My recommendations for the ultimate configuration of the Brave Browser :)
NOTE: This is specifically tailored for Brave on Desktop. For Android, see here, and for iOS, see here.
NOTE: This project can be found on both Codeberg, which will act as the main & preferred way to contribute, and GitHub.
On startup -> Open the New Tab page
Customize new tab page -> Background image -> Show Sponsored Images -> ❌
Customize new tab page -> Top Sites -> ❌
Show Brave News button -> ❌
Show Brave Rewards button -> ❌
Show Brave Wallet button -> ❌
Show VPN button -> ❌
Show autocomplete suggestions in the toolbar -> Top sites -> ❌
Show autocomplete suggestions in the toolbar -> Browsing History -> ❌
Always show full URLs -> ✅
Show Wayback Machine prompt on 404 pages -> ✅ (Should be default, very useful)
Speedreader -> ✅
Tracker & Ads blocking -> Aggressive
(if you don't use another content blocker like uBlock Origin)
Upgrade connections to HTTPS -> Strict
Block scripts -> ✅ (This will cause breakage, but it heavily improves privacy & security, so I'd recommend enabling it if possible and if you're willing to re-enable scripts on sites that need it)
Block fingerprinting -> ✅ (Should be default)
Block cookies -> Block third-party cookies
(Should be default)
Forget me when I close a site -> ✅ (This feature drastically improves privacy, I would highly recommend using it and just setting exceptions for sites you need to stay logged in to)
Content filtering: (Only relevant if you don't use another content blocker like uBlock Origin)
-
EasyList Cookie
-> ✅ -
Fanboy's Annoyances + uBO Annoyances
-> ✅ -
Fanboy's Social
-> ✅ -
Fanboy's Anti-Newsletter
-> ✅ -
Fanboy's Mobile Notifications
-> ✅ -
Fanboy's Anti-chat Apps
-> ✅
Allow Facebook logins and embedded posts -> ❌
Allow X (previously Twitter) embedded tweets -> ❌
Allow LinkedIn embedded posts -> ❌
Clear browsing data -> On exit:
-
Browsing history
-> ✅ -
Download history
-> ✅ -
Cached images and files
-> ✅ -
Passwords and passkeys
-> ✅ (You should not save info in your browser like this for security reasons, use a dedicated password manager like Bitwarden or Proton Pass instead) -
Autofill form data
-> ✅ (You should not save info in your browser like this for security reasons, use a dedicated password manager like Bitwarden or Proton Pass instead)
Security:
-
Safe Browsing ->
Standard protection
(Should be default) -
Use secure DNS -> ✅
-
Select DNS provider -> Add custom DNS service provider -> Pick a private, secure, & reputable DNS provider of your choice, I would recommend setting up your own NextDNS configuration if you are able to (See my recommendations for NextDNS here), otherwise I would recommend Quad9:
https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query
(Even if you have a private/secure DNS provider set on your OS/network level, make sure to still set it here too like this, so that you can take advantage of Encrypted Client Hello)
Site and Shields Settings:
-
Location ->
Don't allow sites to see your location
-
Camera ->
Don't allow sites to use your camera
(Obviously don't set if you use sites that need camera access, but you can still set exceptions for sites if needed) -
Microphone ->
Don't allow sites to use your microphone
(Obviously don't set if you use sites that need microphone access, but you can still set exceptions for sites if needed) -
Notifications ->
Don't allow sites to send notifications
-
Motion Sensors ->
Don't allow sites to use motion sensors
(Should be default) -
Autoplay ->
Block sites from autoplaying videos
-
Google Sign-In ->
Don't allow legacy Google Sign-In via third-party cookies
-
Ethereum ->
Block sites from accessing the Ethereum provider API
-
Solana ->
Block sites from accessing the Solana provider API
-
MIDI device control & reprogram ->
Don't allow sites to control and reprogram your MIDI devices
-
USB devices ->
Don't allow sites to connect to USB devices
-
File editing ->
Don't allow sites to edit files or folders on your device
-
HID devices ->
Don't allow sites to connect to HID devices
-
Clipboard ->
Don't allow sites to see text or images on your clipboard
-
Payment handlers ->
Don't allow sites to install payment handlers
-
Augmented reality ->
Do not allow sites to create a 3D map of your surroundings or track camera position
-
Virtual reality ->
Don't allow sites to use virtual reality devices or data
-
Window management ->
Don't allow sites to manage windows on all your displays
-
Fonts ->
Don't allow sites to use fonts installed on your device
-
Pop-ups and redirects ->
Don't allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects
(Should be default) -
Protected content IDs ->
