Brave History Missing

Browser Support
,
1

Description of the issue:
There are no sites listed at all in history
Steps to Reproduce (add as many as necessary): 1. 2. 3.
Brand new installation. I go in history and there is nothing there.

image
image1650×809 28.9 KB

But as you can see in the next screenshot you can see that there was history somewhere because it shows up in recent

20250409_085930
20250409_0859301920×1440 102 KB

Had to take screenshot with my phone because the menu disappears as soon as I try to do the screenshot

I really need to get at the history because there was a site I need to use that I can’t remember the name or address of the site

|Edition|Windows 11 Pro|
|Version|24H2|
|Installed on|‎3/‎14/‎2025|
|OS build|26100.3476|
|Experience|Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.54.0|

2

@TwilightMediaMan

History file:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\History

Get DB Browser for SQLite

https://sqlitebrowser.org/

Copy the History file to the Windows OS PC Desktop.

Open that History file (“Open Database”), using DB Browser for SQLite

Screen Shot 2025-04-09 at 10.10.37 AM
Screen Shot 2025-04-09 at 10.10.37 AM553×287 25.9 KB

Double-check On exit tab, Browsing history setting at:

brave://settings/clearBrowserData

3

I did what you said but the history file has no data in it. Where does the recent get its data from?

4

@TwilightMediaMan

History that you could retrieve, would be stored in the “History” database file.

Look for that “History” database file, inside each of your Brave Browser user Profile folders that are within the “User Data” folder:

  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default

  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Profile 1

  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Profile 2

  • etc.

    . . . IF you created more than the initial, default Brave Browser user Profile.

Magnifying your 2nd image, you are actually asking about RECENT TABS.

I imagine that list is in some RAM storage for the display.

The list of RECENT TABS might also be in one of the Tabs_0928750860 (string of numbers that represent date and time (I guess), that follow “Tabs_”) files.

Those “Tabs_ . . .” files are located at:

  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Sessions\Tabs_13323096493337180
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Profile 1\Sessions\Tabs_13323096493337180
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Profile 2\Sessions\Tabs_13323096493337180
  • etc.

The only way to read those files’ contents, is by having them where they are. They are encrypted, and only the Brave Browser’s function(s) can render/reveal their data.

RECENT TABS data might be in a Cache file, but I am not sure, where that would be.

Having written all that, your 2nd image shows the information that you seek - that you could use as search criteria in an Internet search engine’s search field.