I was going to do a clean reinstall of Brave. I know that browsers, even after uninstalling, often leave some traces / folders behind (like user-made customizations or configurations, perhaps some cookies etc.)
how can I make sure that every bit of Brave is removed?
I’m on Linux (Fedora Silverblue 41), installed the Brave rpm through the official guide (by package layering).
Hate relying on AI but for what it’s worth, I have ChatGPT instructions below. Not sure if anyone else will pop in with any different or better help. But at least wanted to give something for now.
Got it. On Fedora Silverblue 41, since you’re using rpm-ostree package layering, uninstalling Brave and cleaning up all traces (user configs, cached data, etc.) takes a few steps. Here’s a full teardown guide:
Step-by-Step: Completely Remove Brave (RPM + Configs)
1. Remove the Brave package (layered install)
Use
rpm-ostree
to remove it from the base system:sudo rpm-ostree uninstall brave-browser
You’ll need to reboot for the removal to fully apply, since Silverblue uses immutable layers.
2. Delete User-Level Configs and Caches
Even after uninstalling, Brave may leave behind configs, profiles, cookies, etc.
Run the following to remove all Brave-related user data:
rm -rf ~/.config/BraveSoftware rm -rf ~/.cache/BraveSoftware rm -rf ~/.local/share/BraveSoftware
Optionally, you can search for other leftovers:
find ~ -iname '*brave*'
3. Remove Brave’s GPG Key and Repo (if added manually)
If you added Brave’s repo during setup, clean that up too.
Delete the repo file (if it exists):
sudo rm /etc/yum.repos.d/brave-browser-rpm-release.repo
Delete the GPG key:
sudo rpm -e gpg-pubkey-<> # Replace <> with actual key ID, or list with: rpm -q gpg-pubkey
If unsure which is Brave’s key, list them with:
rpm -qi gpg-pubkey
4. Check Flatpak (Just in Case)
Sometimes folks install Brave via Flatpak and forget. Check like this:
flatpak list | grep -i brave
If you see it, uninstall with:
flatpak uninstall com.brave.Browser
Optional (Extra Clean): Clear Recent Files or MIME Handlers
Remove any Brave-related
.desktop
files or MIME associations:rm -f ~/.local/share/applications/brave-browser.desktop xdg-mime default firefox.desktop x-scheme-handler/https # or your preferred browser
thank you.
the reason why I was asking the question is, my internet connection is a bit unstable, and sadly I think it got interrupted (not sure) while I was doing the initial configuration of Brave (changing settings, downloading extensions, etc.). So I was worried that it happened in the middle of downloading the extensions, or the filter lists for adblockers, and that some of their files would be broken because of that. I’m not sure whether Brave (or any other browser) has a mechanism for ensuring that the automated updates (or initial installs) or extensions are not broken, and starting over in case connection is lost in the middle of downloading/updating. I wouldn’t really trust AI on that kinda question (I’ve seen AI confidently give wrong answers before, so)… in case you know that, it would be great to know, but if not, that’s ok, still thank you for replying.
update: asked some experienced people and got it figured out, they said that Firefox is designed to handle random disconnects. The browser will try to download the update fully and check the file before actually installing it. If a download fails, it’ll try again later. It’s a common step for applications in general, not just web-browsers and extensions.