Detected using UAParser.js from your User-Agent string.
The Operating System (OS) name is extracted from your browser's User-Agent string using parsing libraries like UAParser.js. This information:
Operating system detection has been a fundamental part of web browsing since the early days of the Internet. Websites need to know which OS you're using to:
In the 1990s, websites often had different versions for different operating systems due to varying capabilities and browser implementations. Today, while web standards have improved, OS detection remains important for:
The OS name is parsed from the User-Agent string, which looks like:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/120.0.0.0 Safari/537.36
From this example, parsers extract: Windows (from "Windows NT 10.0")
Values: "Windows" (most common desktop OS)
Versions: Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows XP
Market Share: ~70% of desktop users worldwide
Values: "Mac OS" or "macOS"
Versions: Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina
Market Share: ~15-20% of desktop users, higher in US
Values: "Linux", "Ubuntu", "Fedora", "Debian"
Variants: Hundreds of distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, etc.)
Market Share: ~3-4% of desktop users, higher among developers
Values: "Chrome OS" or "CrOS"
Context: Found on Chromebooks, education-focused
Market Share: Growing, especially in education sector
Values: "iOS"
Devices: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Market Share: ~27% globally, ~60% in US
Values: "Android"
Devices: Samsung, Google Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, etc.
Market Share: ~72% globally, dominant outside US
| Browser | OS Detection Accuracy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Very Accurate | Detailed User-Agent strings with full OS information |
| Firefox | Accurate | Standard User-Agent format, all major OS detected correctly |
| Safari | Accurate (iOS/macOS) | Always reports macOS or iOS, version details included |
| Edge | Very Accurate | Chromium-based, similar to Chrome detection |
| Brave | Accurate but generalized | Privacy mode may report generic Windows/Mac versions |
| Tor Browser | Intentionally generic | Reports generic "Windows" or "macOS" to prevent fingerprinting |
Chrome and Edge are gradually reducing User-Agent information to protect privacy. Future versions may report less specific OS details.
OS detection alone is not highly identifying, but combined with other attributes (browser, version, screen size) contributes to browser fingerprinting.
iOS/Android indicates mobile device; Windows/Mac/Linux suggests desktop/laptop
Mac/iOS users are often targeted with higher prices (price discrimination)
Linux users may be identified as more tech-savvy
Certain Windows versions or configurations may indicate corporate usage
OS detection is a key component of browser fingerprinting. Combined with:
These attributes can uniquely identify you across websites, even without cookies.
Studies have shown Mac users are sometimes charged higher prices for the same products and services, as merchants assume higher purchasing power.
OS information helps advertisers segment audiences and target platform-specific campaigns.
Since OS information is embedded in the User-Agent string, controlling it requires modifying that string:
How it works: Browser extensions can modify your User-Agent to report a different OS
Examples:
Limitations:
Enable Firefox's built-in protection:
1. Open Firefox Settings
2. Privacy & Security → Strict Mode
3. Or manually set: about:config → privacy.resistFingerprinting = true
This will report a generic OS to reduce fingerprinting.
For moderate privacy:
For maximum privacy: