This topic is made by a Community Ninja to share a lot of helpful information for everyone. It combines answers to common issues, information about features, and little tips for using Brave and the Brave Community as a whole.
I’ll try to break things into categories. Click on a category to expand it and see a list of help items. Links will take you directly to that issue. Before that, let me share:
Brave Community is where users and staff come together to resolve issues, suggest new features, and share updates.
Most support comes from other users. While Brave staff do participate, it’s important not to expect a response from them on every post or comment.
Note
For issues like missing payments or checking if your account is flagged or suspended, staff will usually direct you to create a Support Ticket. This is because they’ll need private information that shouldn’t be shared publicly. So, if you’re in one of those situations, it’s best to just create a Support Ticket from the start.
A Community Ninja is a badge and title awarded to users who are active and helpful in Brave Community. It doesn’t make us more special than other users, but it shows that we’ve earned trust and are likely pointing you in the right direction.
Each Community Ninja has different areas of expertise. Not all of us display the badge, but you can view the full list of Community Ninjas here.
Browse categories: Start by visiting categories related to your issue, like Browser Support if your browser is crashing. Skim through topics or titles to see if any match your problem.
Use the search feature: Click the magnifying glass and type your search. Instead of choosing an automatic suggestion, click More at the bottom to see full results.
Use keywords: Search with specific keywords like “Crash,” “YouTube,” “Not Blocking,” or “missing BAT” instead of full sentences. Shorter searches give better results.
Sort by Latest Post: The default search shows what it thinks is most relevant, often displaying older topics. By selecting Latest Post, you’ll see more recent and active discussions.
If you need direct support from Brave, it can take 3–5 business days or longer to get a response, especially around holidays. Support Tickets may take a couple of weeks depending on the volume of requests.
For general issues, you can often get quicker help from other users in the community who have the knowledge to assist.
These steps can help identify the cause of your issue. They aren’t solutions but will narrow down potential problems. Note that most of these steps can’t be done on iOS, but try what you can and include your results when posting.
Check for updates: If Brave won’t launch, try reinstalling it over your current version to patch any missing or damaged files.
Test in a private window: Private windows run without cookies, and on desktop, they also disable extensions by default. This helps see if cookies or extensions are causing the problem.
Test in a new profile: On desktop, go to the hamburger menu → More tools → Add new profile. This creates a fresh profile, which helps check if settings, extensions, or cookies are the issue.
Disable Shields: This helps determine if content filters or Shields settings are causing the problem.
Test on Brave Beta or Brave Nightly: Using these versions can help you see if the issue is specific to the version you’re currently using.
For browser crashes, it’s helpful to provide crash logs. On Desktop and Android, go to brave://crashes. If you see Send Now, click it, then exit Brave so the reports can upload in the background. After 30–60 seconds, reopen Brave, go back to brave://crashes, and copy the Uploaded Crash Report ID. Include this ID in your post so Support can reference it to help identify the issue.
Send you to a strange website for “live chat” or help
Ask you to call a phone number for support
Ask for your sync phrase or QR code
Scammers may pretend to be from Brave or other companies to try these tactics. Make sure you know how to identify Brave staff and be cautious about sharing personal information.
Here’s an example of scam responses we sometimes receive from fake accounts:
For those wondering why profiles get flagged, there’s no specific answer you’ll be given. However, you can find more information here: Why do profiles get flagged?.
Note
As of June 2023, if a profile is flagged, all devices connected to the same custodial account will also be flagged. This change was made to prevent people from bypassing antifraud measures by creating new profiles or attaching new devices.
First, check if payments are still processing by visiting: Ads Payout Status Update. Payments usually begin around the 7th of each month, but they can take several days or even weeks to complete. Be sure to keep an eye on the payout status and be patient during this time.
If you’re getting this message, it means your device Locale is set to be in a region that Brave is not able to support for Brave Rewards at all. This means no ads or any form of participation of Rewards is possible for you. Countries that are not available for Rewards can be seen at https://support.brave.com/hc/en- Rewards are not available in your area
If you don’t live in one of these countries but still see the message, check your device settings. Your country, region, or regional format is likely set to an unsupported country. Until that’s updated, you won’t be able to access Rewards.
For example, the screenshot below shows someone whose country was set to Belarus but had the regional format set to Russian (Russia). This caused Brave to block Rewards. After updating their region and format, Rewards became available.
If you’re seeing this message, it means you haven’t completed all the KYC/AML steps required by Uphold. The most common missing step is the Liveness check, which involves taking a live selfie.
To trigger this step, try initiating a withdrawal from your Uphold account (you don’t need to complete the withdrawal). This will usually prompt the request for a selfie. Alternatively, installing the Uphold app on your phone may notify you that an additional selfie is required.
