If you have been using Chrome for years, the idea of switching browsers probably feels unnecessary. Chrome works. You know where everything is. Your bookmarks and passwords are already there. So why bother?
Here is one reason worth thinking about. Google makes most of its money from advertising. Chrome, which Google built and controls, is one of the most powerful data collection tools on the planet. Every website you visit, every search you make, every tab you open contributes to a profile Google uses to serve you targeted ads. You are not the customer. You are the product.
Brave is a browser that flips this around. It is built on the same Chromium engine as Chrome, so it looks and feels familiar, runs all the same extensions, and loads every website Chrome can load. The difference is what it does not do. Brave blocks ads and trackers by default, collects none of your browsing data, and sends nothing to Google. This guide explains what Brave is, how it works, and how to get started on Windows.
What Is Brave?
Brave is a free, open-source web browser developed by Brave Software, founded in 2016 by Brendan Eich, the creator of JavaScript and former CEO of Mozilla. It is built on Chromium, the same open-source foundation that powers Chrome, Edge, Opera, and most other mainstream browsers.
The key distinction is that Brave takes Chromium and strips out everything Google added to serve its advertising business. The Google tracking code, the ad personalization hooks, the data reporting, all of it is removed. In their place, Brave adds its own privacy protections, an ad blocker called Shields, fingerprinting protection, and HTTPS upgrading. The result is a browser that works identically to Chrome for everyday browsing but does not feed a surveillance business model.
As of 2026, Brave has over 80 million monthly active users and is one of the most recommended browsers by security researchers and privacy advocates.
How Brave Shields Works
The most immediately noticeable thing about Brave is that it blocks ads and trackers on every website you visit, out of the box, without installing any extensions.
This happens through a feature called Shields. When you visit any website, Shields automatically blocks third-party trackers, fingerprinting scripts, cross-site cookies, and intrusive ads before the page even loads. You can see how many things were blocked on any page by clicking the lion icon in the address bar. On a typical news website, the number is often fifty or higher. These are fifty separate tracking attempts stopped before they reached you.
The practical consequence of blocking all that content before it loads is that pages load faster. Independent comparisons have found Brave loads pages measurably faster than Chrome because the browser is not waiting to download and execute dozens of tracking scripts. There is no extension overhead, no slowing the page down to load advertising resources. The blocking happens at the engine level.
If a specific website breaks because Brave blocked something it needs to function, you can lower the shields for that site individually by clicking the lion icon and adjusting the settings. Your privacy stays intact everywhere else.
What Brave Does Not Do
Brave does not track your browsing history. It does not build a profile of your interests. It does not send telemetry about which websites you visit to Brave's servers. Its optional sync feature for bookmarks and passwords is end-to-end encrypted, meaning even Brave cannot read the data you sync between devices.
In January 2026, Brave also added a specific protection that prevents Microsoft Recall from taking screenshots of your Brave browser window. This is the kind of thoughtful, user-first decision that reflects what the browser is actually for.
One thing worth being clear about: Brave does have a voluntary advertising program called Brave Rewards. If you opt in, Brave shows you privacy-respecting ads and pays you a small amount in a cryptocurrency called BAT. This is entirely optional, off by default, and has nothing to do with tracking your behavior. If you ignore it, which most people do, it has no impact on your experience.
Chrome Extensions Work in Brave
One of the biggest practical barriers to switching browsers is extensions. If you rely on specific Chrome extensions for your work or daily routine, the idea of losing them is a real concern.
Brave runs every extension from the Chrome Web Store. Password managers, grammar checkers, developer tools, anything you currently use in Chrome installs and runs identically in Brave. You do not have to give up a single extension to switch.
That said, you will probably find you need fewer extensions in Brave than in Chrome. A separate ad blocker like uBlock Origin is redundant because Brave already blocks ads more effectively. Privacy Badger, Cookie AutoDelete, and similar tracker-blocking extensions do nothing Shields does not already handle. Many people end up with a cleaner browser and fewer extension-related slowdowns after switching.
It is also worth noting that Chrome restricted the most powerful privacy extensions through a change called Manifest V3, which significantly weakened tools like uBlock Origin on Chrome. Brave still supports these extensions at full capability. Google made Chrome worse at blocking ads to protect its advertising business. Brave did the opposite.
How to Install Brave on Windows
Go to brave.com and click the Download Brave button. The installer is around 100MB and runs like any standard Windows application. After installation, Brave opens and immediately offers to import your data from Chrome, including bookmarks, saved passwords, browsing history, and open tabs.