Don't allow sites to play protected content
- https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/10/drms-dead-canary-how-we-just-lost-web-what-we-learned-it-and-what-we-need-do-next -
V8 optimizer ->
Don't allow sites to use the V8 optimizer
WebRTC IP handling policy -> Disable non-proxied UDP
(Don't set this if you have to call on the web through services like Discord & Zoom)
Use Google services for push messaging -> ❌ (Should be default)
Auto-redirect AMP pages -> ✅
Auto-redirect tracking URLs -> ✅
Prevent sites from fingerprinting me based on my language preferences -> ✅
Private window with Tor -> ✅ (Should be default)
Only resolve .onion addresses in Tor windows -> ✅
Allow privacy-preserving product analytics (P3A) -> ❌
Automatically send daily usage ping to Brave -> ❌
Automatically send diagnostic reports -> ❌
Default Ethereum wallet -> Extensions (no fallback)
Default Solana wallet -> Extensions (no fallback)
Enable NFT discovery -> ❌
Enable Brave Wallet in Private Windows -> ❌
Automatically pin NFTs -> ❌
Method to resolve IPFS resources -> Disabled
IPFS public gateway fallback -> ❌
Automatically redirect requests for IPFS network resources to the configured gateway -> ❌
IPFS companion -> ❌
Resolve Unstoppable Domains domain names -> Disabled
Resolve Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domain names -> Disabled
Resolve Solana Name Service (SNS) domain names -> Disabled
Normal Window - Search engine used in the address bar -> Brave
Private Window - Search engine used in the address bar -> Brave
Improve search suggestions -> ❌
Web Discovery Project -> ❌
Manage search engines and site search:
-
Remove any search engines here you don't use (i.e.
Google
&Bing
) -
Site search -> History -> 3 dots ->
Deactivate
Allow Google login for extensions -> ❌
Hangouts -> ❌ (This feature gives Google domains special access that other sites can't use... also seems useless nowadays, tested screen sharing & video calling and seems to work without issue in most cases)
Media Router -> ❌
Web Torrent -> ❌
Widevine -> ❌ (Should be default) - https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/10/drms-dead-canary-how-we-just-lost-web-what-we-learned-it-and-what-we-need-do-next
Password Manager -> Settings -> Offer to save passwords -> ❌ (You should not save info in your browser like this for security reasons, use a dedicated password manager like Bitwarden or Proton Pass instead)
Password Manager -> Settings -> Sign in automatically -> ❌
Payment methods -> Save and fill payment methods -> ❌ (You should not save info in your browser like this for security reasons, use a dedicated password manager like Bitwarden or Proton Pass instead)
Payment methods -> Manually verify every time you pay using autofill -> ✅
Payment methods -> Allow sites to check if you have payment methods saved -> ❌
Addresses & more -> Save and fill addresses -> ❌ (You should not save info in your browser like this for security reasons, use a dedicated password manager like Bitwarden or Proton Pass instead)
Allow auto-fill in private windows -> ❌
Ask where to save each file before downloading -> ✅
Show downloads when they're done -> ✅
Continue running apps when Brave is closed -> ❌
Memory Saver -> ✅
#back-forward-cache -> Disabled
#brave-adblock-default-1p-blocking -> Enabled
#brave-ads-should-always-run-brave-ads-service -> Disabled
#brave-ads-should-support-search-result-ads -> Disabled
#brave-ads-should-always-trigger-search-result-ad-events -> Disabled
#brave-copy-clean-link-by-default -> Enabled
#brave-extension-network-blocking -> Enabled
#brave-ipfs -> Disabled
#brave-news-peek -> Disabled
#brave-rewards-allow-self-custody-providers -> Disabled
#brave-rewards-vbat-notice -> Disabled
#brave-rewards-gemini -> Disabled
#brave-sync-v2 -> Disabled
(Don't set if you use Brave Sync)
#brave-vpn -> Disabled
#brave-wallet-bitcoin -> Disabled
#brave-wallet-zcash -> Disabled
#enable-nft-pinning -> Disabled
#enable-parallel-downloading -> Enabled
#native-brave-wallet -> Disabled
#strict-origin-isolation -> Enabled
-
Keep extensions to a minimum and only install what you actually need. Having unnecessary extensions reduces performance, increases attack surface, increases fingerprintability, etc.
-
Similarly, please don't use more than one content blocking extension. Don't install any content blocking extensions if you use Brave's built-in Shields as well.
-
Use a (reputable) VPN. I would recommend either Mullvad or ProtonVPN.
-
Use a (reputable) anti-virus if possible. On Windows, you can use the built-in Microsoft Defender Antivirus, on macOS, you can stick to the built-in XProtect, and on Linux, you can use ClamAV.