Connect Your MIDI Keyboard to the Browser
Connecting a MIDI keyboard to your browser takes about thirty seconds and no software: plug in by USB or pair over Bluetooth, allow MIDI access when asked, and play. Web MIDI lets a web page read your keyboard directly, so a browser game like ChordRunner can detect it automatically with nothing to download, even on a school or work computer.
Plug in and play, no install
Web MIDI detects your keyboard automatically when a run starts. See a chord, play it, know instantly if you nailed it. No download, no signup.
▶ Try ChordRunner Free Free in the browser - works on locked-down computers too.USB and Bluetooth MIDI
There are two ways in. A USB cable from the keyboard to your computer is the most reliable: as long as it is a data cable and not a charge-only one, the keyboard shows up instantly. Bluetooth MIDI is the wireless option, handy for tablets and tidy desks, though it needs pairing first and can add a hair of latency. Either way, once the operating system sees the keyboard, the browser can too, no drivers required for the class-compliant keyboards that make up nearly the whole market.
Test your MIDI keyboard right now
Plug in your keyboard, press the button, allow access, then play a key. This really checks your browser's Web MIDI.
Browser support and permissions
Web MIDI is a browser feature, not a plugin, and support varies. Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers handle it on desktop and Android; Opera does too. Safari and Firefox are the usual holdouts, so if the tester above says your browser does not support Web MIDI, switching to Chrome or Edge is the quickest fix. When a supported browser asks to allow MIDI, say yes, that prompt is the only permission the whole thing needs.
Troubleshooting detection
If a keyboard will not show up, run through the short list. Confirm the browser supports Web MIDI. Make sure you allowed the MIDI prompt, and reload after allowing it. Swap the USB cable, since charge-only cables are a common culprit. Close any other app, a DAW or another browser tab, that might be holding the device. Nine times out of ten it is one of those four. Once it is detected, you are ready for every MIDI keyboard game in the app.
Put your keyboard to work
Once the tester sees your keyboard, ChordRunner will too, automatically, the moment a run starts, no settings screen to hunt through. From there your playing is the controller: a chord appears, you play it, the game judges it instantly. And if you ever sit at a computer without your keyboard, the microphone works as a backup. Free in the browser, nothing to install.
Common questions
How do I connect a MIDI keyboard to my browser?
Plug the keyboard in by USB (or pair it over Bluetooth), open a site that uses Web MIDI, and allow MIDI access when the browser asks. That is the whole setup: no drivers and no software to install. In ChordRunner the keyboard is detected automatically when a run starts.
Which browsers support MIDI keyboards?
Web MIDI works in Chrome, Edge and other Chromium-based browsers on desktop and Android, and in Opera. Safari and Firefox have limited or no support, so if a keyboard is not detected, trying Chrome or Edge is the first fix. No browser needs a plugin for it.
Why is my MIDI keyboard not detected in the browser?
Usual causes: the browser does not support Web MIDI (try Chrome or Edge), you declined the MIDI permission prompt, the USB cable is charge-only rather than a data cable, or another app is holding the device. Reconnecting and reloading the page after allowing access fixes most cases.
Do I need to install drivers for a USB MIDI keyboard?
Almost never. Class-compliant USB MIDI keyboards, which is nearly all of them, work with the operating system's built-in driver, so you just plug in and allow access. That is what makes browser MIDI so convenient, including on locked-down school or work computers.