You might verify the installation
Brave Browser installation location on Windows OS
Application “brave.exe”
64 architecture
C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe
The initial Brave Browser Profile is, by default, named “Profile 1” (unless you change that name → brave://settings/getStarted
).
The folder that contains the initial Brave Browser Profile, is the Default folder (a name that you must not change):
C:\Users[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\
That path may also be written:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\
If you create 1 additional Profile (aka “Profile 2”), it will be stored in folder Profile 1:
C:\Users[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Profile 1\
If you create a 2nd additional Profile (aka “Profile 3”), it will be stored in folder Profile 2:
C:\Users[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Profile 2\
IMPORTANT - Replacing Profile folders
When replacing Brave Browser Profile folders:
Folder named Default (including its contents) can only replace its likeness: the folder named Default.
Folder named Profile 1 (including its contents) can only replace its likeness: the folder named Profile 1.
Folder named Profile 2 (including its contents) can only replace its likeness: the folder named Profile 2.
IMPORTANT - Brave Browser Preferences
Some Brave Browser Preferences are stored in the Preferences file:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Preferences
The contents of that Preferences file, are not exactly the contents of, brave://prefs-internals/
.
Some Brave Browser Preferences are stored in the Local State file:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Local State
Bookmarks and Bookmarks.bak files:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Bookmarks
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Bookmarks.bak
Cache (folder):
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Cache\
Cookies (file):
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Cookies
History (file - usually lots of data):
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\History
Crash Reports:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\CrashReports\
Brave Browser installers are available at:
https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/blob/master/CHANGELOG_DESKTOP.md
I would routinely back up the “BraveSoftware” folder; but you might routinely back up the “Brave-Browser” folder or the “User Data” folder
Windows OS:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\
You might use a simple, Windows OS batch file, in order to make backups of your data; example:
set ITEMTOZIP="C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware"
tar.exe -a -cf "C:\Users\username\Desktop\BraveSoftwareDATA.zip" %ITEMTOZIP%
pause
Add a chronological date to the file name:
- 20250317_BraveSoftwareDATA.zip
- 20250318_BraveSoftwareDATA.zip
- 20250319_BraveSoftwareDATA.zip
- 20250320_BraveSoftwareDATA.zip
You could use WinZip to make those files, and schedule the backups.