Even if you’ve submitted a selfie before, they may request a new one. For more details, check out these posts from other users who experienced the same issue: User post example 1 User post example 2
Below is a screenshot of instructions from Uphold:
Payments start processing around the 7th of each month, but this is just when the process begins—it’s not a guarantee that you’ll receive payment that day.
Brave Support updates a topic each month where you can check the status of payments: Ads Payout Status Update.
Note
Your Estimated Earnings will reset to 0 on the last day of the month, and payments begin processing around the 7th. Keep in mind that dates are based on U.S. Pacific Time, so if you’re in a different time zone, adjust accordingly.
There’s no guaranteed way to increase the number of ads you see, but here are some steps to help ensure you’re not missing any:
Turn off Focus Assist or similar features: Many devices pause notifications during certain activities (like gaming or watching videos). If notifications are paused, ads won’t be served.
Enable Sponsored Images: On your Dashboard, go to Customize and scroll to the bottom of Background Images. Alternatively, go to Settings → Get Started → Customize New Tab Page, then scroll to the bottom of Background Image to toggle Sponsored Images. This allows ads to appear when opening new tabs.
Turn on Brave News: On Desktop, go to Customize on your New Tab Page → Brave News, and enable it. On iPhone and Android, go to Settings → Brave News.
Match your IP address and device locale: If they don’t match, you may not receive ads or get paid for them. This is especially important if you use a VPN or proxy server.
Spread the word about Brave: More users bring more advertisers, which can lead to more ads in your region.
Use your device casually: Ads are served based on moderate activity. Leaving your device idle reduces ads, but heavy use (like “farming” Rewards) can also limit them.
Visit a variety of websites: The types of sites you visit affect the ads you see. For example, frequent visits to cryptocurrency websites may result in more crypto-related ads.
There are currently four types of ads available in Brave:
Push Notifications (PN): These appear in your device’s Notification Center. The maximum is 10 ads per hour and up to 100 per day, though you’ll rarely reach that number.
Sponsored Images (SI): Also known as New Tab Page (NTP) ads, these appear as full-background images when you open a new tab. You can receive up to 20 per day, with a maximum of 1 every 15 minutes.
Inline Content (IC): These appear as you scroll through Brave News, below your New Tab Page. You can see up to 12 per hour, and a maximum of 60 per day, but the actual number may vary.
Search Ads: Still in beta and not yet available via Rewards. Once fully released, they’ll appear during searches on Brave Search, and users will be able to earn BAT from them. The maximum number of search ads is currently unknown.
Profiles are flagged when the system detects activity that might violate the Terms of Service or appear fraudulent. Brave doesn’t share specific reasons for flagging accounts, so it’s tough to answer the “why.” This policy is in place to prevent abusers from learning how to bypass detection.
While this can be frustrating, especially if unintentional, it’s essential for maintaining the integrity of the Rewards system. Advertisers pay for targeted ads expecting real user engagement, and attempting to cheat this system can result in flagged accounts.
Two common triggers users have noticed include:
Using a VPN: While VPNs aren’t against the rules, using one to view ads from other countries can be an issue. Ads are based on your IP location, so consistently appearing in a different country might violate the Terms and lead to your profile being flagged.
Automation: Using bots or macros to boost earnings—like repeatedly opening new tabs or excessively scrolling through Brave News—is considered abuse. Normal use is fine, but engaging in these activities excessively to game the system can cause problems.
Remember, BAT stands for Basic Attention Token—we earn these tokens in exchange for our genuine attention. Engaging in activities that bypass this principle is considered fraudulent.
Starting in 2024, Brave is moving away from requiring KYC/AML, but here’s why it has been necessary and why it’s still required by partners like Uphold and ZebPay.
Simply put, KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) are mandated by governments to prevent illegal activities like money laundering and terrorism financing. Not complying with these regulations can lead to severe penalties, including fines and imprisonment.
Here’s some information to help you understand the legal background:
Brave is exploring options for on-chain BAT payouts, possibly on Solana, as part of a project called “Boomerang.” If successful, this could eliminate the need for custodial partners and KYC/AML requirements. Stay tuned for updates as they work through the legal details. You can see any status updates in a topic at PSA: Current and upcoming changes to Rewards and Creators
Brave is optimized by default, but if you want stronger protection, here are some recommended settings. Keep in mind that enabling too many content filters or rules can cause websites to break or result in performance issues.
Go to Settings → Shields and set Trackers & Ads Blocking to Aggressive.
Set Block Cookies to Block third-party cookies.
Set Upgrade connections to HTTPS to Strict.
Under Content Filtering, enable Fanboy’s Annoyances + uBO Annoyances.
If experiencing ads on YouTube despite the settings above, try to also enable Brave Experimental Adblock Rules