The import takes about thirty seconds and works reliably. When it is done, your Brave browser has everything your Chrome browser had. Most people find the transition takes no adjustment at all because the interface is nearly identical to Chrome.
Switching Your Default Browser
After installing Brave, you can set it as your default browser from the welcome screen or any time through Settings. Alternatively, go to Windows Settings, select Apps, then Default apps, and choose Brave from the browser list. From that point, any link you click in another app opens in Brave instead of Chrome or Edge.
Key Features Worth Knowing
Brave Search is an independent search engine that Brave sets as its default. Unlike DuckDuckGo, which uses Microsoft Bing for results, Brave Search has its own independent web index. It does not track your searches, does not profile you, and is not operated by an advertising company. The search quality is solid for everyday queries, and you can switch back to Google at any time if you prefer.
Private Window with Tor is Brave's version of incognito mode but with a meaningful difference. Regular incognito mode in any browser hides your history from your PC but does not hide your IP address from websites or your internet provider. A private window with Tor in Brave routes your connection through the Tor network, masking your IP address from the websites you visit. It is slower than regular browsing but provides genuine anonymity for situations where you want it.
Brave Talk is a built-in video calling tool that does not require creating an account or installing anything extra.
Fingerprinting protection randomizes certain browser characteristics that websites can use to identify you even when cookies are blocked. Most browsers do not address fingerprinting at all. Brave does.
Brave vs Chrome vs Edge: A Direct Comparison
| Feature | Brave | Chrome | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ad and tracker blocking | Built-in, default on | None built-in | Basic, optional |
| Third-party cookies blocked | Yes, by default | No | Partial |
| Google tracking removed | Yes | No, Chrome is built on it | Partial |
| Chrome extensions | Yes, all of them | Yes | Yes, most |
| Private browsing with Tor | Yes | No | No |
| Fingerprinting protection | Yes | No | No |
| Data sent to parent company | Minimal | Extensive to Google | Some to Microsoft |
| Independent search engine | Yes, Brave Search | Bing | |
| Price | Free | Free | Free |
| Open-source | Yes | Partially | No |
A Honest Note on Limitations
Brave is not perfect and it is worth being straightforward about the tradeoffs.
Occasionally, a website will break because Shields blocked something the site depends on. This is rare and fixable by clicking the lion icon and lowering the shields for that site, but it happens. Complex web applications, particularly older enterprise tools, can sometimes behave unexpectedly in Brave.
Brave follows Chrome's update schedule but typically lags a few days behind. In the brief window between Chrome releasing a security fix and Brave incorporating it, there is technically a slightly wider vulnerability window. This is a minor point for most everyday users but worth knowing.
The Brave Rewards and BAT cryptocurrency features feel out of place to many users who just want a clean browser. They are completely ignorable but they are there.
None of these are deal-breakers. For everyday browsing on Windows, Brave is faster, cleaner, and considerably more private than Chrome or Edge with zero configuration required.
Final Thoughts
If you have been using Chrome out of habit rather than deliberate choice, Brave is worth trying for a week. You will get your bookmarks, passwords, and extensions back in thirty seconds. You will notice pages loading faster and ads disappearing without doing anything. This will stop contributing browsing data to one of the world's largest advertising companies. And if you decide you prefer Chrome after a week, switching back takes exactly as long as switching away did.
For most people, the week does not end with going back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brave browser safe to use?
Yes. Brave is a legitimate, well-audited open-source browser developed by a reputable company. It has undergone independent security audits and has a strong track record. It is built on the same Chromium engine as Chrome, receives regular security updates, and removes Google's tracking code rather than adding anything malicious.
Does Brave block YouTube ads?
Yes. Brave's built-in Shields blocks most YouTube video ads by default, including pre-roll and mid-roll ads, without any additional extension. This is a significant practical advantage over Chrome, where ad blockers for YouTube have become increasingly limited due to Google's Manifest V3 restrictions.
Can I use my Chrome passwords and bookmarks in Brave?
Yes. When you install Brave, it offers to import everything from Chrome including bookmarks, saved passwords, browsing history, and open tabs. The import takes about thirty seconds and works reliably for most users.
Does Brave slow down my PC?
No. Because Brave blocks ads and tracking scripts before they load, it typically uses less RAM and CPU than Chrome. Pages that would load dozens of tracking scripts in Chrome load faster in Brave because those resources are blocked at the engine level rather than downloaded and then discarded.
Is Brave available on Android and iPhone?
Yes. Brave has apps for Android and iOS in addition to the Windows, macOS, and Linux desktop versions. Bookmarks, passwords, and settings can be synced across devices using Brave Sync, which is end-to-end encrypted.
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