What Is My Browser?
Type "what is my browser" into Google enough times and you'll notice most results just tell you to look in a settings menu you can never quite find. This page skips that. The moment you land here, it reads your browser's own signals and shows you the browser name, version, user agent, operating system, device type, rendering engine, screen resolution, language, and a handful of other details — all in one glance.
It's built for the everyday moments this question actually comes up: a website is behaving oddly and support asks which browser you're on, you're checking whether an app will work on your setup, a developer needs your user agent string to reproduce a bug, or you just switched phones and genuinely aren't sure what's installed. Whatever the reason, you don't need to hunt through menus — the answer is already on this page.
What Exactly Is a "Browser," Anyway?
A web browser is simply the software you're using right now to read this sentence. Every time you type a web address or tap a link, your browser fetches the page from the internet and renders it on your screen. Without one, there's no way to view a website at all.
The browser market is dominated by a handful of names, and there's a good chance you're using one of these:
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- Apple Safari
- Opera
- Brave
- Samsung Internet
- Vivaldi
So when someone asks "what is my web browser?" or "what browser am I using?" — including on a phone — they're really asking which one of these (or a less common alternative) is currently open. This page answers that automatically, whether you're on a laptop, a Windows desktop, an Android phone, or an iPhone.
What Information Does This Tool Actually Show?
Here's a breakdown of what appears on this page and why each piece matters:
| Information | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Browser Name | Which browser application you're currently running |
| Browser Version | The specific build installed on your device |
| User Agent | The identification string your browser sends to every website |
| Browser Engine | The rendering engine behind the browser — Blink, Gecko, or WebKit |
| Operating System | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS |
| Device Type | Whether you're on desktop, mobile, or tablet |
| Screen Resolution | Your current display resolution (test in more detail with our Screen Resolution) |
| Browser Language | The language your browser reports to websites |
| Cookies Status | Whether cookies are enabled |
| JavaScript Status | Whether JavaScript is running |
| Time Zone | The local time zone your browser is reporting |
This is roughly the same information a support agent or developer would ask you for if you reported a bug — so if you ever need to paste details into a support ticket, this page has them ready.
How Can I Find Out Which Browser I'm Using?
The fastest way is exactly what this page already did — it detected your browser the second it loaded. No searching through settings required.
If you'd rather confirm it manually, here's where each major browser hides that information:
- Chrome: Menu (⋮) → Help → About Google Chrome
- Edge: Settings → About Microsoft Edge
- Firefox: Menu → Help → About Firefox
- Safari: Safari menu → About Safari
Both methods give you the same answer — automatic detection is just quicker.
What Is My Browser on This Phone?
Mobile detection works the same way as desktop. If you opened this page from your phone, the browser shown above is your current mobile browser — no extra steps needed.
On Android, that's commonly Chrome, Samsung Internet, Firefox, Opera, or Brave. On iPhone or iPad, it's usually Safari, though Chrome, Edge, and Firefox are also available as installs (note that on iOS, most of these still run on Safari's underlying engine due to Apple's platform rules). Whichever one you're on, this page picks it up automatically along with the version number.
If you're checking your setup on mobile, you might also find our Viewport Size Checker and Touch Screen Test useful for confirming how your device is being read by websites.
What Is a User Agent (and What Is My User Agent)?
A user agent is a short text string your browser quietly sends to every website you visit. It's how a site knows, before you even interact with it, roughly what browser, operating system, and device you're using.
A typical user agent string bundles together:
- Browser name and version
- Operating system
- Device type
- Rendering engine details
Websites use this information for practical reasons — serving a mobile layout instead of a desktop one, enabling features that only certain browsers support, gathering anonymous usage analytics, or filtering out automated bots. Developers also rely on it when a bug only shows up on specific browsers, since the user agent helps them reproduce the exact environment.
Your full user agent string — the exact text your browser is currently sending — is displayed on this page, broken down into plain-English terms so you don't need to decode it yourself. This covers the "what's my user agent," "user agent string," and "default user agent" questions in one place: your default user agent is just the standard string your browser sends unless something (an extension, developer tools, or a manual override) has changed it.
Why Would I Ever Need to Know My Browser?
A few genuinely common reasons:
- A website isn't working right and support needs to know your setup
- You want to confirm your browser is current before it flags security warnings
- You're checking whether a web app or tool will actually run on your device
- You're filing a bug report and need to give developers something to reproduce it with
- You're simply not sure if what you're running is outdated
Most of these come down to one thing: browsers and websites are built to work together, and when something breaks, "which browser" is usually the first question anyone asks.
How Do I Update My Browser?
Keeping your browser current matters more than it might seem — it affects security, site compatibility, loading speed, and how well your privacy settings actually hold up. Most browsers update themselves quietly in the background, but you can check manually too:
- Chrome: Open "About Google Chrome" — it checks for updates automatically when you visit that screen
- Edge: Open "About Microsoft Edge" for the same behavior
- Firefox: Open "About Firefox" to trigger a check
- Safari: Updates arrive through macOS or iOS system updates, not through Safari itself
If your browser version appears outdated or you're experiencing compatibility issues, check for updates using your browser's built-in update feature above.
Browser Information vs. User Agent — What's the Difference?
People tend to use these terms interchangeably, but they serve different purposes:
| Browser Information | User Agent |
|---|---|
| Human-readable, e.g. "Chrome 138 on Windows 11" | Raw string sent directly to websites |
| Built for people to read quickly | Built for software to parse |
| Useful when talking to support | Useful when a developer needs technical detail |
| A summary | The underlying data behind that summary |
This page shows you both, so whether you need a quick answer or the full technical string, it's already there.
Is This Information Private?
Everything shown here — browser name, version, operating system, screen size, language, user agent — is information your browser already shares with every website you visit as a normal part of loading a page. This tool isn't pulling anything hidden or extra; it's just surfacing what's already being sent, and displaying it back to you in a readable format. No account, sign-up, or installation is required.
To be specific about scope: this page only reads information your browser already exposes through standard web APIs and HTTP headers — the same data any website receives the moment you visit it. It does not access your files, passwords, saved logins, browsing history, or personal documents, and it has no way to reach into anything stored on your device beyond what your browser voluntarily reports. Nothing shown here is being collected, stored, or sent anywhere beyond displaying it back to you on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What browser am I using right now?
The browser detected and displayed at the top of this page is the one you're currently using.
What is my web browser?
It's the application you're using to load this page — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, or another browser, depending on what's installed on your device.
What's the difference between a browser and a search engine?
A browser is the software that opens and displays websites — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and so on. A search engine, like Google or Bing, is a website you visit using your browser to find other websites. In other words, your browser is the car, and the search engine is one of the places it can take you.
What is my browser on this phone?
If you're on a mobile device, this page detects your mobile browser the same way it detects a desktop one — automatically, with no extra steps.
What is my browser version?
Your browser version is shown alongside the browser name. Keeping it current generally means better security and fewer compatibility issues with newer websites.
What is my user agent?
It's the identification string your browser sends to websites, containing details about your browser, OS, and device. The full string is displayed on this page.
What is my default user agent?
It's the standard user agent string your browser sends out of the box, before any extension or developer setting changes it.
Can I change my user agent?
Yes. Most desktop browsers let you override the user agent through developer tools (in Chrome, for example, via DevTools → Network conditions), and browser extensions can do the same on both desktop and mobile. This is commonly used to test how a site looks on a different browser or device without actually switching. Keep in mind that changing your user agent doesn't change your actual browser or device — it just changes what your browser reports itself as, so some sites may behave oddly if the rest of their detection doesn't match what the user agent claims.
How do websites know which browser I'm using?
Your browser automatically sends its user agent string with every request it makes to a website — this happens silently in the background as part of how the web works, not something you have to enable. Websites read that string (often combined with other signals like screen size or supported features) to decide things like which layout to serve or which features to turn on.
Why does a website detect the wrong browser?
This usually comes down to one of a few things: the user agent was manually changed or overridden, an extension is spoofing it, the site is using outdated detection logic that doesn't recognize a newer browser version, or you're running the browser inside another app's built-in viewer (like a social media app's in-app browser), which can report itself differently than the standalone browser would.
Can websites see my browser?
Yes — this is standard behavior for how the web works. Sites receive basic browser and user agent information automatically so they can render pages correctly for your device.
Does this tool work on mobile devices?
Yes, it works across Android, iPhone, iPad, tablets, laptops, and desktops in any modern browser.
Why would a website ask for my browser information?
Usually for troubleshooting — support teams and developers use your browser name, version, and user agent to reproduce issues and confirm compatibility.
Related Tools
Your browser is just one part of the picture websites see when you visit them. If you're troubleshooting a display, compatibility, or hardware issue, these related tools can help you check the rest:
Instantly Identify Your Browser
Whatever brought you here — "what is my browser," "what browser am I using," or "what is my user agent" — the answer is already on this page, detected automatically the moment it loaded. No downloads, no digging through settings, just the details you need.