Brave Browser Tips to Supercharge Your Browsing

You’ve probably heard about the Brave browser. Maybe you’ve already downloaded it, drawn in by its promise of a faster, more private, and more secure internet experience. While its built-in ad and tracker blocker, Brave Shields, is a powerful feature right out of the box, there’s a lot more under the hood.

This guide is designed to help you unlock the full potential of Brave. We’ll explore a range of features, from customizing your privacy settings to earning cryptocurrency while you browse. By the end of this post, you’ll have a toolkit of tips and tricks to transform your daily browsing into a more efficient, secure, and personalized experience.

Master Brave Shields for Ultimate Privacy Control

Brave Shields is the core of the browser’s privacy-first approach. It automatically blocks ads, trackers, and other unwanted content. While it works great on default settings, you can fine-tune it for a more granular level of control.

Customize Your Global Shield Settings

Your Global Shields settings act as the default for every website you visit. To access them, click the Brave icon in the address bar and then the settings gear, or navigate to brave://settings/shields.

Here, you can adjust the default level of protection:

• Trackers & ads blocking: You can choose between “Standard” and “Aggressive.” While Standard is great for most users, Aggressive mode blocks more trackers but may occasionally cause some sites to break.
• Upgrade connections to HTTPS: This feature is enabled by default and ensures you’re using the most secure connection available. It’s best to leave this on.
• Block scripts: This is a powerful, advanced setting. Blocking scripts will significantly increase your security and speed but will break most modern websites. It’s not recommended for everyday browsing but can be useful for specific situations where you need maximum security.
• Cookie blocking: You can choose to block all cookies, only cross-site cookies, or allow all cookies. Blocking cross-site cookies is the default and strikes a good balance between privacy and functionality.

Adjust Shields for Specific Sites

Sometimes, the global settings aren’t a perfect fit for every website. A site might not function correctly with aggressive ad-blocking, or you might want to support a specific creator by allowing their ads.

Brave makes it easy to adjust Shields on a site-by-site basis:

1. Navigate to the website you want to adjust.
2. Click the Brave icon in the address bar to open the Shields panel.
3. Here, you can toggle the main Shields switch to turn them on or off for that specific site.
4. For more detailed control, click the “Advanced controls” link. This lets you individually block or allow trackers, scripts, and cookies just for that domain.

This per-site control gives you the flexibility to maintain strong privacy without sacrificing the usability of your favorite websites.

Navigate Like a Pro with Keyboard Shortcuts

One of the fastest ways to become more efficient with any software is to learn its keyboard shortcuts. Brave, being built on Chromium, shares many shortcuts with Google Chrome, but it also has some unique ones.

Essential Brave Shortcuts

• New Private Window: Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + N (Mac)
• New Private Window with Tor: Alt + Shift + N (Windows/Linux) or Option + Shift + N (Mac)
• Open Brave Shields Panel: Ctrl + Shift + S (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + S (Mac)
• Open Brave Wallet: Alt + Shift + W (Windows/Linux) or Option + Shift + W (Mac)
• Cycle Through Open Tabs: Ctrl + Tab (forward) and Ctrl + Shift + Tab (backward) on Windows/Linux, or Cmd + Option + Right/Left Arrow on Mac.
• Jump to a Specific Tab: Ctrl + 1 through Ctrl + 8 (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + 1 through Cmd + 8 (Mac) will take you to the first eight tabs. Ctrl + 9 / Cmd + 9 always takes you to the last tab.

Learning just a few of these can dramatically speed up your workflow and reduce your reliance on the mouse.

Harness the Power of Brave Search

Brave has its own independent search engine, Brave Search, which is the default search provider in the browser. Unlike search engines that track your every query, Brave Search is completely private and doesn’t build a profile on you.

Use Search Bangs for Quick Searches

One of the most powerful features of Brave Search is “Bangs.” These are shortcuts that let you directly search other websites without having to navigate to them first.

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to the address bar.
2. Type a bang shortcut, which usually starts with an exclamation point (!), followed by your search query.
3. Press Enter, and Brave will take you directly to the search results on that specific site.

Examples of popular Bangs:

• !w for Wikipedia (e.g., !w Albert Einstein)
• !a for Amazon (e.g., !a ergonomic keyboard)
• !yt for YouTube (e.g., !yt brave browser tips)
• !r for Reddit (e.g., !r privacy)

There are thousands of Bangs available. You can even add your own custom Bangs for your favorite sites by going to brave://settings/searchEngines. This feature is a massive time-saver for anyone who frequently searches specific websites.

