Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to install anything to use the Cell Browser?

No. Visit cells.ucsc.edu in any modern web browser. The Cell Browser runs entirely in your browser.

How do I share a specific view with a collaborator?

Copy the URL from your browser’s address bar. The URL encodes the current dataset, layout, coloring, and zoom level, so your collaborator will see the same view.

Can I use my own data on cells.ucsc.edu?

The public site hosts curated datasets. To visualize your own data, you can either submit it to UCSC for hosting, or install the Cell Browser and build your own instance.

How do I download the data behind a dataset?

See Downloading Data for instructions on using the web interface’s Data Download tab, or Loading a dataset for loading data directly into R or Python.

The browser feels slow or unresponsive with a large dataset.

Try a different web browser (Chrome often performs best for WebGL rendering). Closing other tabs may also help, as the Cell Browser performs significant client-side computation.