Please backup the “BraveSoftware” folder, to a safe location.
Be Prepared
IF, you think, possibly Microsoft Windows Defender senses something, then:
Sometimes, the following two steps, are sufficient to get Brave Browser running properly.
With BB not running, delete the ‘Caches’ folder, and delete the ‘Cookies’ file.
Caches (folder):
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Cache\
Cookies (file):
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Cookies
Clear cookies, cache, history, etc.
In a Brave Browser New Window, go to:
brave://settings/clearBrowserData
Select the Advanced tab
Set Time range to “All time”
ENABLE everything except:
- Passwords and other sign-in data
(Myself, I would NOT make that exception)
(because I would have a backup prepared.)
(In other words, be prepared.)
Click on the “Clear data” button
Change the path within the Brave Browser shortcut on your computer’s Desktop, to include switches that are intended to:
- Start up Brave Browser, showing a New Private Window
- Disable all experiments at
brave://flags - Disable extensions
- Disable GPU ie disable Hardware Acceleration
- Enable leak detection and if that failure occurs, then crash the browser (–enable-leak-detection --crash-on-failure are a combo)
- Produce error/log output to a file named ‘brave_console_out.txt’ on the Windows OS Desktop
The Brave Browser executable, brave.exe, is located in one of:
64 architecture
"C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe"
x86 architecture
"C:\Program Files(x86)\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe""
Changed Paths:
64 architecture (change the path to):
"C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe" --incognito --no-experiments --disable-extensions --disable-gpu --enable-leak-detection --crash-on-failure 2> %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\brave_console_out.txt
x86 architecture (note the switches to add):
"C:\Program Files(x86)\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe" --incognito --no-experiments --disable-extensions --disable-gpu --enable-leak-detection --crash-on-failure 2> %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\brave_console_out.txt
Notice that the existing path, BEFORE the additions, is enclosed by double-quote marks. And, everything added to the existing path, is located after the existing path.
With Brave Browser running, test your issue.
When you think appropriate, restore the Brave Browser shortcut . . .
64 architecture
"C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe"
x86 architecture
"C:\Program Files(x86)\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe"
More Be Prepared - Make the following a routine: