No-admin browser: what USB alternative?
You are not an administrator on the PC. Windows asks for a password you do not have, and installing Chrome or another browser becomes impossible. Capsule does not ask for administrator rights. You copy an about-15 MB folder to a USB stick or into your user space, double-click, and the browser opens. Edge can remain the PC’s default browser; Capsule runs beside it without changing anything. This page is about the admin password; the missing setup wizard and the USB-stick scenario are related topics covered elsewhere.
What “no admin” really means — company PC rules, Windows prompts and school images
The image already decided who is Administrator
Locked Windows education devices, corporate PC rules and a kiosk that only allows signed store apps all cause setup.exe to fail. A genuine no-admin browser assumes that outcome. Capsule does not request elevation to start; what it needs is a writable location for the folder — a USB stick the policy still mounts, a user directory outside Program Files or sometimes a desktop the student can write to. If the image blocks unknown executables entirely, no portable client wins, and this page says so out loud. Capsule is for the common case where installers are blocked but copied binaries are tolerated. The Microsoft Edge alternative covers the OS-default theatre; Capsule is not asking to become the district’s official Internet browser, only to run.
No admin and no install are two different claims
Wizards often trigger a Windows admin prompt, so the two queries overlap and still deserve distinct slugs. The no-install-browser page covers the missing Next-Next-Finish; this page covers the rights. A single-account installer that still wants elevation is not a no-admin browser. A wrap of Chrome that unpacks an install-class tree into AppData can still trip policy, which is why the Chrome Portable alternative page sits beside this one. Capsule’s genuine shape is a small native folder. The portable-browser guide covers architecture; the USB-browser guide covers physical media. Schools that allow sticks but not installs are why both queries exist.
What the student or guest still gets
HTTPS tabs, a PIN if you set one before handing the stick to a shared cart, and a vault on this device — Capsule itself does not hold the master password, and recovery runs through an authenticator rather than through a mailbox. History stays on this PC, tracker blocking can stay on and the vendor stance is zero tracking from Komby Limited. That is enough for a lab. You do not need ASIO in a classroom, and if the same binary later goes to a booth, the pro-audio page is ready — nobody is being told that a school must mix vinyl.
Club PCs are policy machines too
Back-bar Windows boxes are cousins to the company PC rules image: “do not install random DJ suites.” A no-admin browser that can also host Komby DJ is how a guest plays files without leaving VirtualDJ in Program Files. Mixing works offline like historical DJ software, Icecast needs a network and the PRO licence has a seven-day grace. The DJ-browser guide carries the rest. Nothing on this page becomes a clone, and nothing on this page asks for admin.
Use this no-admin browser — stop filing tickets for setup.exe
- Copy Capsule from the download onto media the image still mounts and launch it. If SmartScreen nags, that is not a Windows admin prompt and should be handled per local rules.
- If you need the wizard angle, read the no-install-browser guide; if you need flash media, read the USB-browser guide; the Microsoft Edge alternative covers Edge as the OS default.
- Do not fight the company PC rules to become the district default. Simply be the file that runs.
- The Capsule home page summarises the product in one line.
FAQ
Is Capsule a no-admin browser?
Yes. Capsule is a genuine no-admin browser: copy ~15 MB, launch without elevation. /download.
Is no-admin the same as no-install?
Usually related, not identical. Wizards: /news/no-install-browser. Rights: this page.
Will Capsule replace Edge as the school default?
It does not need to. company PC rules can keep Edge. Capsule still runs from a folder you brought.
What if the image blocks all unknown executables?
Then no portable browser wins. Capsule is for images that block installers but allow a copied binary.
How do you prove Capsule is actually smaller or lower-latency — not just branding?
Weigh the copied Capsule folder (about 15 MB stated; Demucs extra). Launch with no admin. For audio: Settings > Audio, buffer 128 at 48 kHz ≈ 2.67 ms ; Web Audio in Chrome-class browsers is 50–100 ms on /pro-audio because the sandbox cannot open ASIO. Komby Limited. No invented competitor installer sizes.
Do I still need Dashlane, 1Password or Bitwarden if I use Capsule?
Not for the local vault job. Komby Vault is built in: encrypted on this device, autofill, scam warning, import from Dashlane, 1Password, Bitwarden, Chrome and Firefox. It is not Dashlane’s cloud sync. Keep a cloud manager only if you require their SaaS. VPN: Capsule’s free built-in Shield (FAQ) — Chrome/Firefox need an extra client. Nightclub audio is a separate PRO licence. Komby Limited. /download.
What makes Capsule a motion-design browser — is that just marketing?
Check the chrome. Changelog 3.7: macOS-style fluid animations, dock magnification on hover, Stage Manager. 3.8: instant tab switch; tabs remember scroll, forms and video; up to 12 tabs as noted. 3.12: no previous-page flash, snappier start, live address bar. Chrome/Firefox do not ship that dock. Safari’s motion is the Apple OS, not a ~15 MB USB browser. No invented animation numbers. Komby Limited. /download.
Is Capsule the first portable browser in the world?
No. Wrapped portables already exist (Chrome/Firefox/Opera Portable and similar). Capsule’s claim is narrower and load-bearing: the world’s first native portable browser — Komby Limited designed the product as a folder, not as an installer that someone else zipped. Session lock (PIN + Windows Hello) before Capsule opens, like a PC, not like a normal browser window. /download.