Brave Browser Cheat Sheet

Updated 2026-04-28

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Brave is a privacy-first web browser built on the Chromium engine, founded in 2015 by Brendan Eich (creator of JavaScript) and Brian Bondy. It blocks ads, trackers, and fingerprinting by default—no extensions or configuration required—offering a faster, safer browsing experience while optionally rewarding users with Basic Attention Token (BAT) cryptocurrency for viewing privacy-respecting ads. With over 112 million monthly active users (March 2026), Brave has become the leading privacy browser, expanding beyond browsing to include Brave Search (independent index), Leo AI (privacy-first AI assistant), Brave VPN, and Brave Talk—building a comprehensive privacy ecosystem. Its architecture puts privacy at its core: built-in Tor, IPFS, Shred button, and first-party tracking protections go far beyond what any other mainstream browser offers out of the box.

What This Cheat Sheet Covers

This topic spans 23 focused tables and 181 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.

Table 1: Core Privacy FeaturesTable 2: Ad Blocking and Content FilteringTable 3: Brave Rewards and BATTable 4: Brave Wallet (Web3)Table 5: Brave SearchTable 6: Leo AI AssistantTable 7: Sync and Cross-DeviceTable 8: Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows/Linux)Table 9: Tab ManagementTable 10: Brave NewsTable 11: Brave Talk (Video Conferencing)Table 12: Brave PlaylistTable 13: Advanced SettingsTable 14: Extensions and Web StoreTable 15: Brave VPN & Firewall (Premium)Table 16: Tor IntegrationTable 17: IPFS SupportTable 18: Developer ToolsTable 19: Platform AvailabilityTable 20: Performance OptimizationsTable 21: Bookmarks ManagementTable 22: History and Privacy ControlsTable 23: Brave Origin (Paid Minimal Build)

Table 1: Core Privacy Features

This is the heart of what makes Brave different—protections that run on every page without a single extension installed. Shields handles ads and trackers, but the quieter wins matter just as much: farbling randomizes your fingerprint each session, query stripping deletes utm_ and fbclid tags before they load, and the Shred button wipes one site clean without logging you out of everything else.

Feature	Example	Description
Brave Shields	Toggle on/off per site via lion icon	• Default protection layer that blocks ads, trackers, cross-site cookies, and fingerprinting scripts on every page • adjustable globally or per site.
Fingerprinting protection (farbling)	Randomized canvas/WebGL APIs	Randomizes fingerprintable browser APIs each session so every site sees a slightly different profile, preventing cross-site identification.
HTTPS by Default	Auto-upgrades `http://` → `https://`	• Automatically upgrades all connections to HTTPS when available • strict mode blocks HTTP-only sites entirely for maximum security.
Third-party cookie blocking	Cross-site cookies rejected	• Blocks cross-site cookies that follow users across websites • only first-party cookies allowed, stopping most tracking networks.
Tracker blocking	EasyList + EasyPrivacy filters	Blocks known tracking scripts using multiple filter lists at the network level before requests reach servers.
Shred button	Shields → Shred site's data	• Per-site data erasure — wipes cookies and storage for one site without logging you out of others • iOS since v1.71, Android since v1.89; Auto Shred option clears data automatically on tab or browser close.
Bounce tracking prevention	Skips known redirect trackers	• Strips tracking parameters from URLs and detects bounce-tracking domains • navigates directly to the destination, bypassing the tracking redirect entirely.
Query parameter stripping	Removes `?utm_source=...`	Automatically removes known tracking query parameters (UTM, fbclid, etc.) from URLs without breaking page functionality.

Table 1: Core Privacy Features

Feature	Example	Description
Brave Shields	Toggle on/off per site via lion icon	• Default protection layer that blocks ads, trackers, cross-site cookies, and fingerprinting scripts on every page • adjustable globally or per site.
Fingerprinting protection (farbling)	Randomized canvas/WebGL APIs	Randomizes fingerprintable browser APIs each session so every site sees a slightly different profile, preventing cross-site identification.
HTTPS by Default	Auto-upgrades `http://` → `https://`	• Automatically upgrades all connections to HTTPS when available • strict mode blocks HTTP-only sites entirely for maximum security.
Third-party cookie blocking	Cross-site cookies rejected	• Blocks cross-site cookies that follow users across websites • only first-party cookies allowed, stopping most tracking networks.
Tracker blocking	EasyList + EasyPrivacy filters	Blocks known tracking scripts using multiple filter lists at the network level before requests reach servers.
Shred button	Shields → Shred site's data	• Per-site data erasure — wipes cookies and storage for one site without logging you out of others • iOS since v1.71, Android since v1.89; Auto Shred option clears data automatically on tab or browser close.
Bounce tracking prevention	Skips known redirect trackers	• Strips tracking parameters from URLs and detects bounce-tracking domains • navigates directly to the destination, bypassing the tracking redirect entirely.
Query parameter stripping	Removes `?utm_source=...`	Automatically removes known tracking query parameters (UTM, fbclid, etc.) from URLs without breaking page functionality.