The best browser for Windows 10
Hello,
With Opera 36, we are giving you a set of further enhancements to your favorite browser. Highlights include better support for Windows 10, more customization on the start page, and nicer handling of extensions in the toolbar in case you use a lot of them.
Refreshed start page
We’ve updated the style of our top UI. The start page navigation panel has been moved to the left, to optimize for horizontal space on popular widescreen monitors. You’ve been asking for more customization power over speed dial – in the top-right corner you will find the “Customize start page” cogwheel option, which allows you to change themes and customize the news section in one place. If you tick “show advanced options” in opera://settings, the start page configuration will show even more settings, check for yourself! Note that this is not the end of our customization enhancements, more is coming in Opera 37.
Modern-app-like browsing on Windows 10
The UI has changed even more on Windows 10. Opera now blends with the system, changing colors across the application to match its style.
To see it in action, make sure you have recent OS updates (Windows 10 Threshold 2) and tick in opera://settings ->Browsing -> User interface -> Show system color on top bar
Opera now adapts to your input method and makes life easier for those of you using touch. With touch input, it will automatically increase the size of toolbar items and all context menus, plus it will give you a new icon for the fullscreen move, exactly like modern apps do.
We’ve also added some cool-looking graphics to make our style blend better with the native style of Windows 10.
Opera vs other browsers
Unlike other browsers, we try to keep Opera’s UI as close to the platform as possible.
Unlike Firefox, we offer Windows 10 users native notifications, touch-mode support, the fullscreen icon and bigger context menus for touchscreens, as well as an option to switch to system colors.
Unlike Edge, Opera allows you to enhance and customize your browsing experience through extensions, including sidebar and speed dial extensions. To handle many extensions using toolbar icons in Opera 36 we’ve added an expander.
Plus, we also have animated themes that look just great on Windows 10.
36.0.2130.46 – 2016-03-30 – blog post
- DNA-49204 [Linux] Can’t play h264 videos
- DNA-49987 [Win10] opera:settings options related to Windows 10 skin invisible on TH2+
- DNA-50192 [Mac] Network installer overwrites an existing O12 installation
- DNA-50349 Crash when refreshing page with mouse locked sliding toolbar notification
- DNA-50377 Go to browser settings not translated to any language ☣
- DNA-50401 Update Win 10 icons for O36
- DNA-50534 [Win10] Downloads dropdown item background gray instead of blue (with default frame color)
- DNA-50794 User-deleted speed dials with an “added” field are re-added on browser update without DPC version change
- DNA-50952 Textfields activated with touch don’t trigger virtual keyboard on Win10
Changelog for 36
Kornelia Mielczarczyk / December 10, 2015
36.0.2130.65 – 2016-04-11 – blog post
- DNA-48607 HiDPI: page scrollbar too narrow
- DNA-49189 [Mac] Unable to close browser while downloading a file
- DNA-49264 [Mac] Swipe gestures do not work when navigating back and forward with magic mouse
- DNA-49314 Pinch to zoom is not working
- DNA-49606 Win10 notifications don’t trigger registered action on clicking
- DNA-49661 Crash in web_modal::WebContentsModalDialogManager::ShowDialogWithManager with simplified printing option
- DNA-49881 Download resumption not working after restart
- DNA-49948 Win 10 skin and related settings are broken after Chromium intake
- DNA-50531 [MAC] Sync button is always grey, regardless of the state of sync service.
- DNA-50928 Tabs page view sticks permanently when “Adjust Speed Dial animations for slower hardware” is enabled
- DNA-51358 Tablet mode layout and tablet mode fullscreen button not working
Native ad blocker and video pop out ready in Opera
Many of you have been waiting for the final version of Opera 37 with the native ad blocker.
And, here it is!
We truly appreciate that you tested the developer version. So, please keep your feedback coming, because it helps us improve the features for you.
Currently, you are helping us test our browser VPN in the developer version, and we are looking forward to rolling it out in the stable version soon.
Why we’ve brought ad blocker to Opera
At Opera, we truly care about speed. For more than 20 years, we have always kept pushing ahead for faster and leaner browsers. However, when planning our new features for 2016, we realized that, with no bloated ads, some top websites would loadup to 90% faster. This is a serious performance issue that browsers haven’t been able to respond to for a long time.
We decided to change this by bringing, as the first major browser maker, native ad-blocking technology directly to the browser. And, “native” means that the ad blocking happens at the web engine level, making page loads much faster, while consuming much less memory than extension-based ad blockers.
How good is the native ad blocker?
Bringing this technology directly to the browser engine simplifies ad blocking and makes it much faster compared to extensions.
Many ad-blocker extensions spend a lot of time checking whether URLs or page elements occur in their block lists. Opera checks the block list using native code and fast algorithms, making the computation as fast as possible, which is out of reach for extension-based solutions. Furthermore, Opera blocks ads as early as possible: right in the engine, when a network request for a URL is first being made.
Our research shows that browsing with Opera’s ad-blocking feature is on average 62% faster than without ad blocker.
Recently, our further research has shown that browsing with the ad blocker enabled reduces memory consumption by up to 47%. Our test case showed reduced RAM usage of up to 600 MB for just 10 tabs.
How to enable native ad blocker
Using our native ad blocker is really simple. It’s deactivated by default, so you need to go to Settings (or Preferences on Mac) and flip the “Block ads” switch to turn it on. To activate or deactivate ad blocker for a specific website, simply click the shield icon in the address bar and flip the switch there.
The ad blocker dialog will reveal statistics showing how many ads you’re blocking on the current page and how many you’ve blocked overall. If you disable ad blocking on a website, the website is added to an exception list, which you can manage from Opera’s settings. You can click the gear icon in the pop-up to go there quickly.
Speed test – more than a gadget
With Opera’s ad blocker, you can benchmark the loading speed of the current webpage with and without the ad blocker enabled. It’s not only a great tool for users, but also will help advertisers and publishers understand the problem of heavy ads, and help accelerate the change that the ad industry needs to pursue.
We hope you enjoy playing around with these benchmarks. To encourage you, today we’re kicking off a fun, giveaway activity on our Twitter profile where, you can send your screenshots to show how much faster you’ve browsed with Opera.
Stay tuned for the giveaway details from @opera on Twitter.
Video pop out
Another important addition in this version is the video pop out feature, which allows you to shift your video frame to the side of your screen, so you can truly multitask: browse, shop online or do the research without missing out on the video action. You can drag your video around the screen and close it immediately should the need arise. People love watching videos, and we believe this feature will significantly improve the way you experience your favorite video content.
We are happy to bring two such important improvements to the stable version. Stay tuned to hear about more cool stuff we have planned for you. Download the latest Opera for computers, and let us know what you think about it in the comments.
Changelog for 37
Kornelia Mielczarczyk / February 16, 2016
37.0.2178.43 – 2016-05-10 – blog post
- DNA-46658 [Mac] Localize Opera’s display name
- DNA-48194 HiDPI: extension icons scaled incorrectly
- DNA-50755 [Adblock] YouTube videos are not marked as ‘watched’ ☣
- DNA-50941 [CAT] crashes on content::GpuMessageFilter::OnEstablishGpuChannel
- DNA-52179 [Mac] AdBlockerAutoUpdateTests.testBasicAdBlockerAutoUpdate test fails
- DNA-52749 [Youtube Preview] [Mac] Detached video out of screen ☣
- DNA-52811 [SP] Can’t edit page title if G search bar is off and there’s one row of SDs
- DNA-52890 Random crash in url_matcher::SubstringSetMatcher::Match via ChromeNetworkDelegate::IsBlockedByAdblocker ☣
- DNA-53269 Support new adblocker rules format on stable branch ☣
- DNA-53508 chrome://startpage page in speed dial title caused by RateOpera is not defined error
Changelog for 37
Kornelia Mielczarczyk / February 16, 2016
37.0.2178.54 – 2016-05-31 – blog post
- DNA-51962 Speed Dial extension displays only on a quarter of the tile area
- DNA-52884 Provide minimal functionality to the latest netinstaller, so that on XP it downloads and runs the O36 netinstaller
- DNA-53205 [Embedded YouTube] detach button visible in fullscreen ☣
- DNA-53480 Pop out video freezes after moving source tab to separate window ☣
- DNA-53876 [Mac] Crash on Exit. libsystem_kernel.dylib::164ea
- DNA-53992 [Mac] Labels cut off in adblocker popup still
I am actually replying you using Opera.Someone who actually uses Opera?......
Only joking.... Glad you liked the link..
38.0.2220.29 – 2016-06-08 – blog post
- DNA-53896 Custom switch button in dialogs rendered wrongly with full keyboard access ☣
- DNA-54742 [Mac] No double click protection on login button after switching tabs
- DNA-54881 [Mac] No hints displayed for battery saver
- DNA-54918 [VPN][Mac] Switch background should be turn to orange in connecting state
- DNA-54966 [Mac] Power Saver Hints title does not fit
- DNA-54968 [Mac] Power Saver Hint Not Now button cut off
- DNA-54975 [Mac] Turn on power saver title does not fit
- DNA-54977 [Mac] Adblock information on power saver dialog do not fit
- DNA-54995 [Win] You are saving battery title does not fit
- DNA-55007 [Mac] Power Save mode popup is too wide
- DNA-55022 [Mac] Crash on popup window when power supply is unplugged
- DNA-55024 Give upgrade page access to extensions APIs ☣
- DNA-55036 Installer does not download supported version on Vista
This year, in our desktop team, we have been focusing on making features we believe need to be part of your browser in 2016. So far we have introduced key new features such as a built-in ad blocker and battery saver. Today, with Opera 39, we introduce a personalized newsreader and a much-improved video pop out feature.
A revamped video pop out
Video pop out lets you easily detach and move a video over to the side of your screen, so that you can continue watching while you work, play or do research.
And if you’re curious, our engineers are sharing what inspired them to develop the video pop out feature:
The video pop out feature was first released in May and has been polished since then. In Opera 39 we have added several improvements. Now, you can pop out videos from more websites, including Vimeo, and play/pause with a single click. There is also now an option to disable the feature, for those who do not want it.
We took a look at some of the usage statistics for video pop out, and it’s unbelievable how many different ways people use this feature. Some of you use it to share your screen with your kids, letting them watch video while you work on other things. Others use it for watching conference recordings, TED talks, online lectures, coding tutorials or extremely long videos (like slow TV).
Where people consume video the most
We took a deeper look at how people multitask while watching video in different geographies. The results of this research show online video preferences around the globe based on aggregated and averaged data from Opera 38 usage. The data collected does not include privacy-sensitive data.
The top-10 countries span four different continents, showing that the online video boom is truly a global phenomenon. It’s also interesting to see that people in some countries – such as Italy, the UK and Germany – spend much more time watching videos during the weekend, while others, such as China or Spain, tend to multitask more during weekdays.
A personalized newsreader
With Opera 39 you can also experience a new way of enjoying news. Go to the start page and click the newspaper icon on the left. Opera brings you personalized news in our brand new newsreader, with one-stop news tailored just for you.
The feature lets you personalize your newsfeed by selecting from favorite news sources, and choose how you would like to display article excerpts and images. There are no ads, and you can mix new sources as you like from different regions and languages.
Click“Top 50” in the newsreader side panel to get access to top news picks for a selected country. The “Top 50” is separate from your personal feed, but you can easily add sources you like from it to your feed. Find out how we select top sources for you.
Customizable block lists to the native ad blocker
We also added a customizable block list to the native ad blocker in Opera 39. With this release, advanced users can now add their own block lists. To find a new list, make a web search for blocking lists recommended for your region; then, copy and paste it into the “Custom block lists” dialog in your preferences. Once added, the browser will start using the list immediately without the need to restart Opera.
Other features
Another improvement is the search pop-up that makes searching from the browser easier. If you select text in Opera, a pop-up will appear offering the most common functions for text selection – search or copy. This feature can be turned on/off in the Browser / User Interface section of settings.
Also, this version brings an optimization pass for the Blink memory manager, called heap compaction. It reduces memory usage by several megabytes per tab. Learn more about how we optimized memory usage in Opera here.
This version includes several features for developers that we inherit from Chrome 52, such as new CSS contain property, which considers fewer elements while rendering, and the PerformanceObserver API that makes collecting real user measurement data easier.
Browser VPN
Opera 39 beta features a new, built-in, free and unlimited VPN, right in your browser. With the beta version you can now choose whether to use it as a global setting for all tabs or simply when in private browsing mode. It’s very important for us to polish this option and make sure we detect and address any severe issues, before it goes stable. You will not find it in Opera 39 stable yet, but we are working hard on this, so stay tuned.
This version includes several features for developers as well. Please take a look at the technical details described here.
Download Opera 39, and let us know how you like all these changes.
Opera Stable 39.0.2256.71 update
Today, we are releasing a regular stability update of Opera Stable 39. Chromium is updated to version 52.0.2743.116.
Choose where you want to appear on the web with a free VPN in Opera 40
Krystian Kolondra / September 19, 2016
Today, we launch Opera 40 with our new free, unlimited, no-log browser VPN service. With this launch, Opera becomes the first major browser to release a built-in VPN service. When turned on, the browser VPN creates a secure connection to one of Opera’s five server locations around the world. The VPN lets you choose where to appear on the internet, giving you online privacy and security a boost while making content easier to access.
We strongly believe that if more people knew how the internet truly works, they would use a VPN – and we hope that by making our browser VPN free and easy to use, it will become an essential tool for everyone.
Until now, VPNs have largely been used by people who have a good understanding of how the internet works. Only every second person we asked in a global survey knew what a VPN was. Still, more than 80% of the people questioned in the USA and Germany were concerned about their online privacy. More than 70% of people who knew what a VPN was but still didn’t use one, when asked why, said it was because they found VPN services difficult to use and were not willing to pay for the subscription.
Using the free VPN in Opera
After downloading the browser, enabling VPN is easy. Go to “Settings” (or “Preferences” on Mac), choose “Privacy & Security” and then toggle the free VPN. An icon labeled “VPN” will appear in the browser, from which you can toggle VPN on and off, and choose a location.
Users can also let the Opera browser intelligently select the optimal server location based on factors such as network speed, latency, location and server capacity. When in automatic location mode, browsing via the VPN is always at maximum available speed.
Under the hood
Our free browser VPN secures all traffic through Opera (but not other browsers or apps you have installed).
Since the initial developer release, Opera has added some new features to the browser VPN. In this version, you can choose whether to turn VPN on for everything the browser shows, or only use it when browsing using private windows. Also, new virtual locations – Singapore and the Netherlands – have been added to bring you even more privacy options.
More features in Opera 40
Automatic battery saving
You’ll be able to enjoy the power saving mode automatically whenever your laptop is unplugged. We’ve also added new power saving settings, so you can configure the threshold for when automatic mode should kick in. We’ve added the estimated remaining battery capacity to the user interface so you can keep track of your power.
Chromecast support
We love using Chromecast, so we found a way to make it work with Opera. To use Chromecast with Opera, first download and install the Chrome extension from the Opera catalogue. Then you will be able to install the Google Cast extension from the Chrome web store. Once it’s installed, and you have the special device attached to your display and are operating on the same Wi-Fi network, the device should be detected and you can begin streaming. Chromecast works for YouTube videos only for now.
Video pop-out improvements
Further improvements have been added to the video pop-out feature. Even more video sites and players are now supported. We have also tweaked it so the video pop-out button is less intrusive, and is disabled for short videos. Closing the video is now much simpler – just a single click.
Newsreader with RSS support
The personal newsreader now has support for RSS. This means you can add any RSS-based feed as well asour selection of sources. Custom RSS can be read in both timeline and stacked view, the same way other news is displayed in the personalized newsreader. The only difference is that the estimated reading time will not be available for those sources.
To use the personalized newsreader, click the News icon on the left-hand side of the Speed Dial and then click the “+” button. You can then paste a URL into the search field. Once the URL is recognized as valid source, you can add it.
Updated browser engine
As you probably know, the underlying engine that renders web content in Opera Desktop is called Blink. Opera works very closely with Google and other contributors,committing heavily to improve web standards support in the engine to make it more efficient.
Opera 40 runs on Chromium 53.0.2785.101. Some under-the-hood improvements include:
An even more comprehensive list is available at dev.opera.com.
- Improved to allow unicode
- Shadow DOM v1 to allow developers to make their own custom HTML elements and ensure styles are encapsulated. (This is part of a wider suite of specifications collectively known as “Web Components”.)
- Promise-based getUserMedia. The navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia() API, which returns a promise, is now supported.
- Unprefixed CSS filter. The CSS filter property is now supported in its unprefixed form. A demo featuring SpongeBob SquarePants is available. For now, -webkit-filter is still supported as an alias for filter to aid backwards compatibility. The prefixed version may be removed in future.
- HTTP/0.9, the predecessor to HTTP/1.x, is now deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Its replacement, HTTP/1.0, was standardized 20 years ago, and HTTP 2 is just around the corner, which will mean a faster web.
- Support for DHE-based TLS ciphers has been removed after being deprecated in Chromium 51 & Opera 38. Servers should upgrade to ECDHE ciphers instead.
Download Opera 40 and let us know what you think about the built-in VPN and the rest of the new features.
40.0.2308.81 – 2016-10-04 blog post
- DNA-56242 Whitelist some AV software certificates
- DNA-56546 Backspace in URL field navigates back in history
- DNA-56559 Opera 39 fails to import firefox bookmarks.
