Brave browser is loading very slowly

Browser Support
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Brave desktop browser running time has been extremely slow, especially when switching between different apps. There’s simply a lag whenever it’s switched back from another app.

Tried restarting the browser; didn’t work. Already cleared the cache, cookies and browsing data; it didn’t work. Closed most but three tab groups; still running slowly. Not sure if I should simply reinstall the browser.

Current browser version: Version 1.77.95 Chromium: 135.0.7049.52 (Official Build) (arm64)

Desktop: MacBook Pro macOS 15.3.2 (24D81)

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@norrislo

With Brave Browser running, but not using Brave Browser (Hide it) - while trying to do other tasks with your Mac, is the Mac still sluggish?

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No. Only Brave Browser is sluggish. When the Mac is running on other apps, there’s no issue with others whatsoever - I don’t even need to hide the browser that everything is running smoothly. Only when it’s returned to the Brave Browser that the Browser itself runs very slowly.

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I have access to m1 and m2 Macbook Air here, Brave seems responsive enough. Is HW acceleration enabled? Does Brave Beta/Nightly work okay?

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Brave wasn’t like this in the last version. Only after it’s updated to the latest version that the problem arises and worsens. Tried enable / disable HW but doesn’t matter that much. Haven’t tried Beta / Nightly work though.

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HW acceleration does matter, otherwise any GPU usage is offloaded to the CPU and is much slower. Try testing Brave Beta or Nightly?

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I meant I tried HW but the difference wasn’t noticeable at all. Am trying Nightly to see.

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I also have the same problem, It actually started around when a new update was released (can’t remember which one). But it was probably 1-2 years ago. Every time I start my computer and open Brave (with multiple tabs) it sometimes takes ‘ages’ to load. Especially if it youtube-videos. I have tried LibreWolf just to compare and Brave is way slower.

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Nightly seemingly works, except when uploading any files that it’ll suddenly drag down the whole operation. And yes the problem came up since it was last updated.

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I came here to report same thing! Everytime I open a new instance of Brave takes like 1-2 minutes for the window to be operable, not sure what is going on!

Specs of my Setup

Current Browser Version: Version 1.77.101 Chromium: 135.0.7049.115 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Desktop: Lenovo Laptop Windows 10 Pro Build:19045.5737

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And it often says “error”.

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Downloaded Nightly and looks like it works - Consciously keep only few tabs and try not to upload files though. It went irresponsive after trying to upload a photo taken and trimmed by mobile.

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@norrislo I have 12th gen. intel i9 processor and 128GB ram. This is a very high powered computer and I can typically run 100’s of tabs in multiple screens with no problem.

Furthermore, the issue is not performance of an active browser. once the browser starts up, there is no problem. The issue that when I initially open a browser instance when no other instance is up, it takes around 1-2 minutes for it to be operable.

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