About Qutebrowser
qutebrowser is a keyboard-focused browser with a minimal graphical interface. It is written in Python and uses Qt and QtWebEngine, and it takes inspiration from earlier tools such as dwb and Vimperator/Pentadactyl. The design suits people who like vim-style modal navigation and prefer to avoid reaching for the mouse.
The browser can be installed from GitHub releases or following the INSTALL file for each platform, and the project site includes a FAQ, a changelog, a blog and a help page with documentation and support channels. Bugs can be reported with the built-in :report command, a crash dialog, the issue tracker or the mailing list, with separate routes for security reports.
qutebrowser is free software released under the GPL, specifically GPL-3.0. Its primary maintainer works part-time on the project, funded by donations through GitHub Sponsors and other methods, with perks such as stickers and shirts for some supporters. Contribution guidelines are published for people who want to help.
Key features
- Vim-like keyboard-driven navigation
- Minimal graphical interface
- Built on Python and QtWebEngine
- Built-in :report bug command
- Installers and notes for multiple platforms
Good fit for
- →Browsing without touching the mouse
- →A lightweight browser for tiling window managers
- Built with
- Python
- Tags
- browser
- vim
- keyboard-driven
- python
- qt
- web-browser
- minimal
Qutebrowser: questions and answers
- What is Qutebrowser used for?
- Qutebrowser is a keyboard-driven, vim-style web browser built on Python and Qt, with a minimal interface for people who prefer not to use the mouse. It is a good fit for browsing without touching the mouse and a lightweight browser for tiling window managers.
- Is Qutebrowser open source?
- Yes. Qutebrowser is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at qutebrowser/qutebrowser and is written mainly in Python.
- Is Qutebrowser free?
- Yes. Qutebrowser is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
- Can I self-host Qutebrowser?
- Yes. Qutebrowser can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
- What is Qutebrowser an alternative to?
- Qutebrowser is an open-source alternative to Google Chrome and Vivaldi. Other open-source alternatives to Google Chrome include Firefox, Floorp and Waterfox.
- Is Qutebrowser actively maintained?
- Yes. The most recent commit to Qutebrowser was on 28 September 2026, and the latest release is v3.7.0, published on 3 April 2026. The project has 12k stars on GitHub.
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