Brave Configuration (Desktop)
Brave is a Chromium-based browser with built-in Shields, optional Widevine (for DRM video), and aggressive defaults you can still tighten further. This page lists Desktop settings worth changing if you want less telemetry, less AI/Web3 surface, and a cleaner new-tab experience.
Widevine
Streaming sites that require DRM need Widevine enabled (Brave can install the component when a site asks). Details: Chromium + Widevine.
Where to change things
| Location | Purpose |
|---|---|
brave://settings | All sections below except flags. |
brave://flags | Experimental toggles (wallet/AI/news compaction, etc.). |
brave://version | Confirm Command Line if you also use CLI flags. |
Open Settings, then work through each subsection in order (Brave’s left sidebar matches the headings used here).
New tab page
Open a new tab, click the gear (customize), then set:
| Area | Setting | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Background | Show new tab page ads | Off |
| Search | Show search widget in new tabs | Off |
| Top sites | Show top sites | Off |
| Cards | Brave Stats | Off |
| Cards | Brave VPN | Off |
| Cards | Brave Rewards | Off |
| Cards | Brave Talk | Off |
| Cards | Brave News | Off |
Get started
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| On startup | Open the New Tab page |
Appearance
Toolbar (Customize your toolbar)
| Control | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | On | |
| Add Bookmark | Off | Optional; bookmarks still work via menu. |
| Sidebar | Off | |
| Tab search | Off | |
| Wallet | Off | |
| Leo AI | Off | |
| VPN | Off | |
| Password Manager | Off | Prefer a dedicated password manager; see Browser extensions. |
| Rewards | Off | |
| Add RSS feed | Off | |
| Install app | Off |
Address bar and tabs
| Setting | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Show autocomplete suggestions in address bar → Leo AI Assistant | Off | |
| Use wide address bar | On | |
| Always show full URLs | On | |
| Allow middle button click to close tabs | Off | Preference. |
| Show memory usage on tab hover preview card | Off | Preference. |
Shields
| Setting | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Show the number of blocked items on the Shields icon | Off | Count still appears on click/hover. |
| Trackers & ads blocking | Aggressive | |
| Upgrade connections to HTTPS | Strict | |
| Block scripts | Off | On breaks most sites; only enable with per-site exceptions. |
| Block fingerprinting | On | |
| Block cookies | Block third-party cookies | |
| Store contact information for future broken site reports | Off | |
| Content filtering (filter lists) | All Off | Use Shields + (optionally) uBlock Origin; if you only need list blocking, Shields alone is often enough. |
| Allow Facebook logins and embedded posts | Off | |
| Allow X (Twitter) embedded tweets | Off | |
| Allow LinkedIn embedded posts | Off |
Privacy and security
Delete browsing data → Delete data on exit
| Data type | On exit |
|---|---|
| Browsing history | On |
| Leo AI | On |
| Download history | On |
| Autofill form data | On |
Other privacy & hardening
| Setting | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Security → Use secure DNS | On | Pick a resolver you trust (e.g. Mullvad DNS, Quad9). |
| Manage JavaScript optimizations & security → Don’t allow sites to use JavaScript optimization | On | |
| Site and Shields settings → Automatically remove permissions from unused sites | On | |
| WebRTC IP handling policy | Disable non-proxied UDP | |
| Use Google services for push messaging | Off | |
| Auto-redirect AMP pages | On | |
| Auto-redirect tracking URLs | On | |
| Prevent sites from fingerprinting me based on my language preferences | On | |
| Block Microsoft Recall | On | |
| Send a “Do Not Track” request | Off | Many sites ignore it; it can be harmful to privacy expectations; see Mozilla’s explanation. |
Data collection
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Allow privacy-preserving product analytics (P3A) | Off |
| Automatically send daily usage ping to Brave | Off |
| Automatically send diagnostic reports | Off |
| Survey Panelist → Allow Brave surveys | Off |
Web3 (Wallet)
Disable native Web3 if you do not use cryptocurrency features in the browser.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Default Ethereum wallet | Extension (no fallback) |
| Default Solana wallet | Extension (no fallback) |
| Reset and clear wallet data | Run once to wipe leftover state |
| Resolve Unstoppable Domains names | Disabled |
| Resolve Ethereum Name Service (ENS) names | Disabled |
| Resolve Solana Name Service (SNS) names | Disabled |
Leo (AI)
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Show Leo icon in the sidebar | Off |
| Show Leo in the context menu on websites | Off |
| Clear Leo data | Run once |
| Store my conversation history | Off |
Search engine
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Improve search suggestions | Off |
| Web Discovery Project | Off |
See also: Search engines.
