# Canvas Remoting cuts Browser Isolation bandwidth by 10x!

Hey everyone, it's me, Shii-chan! Today I found a fun story about making the drawing inside an isolated browser way lighter, so let me share it with you.

## What was announced?

In the Cloudflare Changelog, there's an announcement that [Browser Isolation](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/remote-browser-isolation/) now supports a new feature called **Canvas Remoting**. Instead of sending a whole rasterized bitmap for HTML5 Canvas apps like before, it sends vector draw commands, which cuts down the bandwidth by a lot.

## The story so far

Remote Browser Isolation opens risky sites in a browser on Cloudflare's side and only ships the screen to your device. It's safe, but for apps that keep redrawing the Canvas (like spreadsheets and documents), it used to send a rasterized bitmap on every update, so the bandwidth added up fast.

## What changes

Thanks to Canvas Remoting, productivity apps feel much better. The announcement says Microsoft Word and other Office apps use 90 percent less bandwidth, Google Sheets renders smoothly at 30fps, and terminals in web-based development environments and AI notebooks work in real-time. And if you use Browser Isolation, it's on by default from the start, with no configuration needed. Nice!

## Dive Deep

The mechanism is straightforward and runs in three steps: it captures the Canvas draw commands at the source, converts them into lightweight vector instructions, and re-renders the Canvas on your client. That brings the bandwidth down

> hundreds of kilobytes per second to tens of kilobytes per second

which is where the 10x reduction comes from.

There are limits, too. For now it only supports 2D Canvas contexts, and WebGL or 3D graphics apps keep using bitmap rendering. If something looks off, you can right-click the isolated page background and pick "Disable Canvas Remoting" to turn it off, then re-enable it the same way. If you want the details, check the [Canvas Remoting](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/remote-browser-isolation/canvas-remoting/) docs.

## Wrap-up

- Browser Isolation gains Canvas Remoting, sending vector draw commands instead of bitmaps
- Office apps use 90 percent less bandwidth, Google Sheets hits 30fps, and terminals feel real-time
- On by default with no setup; right-click to turn it off if you hit trouble
- Only 2D Canvas is supported; WebGL and 3D stay on bitmaps

If you often open spreadsheets or docs through remote browser isolation, or use an isolated browser over a thin connection, this update is for you!