I am not an advanced user, but unless Opera is getting revenue from the Messengers that it carries, or adding Signal is somehow otherwise infeasible, look into it. Would go with the free VPN service--in theme. (I know, WhatsApp is encrypted, but not as well. I don't use it.)

I have two Win Pro 10/64 computers. 67.0.3575.31 exhibits the same problems as described by AnthG--no go. I completely uninstalled it together with my data. On the other Win Pro 10/64 works fine. I will attempt to reinstall once again but without any data retained and report back, but I am doubtful. It installed and seemed okay--UNTIL I tried to Sync it--then it reverted to not responding behavior like before. On the other computer it is sync'ed, so I don't get it. Opera, you have a problem. Seems to work briefly while attempting to sync, then bombs out before syncing, while attempting to do so. I will once again uninstall, including the data, and refer back here to see if Opera has fixed this, only using it without any synchronization. Yes, I am using another browser to report this, the Chromium version of Edge, FWIW.

The 103.0.4928.16 auto install lost all my personalization! Now I have to uninstall it, install 101.0.4880.58 and then manually download and install the new one and hope for the best, or just stay on 101.0.4880.58, if I want my bookmarks, extensions, etc. Ugh. Is there was way to turn off the automatic installations? So that I can monitor whether people are losing their personalization with each new version, as seems to be the case too often, before manually downloading and installing, if seemingly safe?
In this thread: Is 102.0.4880.70 safe to install in terms of losing user data? it has been explained that the file structure of Opera is the culprit, and 103.0.4928.16 doesn't fix that. Elsewhere it has been suggested that Profile Migration is the problem, or lack thereof, or corrupted migration. One poster suggested installing Chrome to see how it is done properly, the format of the file structure, and possibly editing the Opera supporting file structure to fix that. See the cited thread. Anyone? Help!

@denizen976 These suggestions sound a lot like what someone would tell someone else about how to do useful sophisticated search. I suppose that the question becomes does interposing the AI between oneself and the database--if using the AI tool, whatever it has access to, as some AI's are limited to particular databases, and maybe others have unlimited access to the internet; if using mere search with no AI in the middle, then presumably one has access to whatever is "on the internet." Obviously, you are finding that interposing the AI between you and "the data," is useful, once you get the hang of it, more useful than mere search, even if it is done in a sophisticated manner, obviously not dumb search. I have not done enough experimentation to prove to myself, the answer to this.

I posted here earlier asking about V, which I mistakenly thought was another AI, but it is not. It is a social media link. See this thread: "Another AI was added to sidebar: V" where my inquiry about it was moved. And V is explained--what it is.

So I am back on 101.0.4843.58 (not 4880) and everything is back, BUT I have a pending install, I see, not of my choice, an auto install, probably to 103....16. Will it have my personalization in it? God knows. I am inclined to manually download and install it, rather than allow the auto install to happen. Maybe it is six of one, and half a dozen of the other. Who knows? Guess I will try it my way. Why did the first auto install lose me all my personalization? Probably all my files are corrupted, as now one else is weighing in on this, so I presume that no one else is losing their personalization.

@sgunhouse This worked after I scrolled lower on the page and found the Windows 64-bit link, which DID indicate the correct version 70.0.3728.106 and in fact did install that version. I am now back up with Opera. Thank you SGunhouse (and LeoCG). Henceforth I will be aware that one should scroll lower, and find the 64-bit (in my case) version. I do wish that Opera would fix its Update & Recovery function within the browser, which never works for me (although I may work for others and has occasionally worked on another computer).

Lanshara and Denizen976, thank you so much. Quite interesting to learn of your experiences with these. Wow! Very disappointing about BARD. At this point, perhaps a la Denizen976 Aria is the way to go.

Well, that worked. I am now on 103.0.4928.16 with all my personalization back, having manually downloaded and installed it, but no idea if that had anything to do with it. Uninstalling 103, and going back to 101.0.4853.58 did, not doubt. Looking over the profile files' structure, they appear the same, so I can't tell what was fixed by uninstalling and going back to the old reliable version then going forward. Ugh. What a pain Opera is becoming. If it were not for a particular extension which works on Opera, but not on other browsers, like Firefox and Edge--although I have not tried Chrome, I would have given up by now.

Apparently the newest version of Opera disallows the important (to me) extensions which I relied on it for, so I will now be stuck in the last version, henceforth. Perhaps this is due to revenue generation issues, like all Opera's attempts to get us to accept ads and cookies, as when seeking a new version, your have to first click not to install ads/cookies, then when installing the newer version, again you have to deselect, four times, the same thing. Ugh. I was willing to go through all that repeatedly, but now in Opera One, who knows? Maybe one cannot eschew the ads and cookies anyway. All my extensions are gone, yes, after logging in for sync again, which was not automatic. Geez, I was a loyal, if non-revenue generating user for years, as Opera was the one browser which worked with my PW manager, and I suppose that it still is in version 101.....58, but not in Opera One, 102.....16. Alas. That important, to me, extension, is no longer supported, I guess.

I should add that if anyone else has any problematic sites, please chime in. Or if anyone else has had a different experience at either of these two, let us know. Plus this is no endorsement of FF, just the first other browser that I happened to try.

At Vanguard I was able to login, but then I couldn't transact. I got a grey or brownish screen when I expected to see a list of funds from which to do a transaction. I used FF instead.

At Starbucks, I couldn't login. I was informed that my logon had failed, but when I went to FF, no problem.

My experience on Opera is that this sort of thing happens periodically, sadly. Not to mention webpages trying to tell me that my browser is out of date, when I have the latest version. They attempt to get the users to switch to one of the large market share browsers.

Does Opera maintain a list of websites that don't work, or don't work fully or properly, when accessed via Opera? Many sites try to claim that Opera is not up to date, and attempt to get the users to switch to something of their choice, one of the ones with greater market share. Some sites--not many--simply do not work properly with Opera. Can we report them to some post here? Presumably this would be for people using the current version, or at least a recent one, not an ancient one. If people posted particular URLs which don't render correctly, or otherwise do not work in some respect, noting how they don't work, theoretically Opera could look into it, and if it were fixed, it could be noted in the same list, or removed.

If you only use the offline download ( https://www.opera.com/download ) of Opera, you can click to disallow four items found within "Configure in settings" (pertaining to Opera's collection and use of your browsing data): "Categories of data we may collect" two: "General interests based on websites you may visit or search," and "General location," then two more: "How we use the data:" "Personalized content" and "Ads personalized based on your interests." I always uncheck all four of these, the default is checked on. (Previous to that you are also presented four other choices, with Opera's default preferences selected, which you can also uncheck, if desired) Then you click "Confirm choices." I assume that when you let Opera automatically update your version, the default of opting in to their use of your data is in effect. Therefore I don't use auto update.
I noticed that auto update did work recently on one of my installations, and that 112.0.5197.73 then 112.0.5197.96 were installed, but I reinstalled 112.0.5197.53 instead, not trusting that my opt-outs would be honored by the auto updates--which aren't listed as stable updates, not listed all all that I can tell!
I also note that Opera uses the task updatechecker.exe which posts cookies which cannot be deleted without using the Task Manager to End Task: updatechecker.exe, which is a pain, as I prefer to delete all cookies upon shutting down for the night. So, beware.
Unless anyone wishes to disabuse me of my paranoia about Opera's desire to harvest and make money of my data, selling it to unmown parties, or what, who knows? Most folks I expect don't care. Fair enough, Opera has to stay in business somehow.
Is any other browser a superior protector of one's data and privacy? Rhetorical, I expect. One can search for best browsers, I suppose. Why use Opera, if it peeves me in these instances? It allows use of an extension not available elsewhere, a legacy extension.
FWIW, there are settings, "Privacy consent settings," which one can also manually check and select one's preferences, if auto update seems to have overridden one's preferences with the Opera defaults, which I did not confirm that it does. Anyone know?

I attempted to manually install it via download from the download page on Win 10/64 machines, and it appeared to hang, or I got multiple/repeated error messages, on two such machines, although upon rebooting and checking what I had installed one one of them, it appears to have installed. Also on the machine which it did install, there were no migration corruption issues, FWIW.

@xb70 I manually downloaded and installed it on one Windows 10/64 computer without issue, wrt migration loss of personalization. Another pending....

105.0.4970.13 is now available for download and installation, FWIW, no thread about it yet.

Perhaps this is no longer a concern, but recently Opera updates have been subject to migration corruption issues, wherein upon installing the updated version the user would be faced with a loss of various personalization items, or all of them, bookmarks, tabs, extensions, etc. FWIW, I did install this new version: 104.0.4944.54 and didn't encounter any of that, on two Windows 10/64 computers. On the more sketchy computer, I did have to close and reopen the newly installed browser before it showed my personalization, but that could easily be due to the computer, and both are working fine now, with respect to (wrt) personalization, for me.

The issue seems to be that Opera the browser can only have a sidebar link to a web- based app, as it is a browser, and Signal doesn't support that, rather Signal does have a Windows app, which can be installed, if one has a phone-based account, already. The next question I suppose is how to add a link to a Windows app? But I don't think that Opera does that, allows placing a link to a Windows app, only to web pages, essentially. No? So this thread becomes mute, no? Aside from a popularity measure of Signal vs. other messenger apps that are represented as available to the sidebar.
Hm, what about Google Messages? No idea if that is available as a "web app." Yes, it is! Where is Google Messages then? Not saying that it is anything akin to Signal with respect to privacy, but it does both SMS/MMS and encrypted RCS, allowing RCS with Samsung Messages (assuming both have it enabled), and being compatible with SMS/MMS, it communicates with most devices/open messenger apps, aside from the "user-only" type, like Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram, on and on.

I inquired about if anyone had lost personalization, installing this version. Nothing back. I installed it myself on two Windows 10/64 computers without issue, with respect to (wrt) migration corruption or loss of personalization. On one computer, after the install, reloading Opera at first there did seem to be a loss, and Opera was not working properly, but I closed it and reopened it, and it was fine. My guess is that that computer has issues, and the hiccup wasn't Opera's fault. FWIW, both of these computers are way old, and the one with the initial hiccup is quite slow. Bottom line, this version of Opera installed without loss of personalization or any migration corruption, for me on two Windows computers. I did download manually, FWIW. Only one instance of Opera showed an auto update indication, and I didn't use it (There is a little dot on the O, and over Update & Recovery it says restart to install the latest version, or some such)--I avoided that by clicking on the manually downloaded executable, instead. Those auto update indications are hit and miss in my installations, rarely working properly. I don't trust them.