Extensions
See: Browser extensions.
Autofill and passwords
Do not rely on the built-in vault for primary secrets. Use a dedicated manager (extension or app) with E2EE.
| Area | Setting | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Password Manager → Settings | Offer to save passwords and passkeys | Off |
| Sign in automatically | Off | |
| Delete all Password Manager data | Run once if you already stored secrets here | |
| Payment methods | Save and fill payment methods | Off |
| Save security codes | Off | |
| Allow sites to check if you have payment methods saved | Off | |
| Global | Allow auto-fill in private window | Off |
Languages
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Check for spelling errors when you type text on web pages | Off |
System
| Setting | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Continue running background apps when Brave is closed | Off | |
| Close window when closing last tab | On | |
| Warn me before closing window with multiple tabs | Off | Preference. |
| Show full screen reminder to press Esc on exit | Off | |
| Show VPN tray icon | Off | |
| Memory Saver | Balanced |
Experimental flags (brave://flags)
Search each Flag name in brave://flags and set the State column as below. You can mirror some of these via command-line flags instead; confirm under brave://version → Command Line.
| Flag | State | Purpose (short) |
|---|---|---|
brave-ai-chat | Disabled | In-browser AI chat |
brave-ai-chat-history | Disabled | AI chat history persistence |
brave-ai-chat-open-leo-from-brave-search | Disabled | Open Leo from Brave Search |
brave-ai-chat-rich-search-widgets | Disabled | Rich AI widgets in search |
brave-ai-chat-web-content-association-default | Disabled | Default “send page” toggle for AI |
brave-compact-horizontal-tabs | Enabled | Shorter horizontal tabs (preference) |
brave-news-feed-update | Disabled | Updated Brave News feed |
brave-news-peek | Disabled | News peek on new tab |
brave-rewards-gemini | Disabled | Gemini wallet bridge for Rewards |
brave-v8-jitless-mode | Enabled | JITless V8 when optimizations are off (security vs speed trade-off) |
brave-wallet-bitcoin | Disabled | Native Bitcoin wallet |
brave-wallet-cardano | Disabled | Native Cardano wallet |
brave-wallet-zcash | Disabled | Native Zcash wallet |
native-brave-wallet | Disabled | Native wallet without extensions |
Optional: disable Brave services & update tasks (elevated PowerShell)
Updates will stop
Setting service Start to 4 (Disabled) and disabling scheduled BraveSoftwareUpdate tasks prevents automatic updates. You must update Brave manually (re-enable services/tasks, or reinstall). Only use this on machines where you control patching.
Start = 4 is Disabled in the Services registry. Adjust service names if your install differs.
$Names = 'brave', 'BraveElevationService', 'bravem'
foreach ($Name in $Names) {
$Path = Join-Path 'HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services' $Name
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) { continue }
Set-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name 'Start' -Value 4 -Type DWord
}
Get-ScheduledTask -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
Where-Object { $_.TaskName -like 'BraveSoftwareUpdate*' } |
Disable-ScheduledTask -ErrorAction SilentlyContinueUser scheduled tasks named BraveSoftwareUpdateTaskUser* may also exist; extend the -like pattern if you want those disabled too.