Brave Browser – Privacy-Focused Web Browser with Built-in Ad Blocker

What is Brave Browser?

Brave is a free, open-source web browser focused on privacy and speed. Founded in 2015 by Brendan Eich (creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla) and Brian Bondy, Brave reimagines web browsing by blocking ads and trackers by default while offering an optional system for supporting content creators through its Basic Attention Token (BAT) cryptocurrency.

Built on Chromium, Brave provides familiar Chrome-like functionality while fundamentally changing how users interact with the advertising ecosystem. By blocking third-party ads and trackers, Brave delivers faster page loads, reduced data usage, and significantly improved privacy compared to conventional browsers.

Brave’s approach extends beyond simple ad blocking. Its integrated Shields provide granular privacy controls. Brave Rewards enables users to earn cryptocurrency for viewing privacy-respecting ads. Brave Search offers a privacy-focused search engine. The browser represents a comprehensive vision for a more private, user-respecting internet experience.

Key Features and Capabilities

Brave Shields

Shields block ads, trackers, cookies, and fingerprinting attempts automatically. Per-site controls allow customization—disable shields for trusted sites while maintaining protection elsewhere. Shields report blocked items, showing the privacy protection in action.

Enhanced Privacy

Built-in protections include HTTPS Everywhere upgrading connections to HTTPS when available, fingerprinting protection preventing browser identification, and bounce tracking protection blocking redirect-based tracking. Private browsing with Tor routes traffic through the Tor network for maximum anonymity.

Brave Rewards

Opt-in to Brave Rewards to earn Basic Attention Token (BAT) by viewing privacy-respecting ads. Ads appear as system notifications rather than page content. Earned tokens can support content creators or be redeemed. The system maintains privacy—ad matching happens on-device.

Brave Search

Brave Search provides an independent search engine that doesn’t track users or create profiles. It uses its own index rather than relying on Google or Bing. Goggles feature allows customizing search result rankings.

Brave Talk

Built-in video conferencing enables private calls without accounts or downloads. End-to-end encryption protects conversations. Premium tiers add longer calls and more participants.

Brave Wallet

Native cryptocurrency wallet supports Ethereum, Solana, and other networks. Manage tokens, NFTs, and DeFi applications without extensions. Hardware wallet integration provides enhanced security.

System Requirements

Desktop Requirements

Brave desktop runs on Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.13 or later, and Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+, Fedora 32+, Debian 10+). Minimum 512 MB RAM; 2 GB recommended. Any processor supporting SSE3.

Mobile Requirements

Brave mobile apps support iOS 14.0 or later and Android 7.0 or later. Mobile versions include full Shields protection and Brave Rewards.

Installation Guide

Installing on Windows

# Download from brave.com
# Run BraveBrowserSetup.exe

# Using Chocolatey
choco install brave

# Using Winget
winget install Brave.Brave

# Using Scoop
scoop bucket add extras
scoop install brave

Installing on macOS

# Download from brave.com
# Open DMG and drag to Applications

# Using Homebrew
brew install --cask brave-browser

Installing on Linux

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo curl -fsSLo /usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg] https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install brave-browser

# Fedora
sudo dnf install dnf-plugins-core
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://brave-browser-rpm-release.s3.brave.com/brave-browser.repo
sudo rpm --import https://brave-browser-rpm-release.s3.brave.com/brave-core.asc
sudo dnf install brave-browser

# Arch Linux
yay -S brave-bin

# Snap
sudo snap install brave

Keyboard Shortcuts

Navigation

Ctrl/Cmd + T        - New tab
Ctrl/Cmd + N        - New window
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N - New private window
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + T - Reopen closed tab
Ctrl/Cmd + W        - Close tab
Ctrl/Cmd + Tab      - Next tab
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Tab - Previous tab
Ctrl/Cmd + 1-8      - Go to specific tab
Ctrl/Cmd + 9        - Go to last tab
Alt + Home          - Go to home page
Alt + ?             - Back
Alt + ?             - Forward
Ctrl/Cmd + L        - Focus address bar
Ctrl/Cmd + Enter    - Add www. and .com

Page Actions

Ctrl/Cmd + R        - Reload page
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + R - Hard reload
Ctrl/Cmd + D        - Bookmark page
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + B - Toggle bookmarks bar
Ctrl/Cmd + F        - Find on page
Ctrl/Cmd + G        - Find next
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + G - Find previous
Ctrl/Cmd + P        - Print
Ctrl/Cmd + S        - Save page
Ctrl/Cmd + U        - View source
F11                 - Full screen
Ctrl/Cmd + +        - Zoom in
Ctrl/Cmd + -        - Zoom out
Ctrl/Cmd + 0        - Reset zoom

Brave Specific

Alt + Shift + N     - New Tor private window
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Delete - Clear browsing data

Shields Configuration

Shield Settings

Global Settings (Settings > Shields):
- Trackers & ads blocking: Standard/Aggressive
- Upgrade connections to HTTPS
- Block scripts (advanced)
- Block fingerprinting: Standard/Strict
- Block cookies: Cross-site/All

