Brave

Name: Brave
Author: Brave Software

Open source

Brave Software

Category: Browsers
Version: 155.1.97.56
Manifest checked: 2026-10-23
Size: ~160 MB
Licence terms: Open source (MPL 2.0) · free for personal and business use
Supported OS: Windows 11 · 10
Install method: Automatic install supported
Developer: Brave Software
Downloads via this site

Download Add to install list

This links to Brave Software’s own download source. AfterFormat neither stores nor modifies installer files.

Check before installing

Blocking is aggressive enough that some sites break. Use the shield icon beside the address bar to turn it off for that site.

What it is

A Chromium-based browser from Brave Software. The browser itself blocks ads and trackers, so there is no ad-blocking extension to install. Being Chromium, it runs Chrome extensions unchanged, and it is MPL 2.0 open source.

When to pick this

If installing an ad blocker every time is a chore. If one extension solves it, Chrome is fine; if tracking protection is the goal, Firefox covers the same ground.

Details

Blocking built in

Ads and tracking scripts are filtered by the browser. With less to load, pages appear faster and use less data.

Chrome extensions

Installs directly from the Chrome Web Store, so you keep the extensions you already use.

When a site breaks

Blocking is strong enough that some logins or payment flows fail. Click the shield beside the address bar to disable it for that site only.

After a reformat

Keep another synced device and a separate backup

Brave Sync connects devices in a sync chain rather than an account. Before formatting, keep another device, such as a phone, in the chain and confirm the data you need is there. Join the new PC using the current code or QR from that device. Do not rely on a saved code as your only backup; export important data such as bookmarks separately.