Run Signage in a web browser

STQRY Signage runs in any modern web browser with no installation. You open a URL, connect the display, put the browser full screen, and you have a working sign.

The browser build is a supported way to run a sign. It's the answer when none of the installed apps will run on the hardware you have, and it suits demos, temporary screens and testing.

Where one of the installed apps will run, we'd pick it instead. An app relaunches into the sign by itself after a power cut. A browser needs somebody to reopen it and put it back into full screen. See Supported platforms, devices and requirements.

Before you start

You'll need:

• A reasonably current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.

• A STQRY Builder account you can adopt a display in.

Connect a display in the browser

1. Open https://signage-ng.stqry.com

2. Note the screen code on the provisioning screen.
3. In STQRY Builder, go to Displays → Adopt display and type the code in.
4. Set the display's project, timezone, license and content.

See Connect a display to your account.

Go straight to a display

If you already know the region and activation key, open the display's URL directly.

https://signage-ng.stqry.com/us/license/K4M2XP

That's the region code, then license, then the six-character activation key. This form works well as a bookmark, a browser startup page or a kiosk-mode shortcut. See Regions and activation keys.

Put the browser full screen

Full screen hides the toolbar and tabs so only your content shows.

• Windows / Linux: F11

• Mac: Control + Command + F

For a permanent setup, most browsers have a kiosk mode that starts full screen with no interface at all. In Chrome or Edge, launch it like this:

chrome --kiosk https://signage-ng.stqry.com/us/license/K4M2XP

Open the settings overlay

Press Esc, or click five times in the bottom-right corner within three seconds. Both land on the PIN prompt. See Open the on-device settings overlay.

Good to know

• The browser build always runs the newest version. It's served fresh from us every time it loads.

• Every installed app (Fire TV, Android, Windows, iPad, Mac) carries its own copy and updates through its app store. See How updates reach your displays.
• That makes the browser useful for seeing what a new version does before you roll it out, and for confirming whether a problem is version-specific.
• The app requests a wake lock where the browser supports one. Your operating system's power settings can still win, so set the display never to sleep.
• Turn off browser notifications and update prompts, or they'll appear over your content.
• Run one display per browser. Opening two different displays in the same browser shows an "Another window detected" message, because they share stored credentials.
• Some browsers block video with sound from playing automatically. Allow autoplay for signage-ng.stqry.com in the browser's site settings.
• The app uses modern browser features, including the Cache API for offline media and module workers. A genuinely old browser won't work.

What the browser build is good for

The browser build fits four jobs well.

• Demos: show a customer their content on a laptop without shipping hardware.

• Testing content: check a playlist or schedule before assigning it to a real screen. Use a separate display record so you're not disturbing a live one.
• Temporary screens: an event, a pop-up, or a meeting room for a week.
• Machines you can't install on: locked-down corporate PCs, shared machines, borrowed hardware.

For an unattended permanent installation, use a dedicated device instead.

A browser tab is fragile. The machine sleeps, the OS updates, somebody closes the window. For a screen that has to work every day unattended, use a dedicated device

FAQ

Will a browser screen come back on its own after a power cut?

Only if the machine is set for auto-login and the browser for auto-start. Even then it's more fragile than a Fire TV Stick, which does it natively.

The provisioning screen appears every time. Why?

The browser is clearing site data on exit, or running in a private window. Credentials live in the browser, so private browsing loses them. Use a normal window, or put the region and key in the URL.

What does "Another window detected" mean?

Another tab in this browser is showing a different display. Close it, or use a second browser.

Video won't play, or has no sound. What should I check?

Check the browser's autoplay settings for signage-ng.stqry.com.

My content won't load at all.

See Troubleshooting a display.

Next steps

• Regions and activation keys

• Supported platforms, devices and requirements — choosing a permanent device.
• Troubleshooting a display