Per-Site Controls (Shields icon):
- Toggle Shields on/off
- Adjust individual settings
- View blocked items count

Advanced Controls:
- Block cross-site cookies
- Block fingerprinting
- Block scripts
- Block all cookies
- Allow Google login buttons

Content Filtering

Filter Lists (Settings > Shields > Content filtering):
- EasyList
- EasyPrivacy
- uBlock Origin lists
- Fanboy's lists
- Regional lists
- Custom filter lists

Adding Custom Filters:
1. Go to brave://adblock
2. Add custom filter rules
3. Use standard adblock syntax

Brave Rewards

Setting Up Rewards

Enable Rewards:
1. Click BAT icon in address bar
2. Or go to Settings > Brave Rewards
3. Turn on Brave Rewards
4. Choose notification frequency

Ad Types:
- New tab page ads
- Push notification ads
- News feed ads

Earnings:
- Earn BAT for viewing ads
- View estimated earnings
- Monthly payout to wallet

Supporting Creators:
- Auto-contribute to visited sites
- Send tips to creators
- Monthly contributions

Brave Wallet

Wallet Setup:
1. Settings > Wallet
2. Create new wallet
3. Secure recovery phrase
4. Add accounts (Ethereum, Solana, etc.)

Features:
- Multi-chain support
- Token management
- NFT gallery
- Swap tokens
- Connect to DApps
- Hardware wallet support

Privacy Features

Private Browsing

Private Window:
- No history saved
- Cookies cleared on close
- Shields still active
- Shortcut: Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N

Private Window with Tor:
- Routes through Tor network
- New identity per session
- Strongest anonymity
- Shortcut: Alt + Shift + N

Note: Tor adds latency but maximum privacy

Additional Privacy Settings

Settings > Privacy and security:
- Clear browsing data on exit
- Send "Do Not Track"
- Block third-party cookies
- WebRTC IP handling policy
- Safe Browsing
- Permission autoblock

Settings > Social media blocking:
- Block Google login buttons
- Block Facebook logins
- Block Twitter embeds
- Block LinkedIn embeds

Brave Search

Search Features

Key Features:
- Independent index
- No user tracking
- Anonymous local results
- Discussion filters
- News and video tabs

Goggles:
- Custom ranking algorithms
- Community-created filters
- Personalize results
- Example: Tech blogs only

Settings:
- SafeSearch levels
- Region settings
- Open links behavior
- Appearance options

Sync and Profiles

Brave Sync

Sync Setup:
1. Settings > Sync
2. Start new sync chain
3. Save 24-word recovery phrase
4. Add devices using QR or phrase

Synced Data:
- Bookmarks
- Settings
- History
- Passwords
- Open tabs
- Extensions
- Autofill data

Note: End-to-end encrypted

Multiple Profiles

Create Profile:
1. Click profile icon
2. Add new profile
3. Customize name and icon

Profile Uses:
- Work/personal separation
- Different browser configurations
- Shared computer scenarios

Extensions

Extension Support

Sources:
- Chrome Web Store (compatible)
- Brave-specific extensions

Installing Extensions:
1. Visit Chrome Web Store
2. Click "Add to Brave"
3. Approve permissions

Built-in Alternatives:
- Ad blocker (Shields)
- Password manager
- Crypto wallet
- HTTPS upgrading

Managing Extensions:
- brave://extensions
- Enable/disable
- Remove
- View permissions

Performance Features

Speed Optimizations

Memory Saver:
- Suspend inactive tabs
- Configurable timeout
- Whitelist important sites

Battery Saver:
- Reduce background activity
- Limit animations
- Optimize streaming

Preload Pages:
- Settings > Privacy > Preload pages
- Faster navigation
- Configurable levels

Importing Data

Import from Other Browsers

Import Wizard:
1. Settings > Get started > Import
2. Select source browser
3. Choose data types:
   - Bookmarks
   - Passwords
   - History
   - Extensions (where possible)
   - Search engines
4. Complete import

Supported Sources:
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Safari
- Edge
- Opera
- Vivaldi
- Bookmark HTML files

Command Line Options

Launch Options

# Start with specific profile
brave-browser --profile-directory="Profile 2"

# Start in private mode
brave-browser --incognito

# Start with Tor
brave-browser --tor

# Disable extensions
brave-browser --disable-extensions

# Custom user data
brave-browser --user-data-dir=/path/to/data

Best Practices

Privacy Recommendations

Maximum Privacy:
1. Use Shields on aggressive
2. Enable fingerprinting protection
3. Block all third-party cookies
4. Use Private with Tor for sensitive browsing
5. Use Brave Search as default
6. Disable telemetry
7. Review site permissions regularly
8. Use strong password manager

Conclusion

Brave Browser delivers a fundamentally different web experience by prioritizing user privacy while maintaining compatibility with the modern web. Its combination of default ad and tracker blocking, optional rewards system, and integrated privacy tools provides a comprehensive solution for privacy-conscious users.

Whether seeking faster browsing, better privacy, or a new relationship with online advertising, Brave offers a compelling alternative to traditional browsers.