch Glide Browser. You should see the Glide start page. Try these commands to verify everything is working:

1. Press : to open the commandline
2. Type :whichkey and press Enter to see available keymaps
3. Press f to enter hint mode

Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

Learn the essential Glide Browser workflows