Welcome to the first public release of Manaby! This release represents months of development to create a browser that respects your time, attention, and privacy.
What is Manaby?
Manaby is a privacy-focused desktop browser built with Electron and React. It’s designed for people who spend most of their day in a browser and want more control over their browsing experience.
Key Principles
- Privacy First - No tracking, no accounts required, all data stays on your machine
- Keyboard-First - Everything is accessible via shortcuts
- Distraction-Free - Clean UI that gets out of your way
- Productivity-Focused - Features like split views that help you work better
Core Features
Command Palette
The heart of Manaby. Press Cmd+L (Mac) or Ctrl+L (Windows/Linux) to open the command palette.
What you can do:
- Navigate to any URL
- Search the web with your preferred engine
- Switch to any open tab by typing its name
- Access settings directly
- Use search engine keywords (
gfor Google,ddgfor DuckDuckGo)
Keyboard shortcuts in Command Palette:
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open in current tab | Enter |
| Open in new tab | Cmd+Enter |
| Open in split view | Cmd+Shift+Enter |
| Navigate suggestions | ↑ ↓ |
| Accept autocomplete | Tab or → |
Split View
Work with up to 4 pages simultaneously in a single window. Inspired by VS Code’s editor groups.
Creating Splits:
| Action | Mac | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Create new split | Cmd+\ | Ctrl+\ |
| Close current split | Cmd+Shift+\ | Ctrl+Shift+\ |
| Split tab to left | Cmd+Alt+← | Ctrl+Alt+← |
| Split tab to right | Cmd+Alt+→ | Ctrl+Alt+→ |
Moving Tabs Between Groups:
| Action | Mac | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Move to left group | Alt+Shift+← | Alt+Shift+← |
| Move to right group | Alt+Shift+→ | Alt+Shift+→ |
Smart behavior: If no adjacent group exists and you have more than one tab, Manaby automatically creates a new group.
Navigating Between Groups:
| Action | Mac | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Focus group 1-4 | Cmd+1-4 | Ctrl+1-4 |
| Focus previous group | Ctrl+Shift+← | Ctrl+Shift+← |
| Focus next group | Ctrl+Shift+→ | Ctrl+Shift+→ |
Resizing Groups:
| Action | Mac | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Shrink group | Cmd+Shift+[ | Ctrl+Shift+[ |
| Grow group | Cmd+Shift+] | Ctrl+Shift+] |
You can also resize by dragging the separator between groups.
Zen Mode
Remove all distractions. Press Cmd+Shift+S (Mac) or Alt+Shift+S (Windows/Linux) to enter Zen Mode.
What happens:
- All UI chrome disappears (tabs, toolbar, everything)
- The page fills the entire window
- Navigation happens via keyboard shortcuts only
- In split view, a subtle gradient shows which panel is focused
- Press the same shortcut to exit
Perfect for reading long articles, writing, or giving presentations.
Themes
Nine carefully selected themes that update instantly:
| Theme | Style |
|---|---|
| Dark | Default. Clean, neutral dark mode |
| Light | Bright and clean for daytime |
| Nord | Cool blue-grey from the Arctic |
| Dracula | Popular purple-based dark theme |
| Tokyo Night | Soft, neon-inspired aesthetic |
| Catppuccin | Pastel, soothing dark theme |
| Monokai | Classic warm dark from Sublime |
| Ayu | Minimal and modern |
| Solarized | The original low-contrast theme |
Access themes via Command Palette (type “theme”) or Settings → Appearance.
Built-in Ad Blocker
Powered by Ghostery Adblocker, the same engine used by millions.
What’s blocked:
- Advertisements
- Trackers
- Fingerprinting scripts
How it works:
- The shield icon in the toolbar shows protection status
- Click the shield to see what’s being blocked
- Whitelist sites you want to support
No configuration needed. Protection is on by default.
Password Manager
A local-only password manager that never syncs your data anywhere.
Features:
- Master password encryption - AES encryption for all stored passwords
- Autofill - Automatically fills login forms
- Local storage - Passwords never leave your machine
- Import - Bring passwords from other browsers
Access via Command Palette (type “passwords”) or Settings → Passwords.
Search Engines
Default engines available:
- DuckDuckGo
- Brave Search
- Bing
- Yahoo
- Ecosia
- Startpage
Quick search with keywords:
| Keyword | Engine |
|---|---|
g | |
ddg | DuckDuckGo |
b | Brave |
bing | Bing |
Example: Type ddg privacy browser in the Command Palette to search DuckDuckGo.
Incognito Mode
Press Cmd+Shift+N (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows/Linux) for a private window.
Incognito windows:
- Don’t save browsing history
- Don’t save cookies after closing
- Show a purple indicator in the toolbar
- Are completely separate from normal windows
Session Restore
Manaby automatically saves and restores your session:
- All open tabs
- Tab positions and order
- Split view layout
- Window size and position
When you reopen Manaby, everything is exactly as you left it.
Downloads Manager
Features:
- Real-time download progress
- Open files directly
- Open containing folder
- Configure download location
- Option to ask before each download
Access via the download button in the toolbar.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Manaby is built for keyboard-first navigation. Here are the essentials:
Navigation
| Action | Mac | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Command Palette | Cmd+L | Ctrl+L |
| Go back | Cmd+[ | Ctrl+[ |
| Go forward | Cmd+] | Ctrl+] |
Tabs
| Action | Mac | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| New tab | Cmd+T | Ctrl+T |
| Close tab | Cmd+W | Ctrl+W |
| Reopen closed tab | Cmd+Shift+T | Ctrl+Shift+T |
| Next tab | Ctrl+Tab | Ctrl+Tab |
| Previous tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
| Go to tab 1-4 | Cmd+1-4 | Ctrl+1-4 |
View
| Action | Mac | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Reload | Cmd+R | Ctrl+R |
| Hard reload | Cmd+Shift+R | Ctrl+Shift+R |
| Zen Mode | Cmd+Shift+S | Alt+Shift+S |
| Settings | Cmd+, | Ctrl+, |
| Developer Tools | Cmd+Shift+I | Ctrl+Shift+I |
Zoom
| Action | Mac | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom in | Cmd++ | Ctrl++ |
| Zoom out | Cmd+- | Ctrl+- |
| Reset zoom | Cmd+0 | Ctrl+0 |
Find
| Action | Mac | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Find in page | Cmd+F | Ctrl+F |
| Find next | Cmd+G | Ctrl+G |
| Find previous | Cmd+Shift+G | Ctrl+Shift+G |
For the complete list, visit our Keyboard Shortcuts page.
Technical Details
Built with:
- Electron 39 (Chromium 134)
- React 19
- TypeScript
- Zustand for state management
- SQLite + Drizzle ORM for local storage
- Tailwind CSS
Platforms:
- macOS (DMG, ZIP)
- Windows (NSIS installer)
- Linux (AppImage, DEB)
What’s Next
We’re actively working on:
- Chrome extension support
- Better tab grouping
- Performance optimizations
- More customization options
Download
Ready to try Manaby? Download it now for your platform.
Questions or feedback? Visit our blog for more articles and updates.