Good questions.
Clear answers.

Yes. XOV Browser is free to download and use. There is no account to create and nothing to sign in to.

Windows 10 and Windows 11 (64-bit), plus Android 8.0 and later. The Android APK is currently a debug build for testing. There is no macOS, Linux, or iOS build.

The Windows app is written in TypeScript on Electron 33, which includes Chromium. The Android app is written in Kotlin and renders websites with Android System WebView.

Type xov://about in the address bar. The current release is 1.0.0.

Not in version 1.0. There are no browser extensions and no sync between devices. Windows bookmarks, passwords, and settings stay on the PC where you use them. Android bookmarks and history stay on the device; there is no Windows-to-Android sync.

The current Android app includes a two-pane browsing layout, desktop-site mode, local bookmarks and history, file downloads through Android DownloadManager, and a built-in list that blocks known ad domains. It does not offer the Windows app's four-pane layouts, DPAPI password vault, CSV password import, or Windows file-default registration.

Download the APK from the Android download section. Android 8.0 or later is required. The current APK is a debug build for testing, distributed directly from this site. Android controls whether an APK can be installed from your downloading app.

No. Cross-device sync is not implemented. The Android app has its own local bookmarks and history, and the Windows password manager stays on the PC.

Out of the box, XOV Shield blocks requests to more than 40 known tracker hosts, blocks third-party cookies and reduces some YouTube ads on a best-effort basis. It also sends the Do Not Track (DNT: 1) and Global Privacy Control (Sec-GPC: 1) signals.

General ad blocking uses bundled EasyList network and banner-hiding rules. Rules refresh with app releases. Some ads, especially server-inserted video ads, may remain. Turn individual protections on or off or allow ads on selected websites under XOV Shield in Settings.

On your PC only. Passwords are encrypted with Windows DPAPI, which ties them to your Windows account, and they are never synced. Manage them at xov://passwords.

To move saved passwords, export a CSV file from your previous browser, open xov://passwords, and choose Import saved passwords. Existing logins are kept and duplicates are skipped. Delete the readable CSV export after importing it.

Press Ctrl+Shift+N. A private window uses its own in-memory session, so its cookies, site data and cache are not written to disk and are gone when you close it.

XOV asks you to Allow or Block, then remembers your choice for that site. You can reset a site's permissions in Settings or from the site menu in the address bar. Sites served over plain http are never granted these permissions.

No. XOV does not scan files, and it does not use a Safe Browsing service. When a download has a risky file type, XOV asks you to Keep or Discard it first.

XOV refuses to load it. Invalid TLS certificates are always rejected, and there is no option to click through.

Press Ctrl+Alt+2, 3 or 4 to show that many pages side by side. Ctrl+Alt+1 or Ctrl+Alt+0 goes back to a single view, and Ctrl+Alt+S turns split view on or off.

Memory Saver puts tabs to sleep after 30 minutes without use, freeing memory. A sleeping tab reloads when you click it. It is on by default and can be turned off under XOV Shield in Settings.

Yes. Export your bookmarks as an HTML file from Chrome, Edge or Firefox, then open xov://bookmarks (Ctrl+Shift+O) and choose Import HTML. Export HTML saves them back out the same way. See Make the switch for the steps.

Yes. Type a keyword, a space, then your search:

• g Google (the default engine)
• d DuckDuckGo
• b Bing
• br Brave Search
• e Ecosia
• w Wikipedia

You can change the default engine under Search Engine & Startup in Settings.

Yes. Vertical tabs are off by default; turn them on in Settings to move your tabs to a side panel.

No. The installer sets XOV up for your Windows account only, in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\XOV Browser.

The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may say it is unrecognized. Check the file's SHA-256 hash first, then choose More info and Run anyway.

Open a terminal in the folder with the installer and run either command. The result should match the hash on the download page.

certutil -hashfile XOV-Browser-Setup-1.0.0.exe SHA256

Get-FileHash .\XOV-Browser-Setup-1.0.0.exe -Algorithm SHA256

Updates are manual on both platforms. On Windows, download and run the latest installer. On Android, download the latest APK from this site and follow the device installation prompts.

Open Windows Settings, go to Apps, then Installed apps, find XOV Browser by CoderXpoint and choose Uninstall.