- DNA-56676 Broken tab bar and crash on dragging a tab while it loads
- DNA-56840 [macOS 10.12] Renderer crash on end of stream for MP4 videos
- DNA-57021 [Settings] Checkbox aligned to top of text
- DNA-57095 [macOS 10.12] Bookmark folders on bookmarks bar messed up
- DNA-57101 [macOS 10.12] Tabs messed up after moving them
- DNA-57108 Transparent UI items in case DWM Accent Color key missing
- DNA-57111 ‘Show system color on top bar’ shouldn’t be visible if accent color cannot be determined.
- DNA-57132 Crash found on Mac Opera 40 for desktop
- DNA-57198 Remove VPN ‘Coming soon’ – WP2
- DNA-57241 [Mac] Crash on exit libobjc.A.dylib::6b5d
Is it better than Edge in Windows 10?The Opera browser has been updated to Version 36.0.2130.32.
Some users like it but best thing to do is give it a try.Is it better than Edge in Windows 10?
40.0.2308.90 – 2016-10-18 blog post
- DNA-57279 NI does not work on XP
- DNA-57403 [Mac] Network installer retries download only 3 times
Faster and better browsing – Welcome Opera 41
We all know the feeling. You want to check out your favorite website, but when you open your laptop or turn on your computer, you realize the browser is closed. You click on the browser icon and then have to wait while the browser opens all your previously opened sites…
We have a solution for you that makes your browsing faster: Opera 41 includes a new, smarter startup sequence that cuts away almost all the wait time, no matter how many tabs you open on startup.
In addition, Opera 41 has several other improvements, like longer battery time when video conferencing and lower CPU usage for video pop-out.
Smarter startup sequence = faster browsing
For more than ten years, the Opera browser’s default setting has been to let you start where you left off. Now, the new smarter startup sequence makes the browser start up faster by prioritizing which of the previously-used tabs are likely to be most important for you. As such, the most recently active tab and any pinned tabs will load first, while less important tabs will be loaded with decreased priority. For most users, this will feel like the tabs are opened immediately, without waiting time.
Test results show an average improvement of 86% when testing startup time with more than 42 tabs open in the previous sessions.
For a set of around 10 tabs, the gain is still above 50%.

This year, we have stepped up the game for browsers and cut as many pain points for users as possible. That’s why we have introduced unique features like VPN, native ad-blocker, battery saver and video pop-out. For this release, we devote our focus to speed and performance. Here are some other improvements that make Opera more powerful than ever before:
Longer battery time when video conferencing
When using battery saving mode, Opera now detects which video codec can be hardware-accelerated and tries to choose that codec when doing video conferencing via WebRTC (this includes services such as Google Hangouts). This should save a lot of CPU and battery for our laptop-using, video-conferencing hobnobbers out there! And, even if the Opera browser can’t find a hardware-accelerated codec, it will now try to limit the pixel count when in battery-saving mode to reduce CPU usage, if possible.
Hardware-accelerated video pop-out
Since Opera became the first browser to introduce the video pop-out back in May, the videos displayed have been handled by software. This could cause extensive CPU usage, which again could lead to general system slowdown on low-end computers. With Opera 41, you get a fully hardware-accelerated video pop-out. This should greatly limit the need for CPU support and free your PC resources for other things while you watch your favorite movies.
The test results show up to 30% less CPU usage after this change.
Personalized newsreader improvements
Opera’s personalized newsreader, one-stop news tailored for users’ needs, has received a long list of improvements, including an option to add a source even if the user doesn’t know the exact RSS URL, as well as history navigation, so you can go back to the previous view. Learn more about the long list of personalized newsreader improvements in the Opera 41 beta blog post.
Download Opera 41 and let us know what you think about the faster startup and the rest of the new features.
Opera Stable 41.0.2353.56 update
In today’s Opera stability release, we have included a number of fixes and improvements. Here, you can find a selection of these, in no particular order:
For more details, please take a look at the changelog.
- The bug where the video popout was closed on a different page refresh has now been fixed.
- Some other minor issues and crashes related to the video popout have been fixed too.
- The weird animation which occurred during opening a tab with middle-click is no more happening.
- There are a few Personal News fixes, including proper management of incomplete pages.
- Also, Chromium has been updated to the 54.0.2840.87 version.
Also, as this is probably the last time I have contact with you as the blog note author, I would like to thank you all for all your commitment to help us build a better product. Keep it up and live your lives as best as you can!