Install Acira

Download Acira from the download page, run the installer, and open it. There is no account and no sign-up. Acira is in beta.

What you need

There is no phone version.

Install on Windows

1. On the download page, download AciraBrowserSetup.exe.
2. Open the file. The installer is one step, with no wizard. It shows a branded window with a progress line and installs for your Windows account. It does not ask for administrator rights.
3. When it finishes, Acira opens. A shortcut named Acira Browser is added to the Start menu. No desktop shortcut is made.

The installer is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Simplified Chinese, and it follows your Windows language. On a version of Windows older than Windows 10, it stops and says so.

If Windows warns you

Windows SmartScreen may show a message that it protected your PC, and the publisher shows as unknown. If you downloaded the file from Acira's download page, choose More info, then Run anyway. If you are not sure the file is real, do not run it. See Updates and verifying downloads to check it.

If Acira is already installed

Run the installer again and it asks what you want, instead of installing over your copy:

• The same version is installed: Repair, Open Acira or Cancel.
• An older version is installed: update to this version, open Acira, or cancel.
• A newer version is installed: open Acira or cancel. The installer does not downgrade.

If Acira is running, the installer asks it to close first in the normal way, and your tabs come back.

Install on a Mac

1. On the download page, download the disk image for your Mac: Apple silicon (arm64) or Intel (x64). To check, open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac.
2. Open the disk image, then open Install Acira.
3. Choose Install Acira. The installer copies Acira into the Applications folder in your home folder and checks the result. It does not need administrator access, and your browser data is kept separate.
4. When it finishes, choose Open Acira.

If Acira is already running, the installer asks you to quit it first. Quit Acira, then choose Try again. Your tabs and browser data stay saved. The installer never closes Acira for you.

If macOS blocks it

The latest Mac downloads are signed with an Apple Developer ID, notarized by Apple and stapled. macOS may still ask you to confirm opening an app downloaded from the internet. If an older copy is blocked, download the latest installer from the download page. For other messages, see Troubleshooting.

Install on Linux

1. On the download page, download the AppImage and the setup files.
2. Unzip the setup files and put the AppImage in the same folder.
3. Open a terminal in that folder and run bash Install-Acira.sh. Don't run it as root. It checks the files against SHA256SUMS.txt, copies the AppImage to ~/.local/share/acira-browser/ and adds Acira Browser to your app menu.
4. Your system asks once for administrator permission to install Acira's PolicyKit policy. The policy lets Acira ask for your own password before it unlocks a workspace or shows a saved password. It gives Acira no administrator rights, and Acira never sees the password you type.
5. Open Acira from your app menu.

AppImages need FUSE 2, which Ubuntu 22.04 and later don't include. If Acira doesn't open, install it with sudo apt install libfuse2t64 (on Ubuntu 22.04, sudo apt install libfuse2), then try again.

You can also run the AppImage on its own: make it executable (chmod +x) and open it. It runs and updates itself, but there is no app menu entry, and without the policy Acira can't unlock a locked workspace or show a saved password. Saved passwords also need your desktop's keyring, such as GNOME Keyring or KWallet.

First launch

The first time you open Acira, setup starts. It can bring your bookmarks and history from your old browser (see Bring your data) and can make Acira your default browser. Windows and macOS ask you to confirm that change. Setup is optional, and you can skip any step.

Your profiles, bookmarks, history and settings are stored on your computer. See Where your data lives.

Update Acira

An installed Acira updates itself. It checks for an update a short time after it starts, then every 2 hours and when your computer wakes, and downloads it in the background. When an update is ready, Acira asks Install now or Later, an Update button appears next to the Acira menu button, and Restart to update appears at the top of the menu. Choose it, and Acira restarts into the new version with your tabs and profile as they were (or on a New Tab, if you set Settings › Tabs › When Acira starts to Open a New Tab). If you ignore it, the update installs when you next quit.

Each update is checked against a SHA-512 hash published with it before it installs. Updates come from Acira's public update feed. Acira's updater does not downgrade, and switching the channel never installs an older version. See Updates and verifying downloads.

Uninstall

Windows

1. Open Settings in Windows, then Apps.
2. Find Acira Browser and choose Uninstall.
3. Acira asks Remove Acira? and Choose what happens to your bookmarks, history and sign-ins. Choose Remove, keep my data to keep your data for a future install. Choose Remove and delete my data to delete the Acira folders in your account's application data folders. Choose Cancel to stop.

The uninstaller also removes Acira from the list of apps that can be your default browser. Your downloaded files are not touched.

Linux

Quit Acira, then run bash Install-Acira.sh --uninstall from the setup files. It removes the AppImage and the app menu entry. Your profile data stays until you delete it. The PolicyKit policy stays too, in case another copy of Acira needs it.

Mac

Quit Acira, then drag Acira Browser from the Applications folder in your home folder to the Trash. Your profile data stays on your Mac until you delete it. See Where your data lives.

Limits

• Acira is a beta. Expect rough edges, and see What isn't there yet.
• Only 64-bit Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) and Windows 11 are supported. Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 do not work.
• On Linux, only 64-bit Intel and AMD (x86_64) is supported, and so far it has been tested on Ubuntu 24.04. There is no app for phones or tablets.
• If something goes wrong during install, see Troubleshooting.

Last updated November 7, 2026