Build chromium browser from source code

👤 SUVANKAR SARKAR • 📅 April 5, 2026 • 👁️ 137 views • 🔄 Updated May 24, 2026

chromium build from source

``` git clone https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/tools/depot_tools.git export PATH="/path/to/depot_tools:$PATH" # for FISH set -U fish_user_paths /home/kar/p/build/depot_tools $fish_user_paths && source ~/.config/fish/config.fish #git python3 curl is needed mkdir chromium && cd chromium fetch chromium # this will get the chromium & it takes time cd src ./build/install-build-deps.sh ./build/install-build-deps-arch.py # for arch linux i have created # Basic installation ./build/install-build-deps-arch.py # With 32-bit libraries and ARM cross-compilation ./build/install-build-deps-arch.py --lib32 --arm # Non-interactive installation ./build/install-build-deps-arch.py --no-prompt # Using paru instead of yay for AUR packages ./build/install-build-deps-arch.py --aur-helper paru # Quick check without installing ./install-build-deps-arch.py --quick-check # on windows python build\install-build-deps.py gn gen out/Default #generate build files autoninja -C out/Default chrome #starts the build # customize Build Configuration Options. gn gen out/Custom --args=' is_debug=false symbol_level=1 enable_nacl=false remove_webcore_debug_symbols=true proprietary_codecs=true ffmpeg_branding="Chrome" ' ``` the build setup script for arch linux: <https://git.siliconpin.com/topic/chromium-build/src/branch/main/install-build-deps-arch.py> Building the Chromium browser from source involves several steps, including setting up your environment, obtaining the source code, and compiling the project. This process can be resource-intensive, requiring a powerful machine with ample RAM and disk space. **1. System Requirements:** An x86-64 machine with at least 8GB of RAM (16GB+ recommended). At least 100GB of free disk space. Git and Python v3.9+ installed.  **2. Install Depot Tools:** Download `depot_tools` from the Chromium website. ( git clone <https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/tools/depot_tools> ) Extract the archive to a designated location (e.g., `C:\chromium\depot_tools` on Windows or `~/depot_tools` on Linux/macOS). Add the `depot_tools` directory to your system's PATH environment variable, ensuring it takes precedence over any existing Python installations. On Windows, set the environment variable `DEPOT_TOOLS_WIN_TOOLCHAIN` to `0`. **3. Get the Chromium Source Code:** Create a directory for your Chromium checkout (e.g., `C:\chromium\src` or `~/chromium/src`). Navigate to this directory in your terminal or command prompt. Run the following command to fetch the source code: Code ``` gclient config --name src https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src.git gclient sync ``` This command can take a significant amount of time, depending on your internet connection. **4. Install Build Dependencies (Linux/macOS):** Navigate to the `src` directory of your Chromium checkout. Run the appropriate script to install build dependencies for your operating system: Code ``` build/install-build-deps.sh # For Linux # Follow instructions in docs/mac_build_instructions.md for macOS ``` **5. Generate Build Files:** Navigate to the `src` directory. Generate the build files using `gn gen`. You can create a build directory with a custom name and arguments: Code ``` gn gen out/Default ``` Replace `Default` with a name of your choice. You can add build arguments for release settings, specific features, etc., by running `gn args out/Default` and editing the configuration. **6. Compile Chromium:** Navigate to the src directory and Compile Chromium using autoninja. Code ``` autoninja -C out/Default chrome ``` Replace `Default` with your chosen build directory name. This step will take a considerable amount of time and resources. **7. Run Your Custom Browser:** Once the compilation is complete, the Chromium executable will be located within your build directory (e.g., `out/Default/chrome.exe` on Windows or `out/Default/Chromium.app` on macOS). You can then run this executable to launch your custom-built Chromium browser. autoninja -C out/Default chrome **offline mode** ninja: Entering directory `out/Default' 1.45s load siso config pre:0 local:4474 remote:0 13.8/s explain pre:0 local:4474 remote:0 13.8/s Ans: This output is from **Siso** (Simple Isolated Builds), which is Google's distributed build system used in Chromium. Let me break down what each part means: ## Build Status Breakdown: ### **pre:0** **Preprocessor jobs**: Number of preprocessing tasks (like header dependency analysis) `0` means no preprocessing jobs are currently running ### **local:4474** **Local compilation jobs**: Number of compilation tasks being executed on your local machine `4474` means 4,474 compilation units have been processed locally so far ### **remote:0** **Remote compilation jobs**: Number of tasks sent to remote build servers (like Goma or RBE - Remote Build Execution) `0` means no remote compilation is happening ### **13.8/s** **Throughput rate**: Number of compilation units being processed per second Your build is processing about 13.8 files per second ## What This Tells You: **You're building entirely locally** - no distributed compilation is being used **Good progress** - 4,474 files have been compiled already **Reasonable speed** - 13.8 files/second is decent for local compilation **Offline mode** - As indicated at the top, you're not using any remote build acceleration ## Context: Chromium has **thousands of source files**, so seeing 4,474+ compilation units is normal. A full Chrome build can involve compiling 10,000+ files, so you're making good progress through the build process. The build system is efficiently parallelizing the work across your CPU cores, which is why you're seeing a steady throughput rate. after successful build, out/Default is ~40gb and chrome file is 1.5gb Linux: ./out/Default/chrome MacOS: ./out/Default/Chromium.app/Contents/MacOS/Chromium Windows: ./out/Default/chrome.exe ./out/Default/chrome --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-test --disable-web-security autoninja -C out/Default content\_shell # Minimal browser for testing autoninja -C out/Default chrome\_sandbox # Security sandbox #Clean rebuild gn clean out/Default autoninja -C out/Default chrome #Debug Build gn gen out/Debug --args='is\_debug=true' autoninja -C out/Debug chrome #Release Build gn gen out/Release --args='is\_debug=false is\_official\_build=true' autoninja -C out/Release chrome