Enhance Your Experience with Brave’s Built-in Features

Brave isn’t just a web browser; it’s a suite of tools designed to improve your online life. Many of these features replace the need for third-party extensions, reducing your browser’s memory footprint and potential security vulnerabilities.

Brave Talk for Private Video Calls

Forget signing up for another video conferencing service. Brave Talk allows you to start free, private video calls directly from your browser.

• To start a call, simply navigate to talk.brave.com.
• Free calls can host up to four people without any time limits.
• For larger meetings, Brave Talk Premium offers advanced features for a monthly fee.
  Since it’s built into the browser, you don’t need to install any extra software, and the calls are encrypted for your privacy.

Use the Integrated Crypto Wallet

For cryptocurrency enthusiasts, Brave Wallet is a secure, browser-native crypto wallet. It allows you to store, manage, and grow your portfolio without relying on risky extensions.

• You can access it by clicking the wallet icon in the toolbar or navigating to brave://wallet.
• It supports all EVM-compatible chains (like Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche) and Solana.
• You can connect to dApps, trade tokens with the built-in swap feature, and view your NFTs.
  Using Brave Wallet instead of a browser extension reduces the risk of phishing attacks and fake extensions that aim to steal your funds.

Customize Your New Tab Page

Your new tab page is one of the most frequently viewed screens in your browser. Brave allows you to customize it to be as minimalist or as informative as you like.

1. Open a new tab.
2. Click the “Customize” button in the bottom-right corner.
   From here, you can:

• Change the background: Choose from Brave’s curated images, upload your own, or have a solid color.
• Show or hide Brave Stats: Display how many trackers have been blocked and how much bandwidth you’ve saved.
• Customize Top Sites: Manually add, edit, or remove your most frequently visited sites.
• Toggle Brave News: Enable or disable the privacy-preserving news feed on your new tab page. You can customize the sources to create a personalized news digest.
• Turn off sponsored images: If you prefer a completely clean look, you can disable the occasional sponsored background image.

Get Paid to Browse with Brave Rewards

Brave Rewards is an optional program that flips the traditional online advertising model on its head. Instead of being tracked and served invasive ads, you can choose to view privacy-respecting ads and earn Brave’s Basic Attention Token (BAT) for your attention.

How to Opt-In and Customize

1. Navigate to brave://rewards or click the BAT triangle icon in the address bar.
2. Toggle Brave Rewards on.
3. Under the “Ads” section, click the settings icon. Here, you can choose the maximum number of ads you want to see per hour (from one to ten).

The ads appear as small system notifications, not as on-page banners, so they don’t interrupt your browsing.

Tip Creators You Love

One of the best aspects of Brave Rewards is the ability to support your favorite content creators. If a website or YouTube channel is a verified Brave Creator, you can tip them directly with the BAT you’ve earned.

• When you’re on a verified creator’s site, the BAT icon in the address bar will show a blue checkmark.
• Click the icon and select “Send a Tip” to support their work.

This system creates a more direct and transparent way to fund content on the web, bypassing traditional ad revenue models that rely on surveillance.

Level Up with Advanced Tips

Ready to go even further? These advanced tips will help you optimize your browser’s performance and security.

Use Vertical Tabs

If you’re someone who keeps dozens of tabs open, the top tab bar can become a cluttered mess. Brave has a solution: vertical tabs.

1. Right-click on any open tab.
2. Select “Use vertical tabs.”
   This will move your tab bar to the left side of the window, displaying your tabs in a scrollable list. You’ll be able to see more of the page titles, making it much easier to find the tab you’re looking for.

Create Separate Browser Profiles

If you use your browser for both work and personal activities, profiles can be a lifesaver. You can create different profiles to keep your bookmarks, extensions, history, and settings completely separate.

1. Click the profile icon in the top-right corner of the browser (it looks like a person).
2. Click “Add” to create a new profile.
   You can give each profile a name and a custom icon. This is perfect for maintaining a work-life balance and preventing your personal browsing from mixing with your professional tasks.

Your Path to a Better Internet

Brave offers a powerful suite of tools designed to put you back in control of your online experience. From fine-tuning your privacy with Shields to streamlining your workflow with keyboard shortcuts and earning rewards for your attention, there are countless ways to make the browser work for you.

Start by trying one or two of these tips. Incorporate them into your daily routine and see the difference they make. The more you explore, the more you’ll discover how a browser built for the user can fundamentally change your relationship with the web.