Chrome 104 major update available

With Chrome 104.0.5112.79/80/81 for Windows (104.0.5112.79 for macOS and Linux), Google brings its web browser into the 104 generation. The developers have fixed 27 vulnerabilities in the browser and included Google Lens.

The new Google Lens tool known from Android is now integrated into Chrome for desktop. The integrated PDF viewer now offers a presentation mode.

The Chrome Release Blog lists 22 of 27 fixed vulnerabilities that were discovered by external researchers and reported to Google. Google classifies seven of the externally reported vulnerabilities as high risk. All but one are use-after-free vulnerabilities in various browser components, such as Omnibox and Safe Browsing. The remaining gaps are classified as medium risk. Google has not published any details about the internally found security vulnerabilities.

One of the new features in Chrome 104 is the integration of Google Lens. You can now use the tool for searching in images, which has been known from Android for some time, in the desktop browser, for example to identify image content or to search for similar images. To do this, right-click on an image and select Send image to Google Lens. Chrome displays the results in the sidebar.

Most browsers can now display PDF documents on the web without a plug-in. Chrome 104 now also offers a presentation mode in which PDF files are displayed in a full-screen view. To activate this, after opening a PDF file, click on the three-dot menu in the top right and select Present.

Chrome updates are available through the built-in update functionality. They are usually downloaded and installed automatically. If you do not want to wait, you can also initiate the update manually under Help » About Google Chrome.