Install GrapheneOS from your browser

GrapheneOS has the best install experience of any custom OS, full stop. The official web installer runs entirely in a browser tab: you click buttons, the phone reboots a few times, and twenty minutes later you’re running the most secure consumer operating system that exists. No ADB setup, no platform-tools download, no terminal.

Here’s the whole process, including the parts the official docs assume you already know.

What you need

• A Pixel 6 or newer (6, 6a, 6 Pro through the 10 series). Carrier-unlocked — the US Verizon variants with locked bootloaders won’t work. Our phone checker tells you in ten seconds whether yours qualifies.
• A second device with a Chromium browser — Chrome, Brave, Edge, or Vanadium on Linux, Windows, macOS, or even another Android phone. Firefox won’t work; the installer needs WebUSB.
• A good USB-C cable. This is the number-one cause of failed installs. Use the cable that came with the phone, plugged into a USB port directly on the computer — not through a hub or monitor.
• 15–20 minutes. The flash itself is mostly waiting.

Step 1 — Enable OEM unlocking

On the Pixel: Settings → About phone → tap “Build number” seven times to become a developer. Then Settings → System → Developer options → OEM unlocking → on. If OEM unlocking is greyed out, the phone is carrier-locked and can’t be flashed — that’s a return, not a workaround.

Step 2 — Open the official installer

Go to grapheneos.org → Install → Web installer. Type the address yourself or follow it from the project’s site. There are lookalike scam sites that ship malware; the only official domain is grapheneos.org.

Step 3 — Boot the bootloader and connect

Power the Pixel off. Hold volume-down while pressing power until the bootloader screen appears (green “Start” text, robot graphic). Plug it into the computer. In the browser, the installer’s buttons unlock in order — just work top to bottom.

Step 4 — Unlock, flash, lock

The installer walks you through four clicks:

1. Unlock bootloader — confirm on the phone with volume + power.
2. Download release — the browser fetches the latest build (~2 GB).
3. Flash release — takes 5–10 minutes, the phone reboots several times. Don’t touch the cable.
4. Lock bootloader — confirm on the phone. Do not skip this; a locked bootloader is a core part of GrapheneOS security (this is the step that makes it safer than most rooted/modded setups, not riskier).

If a step fails, the fix is almost always: different cable, different USB port, retry. The process is resumable and it’s genuinely hard to brick a Pixel this way — the bootloader you’re talking to can’t overwrite itself.

Step 5 — First boot

Hit Start on the bootloader screen. First boot shows an “OS is loading a different operating system” warning — that’s the verified-boot notice telling you GrapheneOS’s key is in charge, and it’s expected. Run through setup as usual.

Step 6 — The ten-minute setup that makes it feel normal

Out of the box GrapheneOS ships with zero Google. If you need Google-dependent apps:

1. Open the preinstalled Apps store → install Sandboxed Google Play (all three components).
2. Sign in (or don’t — many apps work logged out), then install your apps normally.
3. Banking apps, push notifications and most NFC things work. Google Wallet is the one app that won’t — Google blocks it on any OS it hasn’t approved. If you’re in the UK or EEA, Curve Pay gives you tap-to-pay anyway; set it as your default wallet under Settings → Connected devices → NFC → Contactless payments.

Grab the rest of your toolkit from our private app starter pack.

If you don’t have a Pixel yet

Used Pixel 8s and new 9a/10s are the sweet spot — 7 years of updates on the 8 series and newer.

Find a Pixel 9a on Amazon
affiliate link — same price for you, small commission for us

Or skip the DIY entirely: NitroPhone and others sell Pixels with GrapheneOS preinstalled.