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Installing Vela is straightforward:

• Download the .dmg file from the download section on our homepage.
• Open the downloaded file and drag the Vela icon into your Applications folder.
• Launch Vela from Applications or Spotlight and you are ready to browse.

Vela Browser requires:

• macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
• iOS 17 or later for iPhone and iPad
• Apple Silicon (M1 or later) or Intel-based Mac

Vela is a universal binary optimized for both architectures.

To configure Vela's built-in AI assistant:

• Go to Settings > AI.
• Choose your preferred AI provider from the available options.
• Enter your API key for the selected provider.
• The AI assistant will then be accessible from the sidebar while browsing.

Vela includes a full-featured password manager:

• Login forms are auto-detected on websites and Vela offers to save your credentials.
• Saved passwords sync securely across devices via iCloud Keychain.
• Access is protected with biometric authentication (Touch ID / Face ID).
• You can manage all saved passwords from Settings > Passwords or press CmdShiftP.

Vela ships with over 50 built-in themes:

• Navigate to Settings > Appearance.
• Browse the theme gallery and click any theme to preview it instantly.
• Themes apply to the toolbar, sidebar, and tab bar for a cohesive look.

To turn on the built-in content blocker:

• Go to Settings > Privacy.
• Toggle Content Blocker to on.
• The blocker removes ads, trackers, and other unwanted content for faster, cleaner browsing.

HTTPS-First mode automatically upgrades all HTTP connections to HTTPS for improved security:

• When you visit any website, Vela will attempt the HTTPS version first.
• If the site does not support HTTPS, Vela gracefully falls back to HTTP and shows a security indicator.
• This is enabled by default and can be managed in Settings > Privacy.

Migrating your bookmarks to Vela is easy:

• Open the Bookmarks Manager and click Import.
• Select a bookmark file in HTML or JSON format.
• Vela supports imports from Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
• Your imported bookmarks will appear in a dedicated folder you can reorganize.

Fingerprint protection helps prevent websites from tracking you through browser fingerprinting:

• Go to Settings > Privacy > Fingerprint Protection.
• Toggle it on to randomize or mask certain browser attributes.
• This makes it significantly harder for sites to create a unique profile of your device.

Yes, Vela supports connecting to your own Ollama instance:

• Go to Settings > AI > Ollama Cloud.
• Enter your Ollama server URL (e.g., http://localhost:11434).
• Vela will automatically detect available models on your server.
• This lets you use local AI models for complete privacy.

To inspect a website's SSL certificate:

• Click the lock icon next to the URL in the address bar.
• A panel will display the certificate issuer, validity period, and encryption details.
• This helps you verify the identity and security of the sites you visit.

Vela provides a clean downloads manager:

• Click the download icon in the toolbar to see active and completed downloads.
• Or press CmdShiftJ to open the downloads panel.
• From there you can pause, resume, cancel, or reveal downloads in Finder.

Vela includes 50+ user agent profiles for device and browser spoofing:

• Go to Settings > User Agent to pick a global user agent.
• Choose from mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, etc.), desktop browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, Brave, Vivaldi, Arc), or bot user agents.
• You can also assign a different user agent per profile in the Profile Manager.
• The change takes effect immediately on all new page loads.

Vela supports 8 DNS providers with automatic latency probing:

• Go to Settings > Network > DNS Provider.
• Choose from System Default, Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), Google (8.8.8.8), Quad9, AdGuard, OpenDNS, CleanBrowsing, or NextDNS.
• Vela automatically probes latency for each provider so you can pick the fastest one.
• You can also set a per-profile DNS in the Profile Manager for advanced configurations.

The AI assistant can interact with web pages beyond just chatting:

• Open the AI sidebar and ask it to perform actions on the current page.
• Supported actions include: auto-fill forms, click elements (by text or CSS selector), scroll the page, type text into fields, and extract form data.
• Try commands like "Fill out this form with my info" or "Click the Submit button".
• Works with any of the 6 AI providers (Apple Intelligence, Claude, Claude Code, OpenAI, Ollama Local, Ollama Cloud).

Vela offers two widgets for iOS and macOS:

• Top News Widget — Displays trending headlines from multiple news sources directly on your home screen. Available in small, medium, and large sizes.
• Quick Open Widget — Quickly open a new tab, search, or access your bookmarks. Available in small, medium, and large sizes.
• On iOS: Long-press the home screen > tap the + button > search for "Vela".
• On macOS: Right-click the desktop or Notification Center > Edit Widgets > search for "Vela".

Tab suspension helps reduce memory usage when you have many tabs open:

• Inactive tabs are automatically suspended to free up system memory.
• When you switch back to a suspended tab, it reloads instantly.
• This keeps your Mac running smooth even with dozens of tabs open.
• Combined with Vela's Performance Monitor (CmdShiftEsc), you can track CPU and memory usage per tab.

Vela includes a built-in page search feature:

• Press CmdF to open the Find bar.
• Type your search term and matches are highlighted instantly on the page.
• Use the next/previous arrows or Enter / ShiftEnter to jump between matches.
• A live match counter shows how many results were found.
• Toggle case-sensitive search for precise matching.

Vela supports proxy lists with multiple rotation strategies:

• Go to the Profile Manager and select a profile to configure.
• Add one or more HTTP or SOCKS5 proxies, or paste a list in bulk.
• Choose a rotation mode:
  • Manual — use a single specified proxy.
  • Random — rotate randomly through your proxy list.
  • Sequential — cycle through proxies in order.
• Proxies support username/password authentication.
• Each profile can have its own independent proxy configuration.

Vela's Automation API supports two non-interactive modes for scripted workflows:

• Headless mode — runs Vela without any user interface at all. Ideal for CI pipelines and server-side automation.
• Hidden mode — the GUI exists but all windows are invisible. Useful when you need the full browser engine without a visible window.
• Enable either mode from Settings > Automation.
• Control the browser entirely via the REST API and WebSocket events when running in these modes.
• Clicks on target="_blank", named-target, and window.open() links create API-visible tabs and return openedTabId/openedTabs in click responses.

Vela lets you export and import your browsing history:

• Open History from the sidebar or press CmdY.
• Use the Export option to save your history to a file.
• Use Import to load history from a previously exported file.
• History is also automatically cleaned up — entries older than 5 days are removed to keep things fast (max 10,000 items).