Now we’re getting into the deep end on the pool. Newer features include tweaks to the rendering engine for speed or accuracy, adjustments to the user interface, new options in the Flags menu, and so on. So when the stable version of Chrome was on 50, Chrome Beta was on 51. It’s generally one version release ahead of stable. Google updates Beta approximately once a week, with major updates coming every six weeks. The Beta channel is an earlier version of the software meant for testing out new features before they come to the much wider audience in the Stable build. It’s the last to get new features, but if you want a safe and stable browsing experience with no surprises, this one is for you. The stable version has had the most extensive testing of the lot, and is what Google wants most people to use. It’s the one that most people use, the one that Google links to when you search for “download Chrome” in Edge or Internet Explorer. If you don’t see any of these identifiers after your version number, you’re running the stable version of chrome. You can switch between these versions using these instructions, but here’s what they mean. But if you see “Beta,” “Dev,” or “Canary” after it, that means you’re running a pre-release version of Chrome. The standard edition of Chrome just uses a number code for its version identifier. The major version bumps are the first two numbers in that big string: the computer above is running “ Chrome 56,” which changed HTML5 to default, added Bluetooth API settings, and added support for new CSS tools. There are smaller patches for security and speed tweaks, but the big releases are what holds changes to the interface and new user-facing features.

When people talk about Chrome’s “version,” they generally mean the larger releases, sent out by Google approximately every two months.

Version Number: The First Two Digits Are What Matter So what do all these things mean? Let’s go through them one by one. If it’s been a while since you updated Chrome, the browser may automatically start a download and ask you to relaunch when it’s ready. This will show you the Version, followed by a long number, and possibly a few values in parentheses.

Check google chrome latest version