Is SRWare Iron portable free?

Yes. You can run it from a USB stick on Windows 11/10 without installing.

Where do I download the portable build?

Use the gated button on the Download page (‘Secure download — Portable’) and complete reCAPTCHA.

How do I back up portable Iron?

Close Iron and copy the entire folder, including the Profile directory, to a safe location.

SRWare Iron Portable for Windows

Run SRWare Iron without installing it. This guide explains how to use a portable build, keep your profile self‑contained on a USB drive, update manually, and avoid common pitfalls. It targets queries like “ironportable”, “iron portable”, and “iron browser portable”.

If you need the portable download, use the secure button on the Download page (“Secure download — Portable”).

What is SRWare Iron portable?

Portable mode lets you run the SRWare Iron web browser without installing it into Windows. All user data (profile, cache, extensions) lives inside the portable folder, so you can move it between machines. It’s ideal for USB drives, shared computers, kiosks, or restricted environments without admin rights.

How to set up portable Iron

Go to the Download page and click “Secure download — Portable”. Complete the reCAPTCHA to unlock the link.
Extract the portable archive to a folder on your USB drive (e.g., IronPortable\).
Run iron.exe from that folder. Your profile will be created inside the same directory (e.g., \Profile\).
Pin the executable to Start or Taskbar for quick access on the current machine.

Keep your profile self‑contained

Portable mode keeps bookmarks, history, extensions, and settings under the portable directory. This prevents mixing with any system‑wide Iron/Chromium profiles and makes backup as easy as copying the folder.

Backup: close Iron and copy the entire portable directory to a safe location.
Move: copy the folder to another PC and run iron.exe — your environment comes with you.
Multiple profiles: duplicate the folder for separate use cases (e.g., Work, Personal, Testing).

Update your portable build

Portable builds are not auto‑updated. To update:

Backup the portable folder.
Download the new portable package from the Download page (Secure Portable).
Extract over the existing folder (or into a new folder and copy the Profile directory across).
Launch iron.exe and verify extensions and settings are intact.

Privacy & extensions in portable mode

SRWare Iron aims to reduce telemetry compared to stock Chromium, and this behavior carries over to portable. You can further improve privacy by installing a content blocker and HTTPS‑enforcing tools from the Chrome Web Store — they will be stored in your portable profile.

If you need help picking add‑ons, see our Privacy Setup and the upcoming Extensions guide.

Troubleshooting portable Iron

Doesn’t launch from USB

Ensure the drive letter hasn’t changed in any pinned shortcuts. Run iron.exe directly from the portable folder. If antivirus flags it, add an exception and re‑extract from a clean download.

Profile not persisting

Verify that the Profile directory sits next to iron.exe in your portable path and that Windows allows write access (avoid read‑only folders).

Extensions missing after update

Make sure you copied the old Profile folder across when updating. If issues persist, reinstall extensions from the Chrome Web Store and re‑import settings.

More help? See Troubleshooting or verify you’re on the latest version.

FAQ

Is SRWare Iron portable free?: Yes. Portable usage is free. You can run it from a USB stick on Windows 11/10.
Where is the portable download?: Use the gated button on the Download page (“Secure download — Portable”). Complete reCAPTCHA to unlock the link.
Can I use my Chrome profile?: We recommend starting fresh for privacy. You can export bookmarks and import them into Iron, then reinstall essential extensions.
How do I back up my portable Iron?: Close Iron and copy the entire portable folder (including the Profile directory) to a safe location.