More people are using Chrome on desktops lately, and less of everything else

By Konrad Krawczyk October 3, 2014

people using chrome desktops lately less everything else internet explorer — Image used with permission by copyright holder

More people used Google Chrome on their desktops in September than they did in the month prior to that. At the same time, Chrome’s primary competition in the space, which consists of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera, all saw decreased usage. That’s according to Net Marketshare’s latest stats.

As of last month, Google Chrome’s desktop browser share stands at 21.19 percent. That’s up from 19.61 percent in August, which is an increase of almost 1.6 percent.

Meanwhile, Internet Explorer’s share fell slightly from 58.46 percent in August, to 58.37 percent last month, which is still a supremely dominant figure.

Firefox usage on the desktop dropped by over a full percentage point, from 15.23 percent in August, to 14.18 percent last month. What may be holding Firefox back from wider use is the issue surrounding how much memory it sucks up on PCs. Mozilla has an entire support page dedicated to Firefox’s propensity for heavy memory usage, along with a guide on how to reduce its RAM consumption.

Safari is a distant fourth in this race, owning 5.01 percent of the desktop browser pie. That’s down from 5.32 percent in August. Opera, meanwhile, is even further behind, holding 0.86 percent of the market as of September, tumbling from 0.96 percent in August.

So why does Internet Explorer dwarf the competition, according to these numbers? That’s likely due to the fact that IE is the default Web browser that ships with every Windows PC. Sure, you can install another browser, but if the one your system comes with is good enough, why bother?

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Web
Google

Konrad Krawczyk

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…

Computing

A zero-day Google Chrome security flaw requires you to update now

Google Chrome opened on a laptop.

Google released an update to its Chrome browser for Windows and Mac users, and the internet giant strongly recommends that users apply the update as soon as possible. The update contains 14 security fixes -- including a zero-day security flaw -- that if left unchecked would leave the system vulnerable to attacks. Google categorized these fixes as critical, high, and medium importance.

Windows and Mac users who also surf the internet with the Chrome browser will want to make sure that they're on version 91.0.4472.101. To make sure that you're on the latest build of Chrome, launch your browser and then click on the three dots stacked vertically at the top right. Navigate to Settings, and then click About Chrome. From there, you'll be able to view the Chrome version number, and you can update the browser if it wasn't automatically updated in the background.

Computing

Your digital fingerprint is tracked everywhere online. Brave wants to change that

6 important tech tasks you should get over with while social distancing chores computer privacy getty

We have more tools to secure our identity online than ever before. You can ban cookies -- the little pieces of information websites deposit in our browsers to identify us -- block invasive trackers from tailing our machines, switch to incognito mode, opt out of cross-app tracking with Apple’s latest iOS update, or even go as far as to surf the web only through highly encrypted virtual private networks.

But there’s a tracking method that can still slip past these defenses and it’s growing in popularity: Fingerprinting.
The anatomy of a fingerprint
What makes fingerprinting so elusive and difficult to defend against is the fact that the data it exploits is essential to the web’s foundational functions.

Computing

How to mute a tab in your browser

microsoft edge chromium to roll out automatically soon chrome

When you’re surfing the web, nothing can be more annoying than a browser tab suddenly deciding it needs to be heard. Whether a site has an auto-playing video or a repeating sound effect, it’s possible to silence that pesky tab and relinquish your weary eardrums. Here’s a look at how to mute a tab across today's popular web browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Microsoft Edge.

Not sure which web browser to use? Check out the best web browsers for your computer. If you’re privacy-conscious, we also have the best browsers for your digital safety.
Mute a tab in Google Chrome