Frequently asked questions

A fast, private web browser built for LawleyOS Linux, and also available for Windows 10 and 11, Ubuntu and Debian. It blocks trackers, insists on HTTPS, strips tracking tags off the links you click and tells every site not to sell your data. There is nothing to configure and no account, and search goes through DuckDuckGo.

LawleyOS is a Linux operating system, planned for October 31, 2026. LawleyOS Portal is its web browser, and on LawleyOS the Portal comes already included.

Project Yelwal is the name LawleyOS and its applications are published under.

Yes. The Portal is free, with no account and nothing to sign up for.

Downloads for both Windows and Linux are switched off for now because of a dispute. The website itself is fully back, and the download buttons show a short notice until downloads return. Read the update.

Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), and on Linux: LawleyOS, Ubuntu 24.04 or newer, and Debian 13 or newer, on any 64-bit PC.

Windows 1.0.3, a 49 MB installer (.exe). Linux 1.1.3, a 29 KB package (.deb).

On Windows, no: the .NET 8 runtime is bundled, and the WebView2 Runtime is already on Windows 11 and on Windows 10 PCs with a current Edge (Microsoft offers it free if it is missing). On Linux, the .deb is tiny because it uses the GTK 4 and WebKitGTK 6.0 libraries already on the system, and apt installs anything missing. It needs Python 3.10 or newer, GTK 4, libadwaita 1.5 or newer and WebKitGTK 6.0, which is why it needs Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 13 or newer. On LawleyOS the Portal is already included.

On Windows, Microsoft Edge WebView2, the Chromium engine already on Windows 11 and up-to-date Windows 10 PCs, so sites look exactly as they do in Edge or Chrome. On LawleyOS and other Linux systems, WebKitGTK, the engine behind GNOME Web and Safari. The Portal adds its own privacy layer and interface around the engine.

Both share the same privacy design. The Linux build additionally blocks third-party cookies, can clear everything when you close it, and can switch the system to encrypted DNS (DNS-over-TLS).

Requests to 225 known tracking hosts are stopped before they leave your PC, covering data brokers, session recording, advertising, social and analytics. It also removes 28 campaign and click identifiers from links as you click them, such as utm_source, fbclid and gclid.

Yes. Plain http:// addresses are upgraded to HTTPS. If a site has no secure version, the Portal asks you first instead of silently falling back.

Every request the Portal makes carries the Sec-GPC signal, and every page sees GPC enabled. Under laws like the CCPA, that is a binding do-not-sell request.

Yes. Pages that draw hidden graphics and read them back, ask for your exact graphics card, or process hidden audio are caught and named in the tracking report.

Location, camera, microphone, notifications or clipboard each get a plain-language prompt every time, and nothing is remembered without asking.

Nowhere. There are no accounts and no sync. Settings and bookmarks are two small files in your user profile, Clear browsing data wipes site data from your PC, and the Portal never phones home.

Rarely. Only known tracking hosts are blocked. Anything else a page contacts is allowed and listed under “Other outside sites contacted” so you can see it.

Yes. Closing a private window deletes its cookies and storage. Open one with Ctrl+Shift+N.

In a small file on your PC, and nowhere else. The list starts empty and stays yours. Click the star to add a page.

Yes. Choose Light, Dark or Grey, or follow your system theme.

Use Clear browsing data (Ctrl+Shift+Del). It removes cookies, storage, cache and site logins, and keeps your bookmarks.

No. The site uses no analytics, no ads and no third-party services, and it loads nothing from other websites, fonts included. The download counter records only the date, platform, operating system family and referring site, never your IP address. The contact form stores only what you type, plus a short-lived hash of your connection kept for one hour to stop floods. The full details are on the privacy page.

Use the contact page: pick Bug report or Question, say which system you are on, and describe what happened. Every message is read, and no account or e-mail address is required. You can also write to admin@lawleyos.com.