Brave deleted all my active tabs and favorites

289wk · December 8, 2025, 1:05am

@questiontime123

Where Brave Browser Profiles Are Located

With Brave Browser running, open a New Window and go to: brave://version

Scroll down to Profile Path: You should see, for

Linux OS - usually but not always:

/home/[username]/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/[profile_folder_name]

MacOS: /Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/[profile_folder_name]

Windows OS: C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\[profile_folder_name]

The actual Profile folder names for [profile_folder_name] would be:

Default
Profile 1
Profile 2
Profile n [where n is the next increment: 3, 4, . . . etc.]

Upon the original installation and setup of Brave Browser (“BB”):

The 1st BB User Profile is named Profile 1 and its data is maintained within the folder named Default:

MacOS: /Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default
Windows OS: C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default

When proceeding with the creation of additional BB User Profiles:

The 2nd BB User Profile name will be Profile 2 and its data will be maintained within the folder named Profile 1:

MacOS: /Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Profile 1
Windows OS: C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Profile 1

The 3rd BB User Profile name will be Profile 3 and its data will be maintained within the folder named Profile 2:

MacOS: /Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Profile 2
Windows OS: C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Profile 2

Repeating the pattern of BB User Profile creations:

Actual 1st BB User Profile data is in folder named Default
Actual 2nd BB User Profile data is in folder named Profile 1
Actual 3rd BB User Profile data is in folder named Profile 2
Actual 4th BB User Profile data is in folder named Profile 3

Renaming the BB User Profile name(s) . . . DOES NOT CHANGE the folder names and structure:

Renaming 1st BB User Profile name, from Profile 1 to Bob8 ← still uses folder named Default
Renaming 2nd BB User Profile name, from Profile 2 to Hope ← still uses folder named Profile 1
Renaming 3rd BB User Profile name, from Profile 3 to Emma ← still uses folder named Profile 2
Renaming 4th BB User Profile name, from Profile 4 to Work ← still uses folder named Profile 3

DO NOT CHANGE the names of the folders.

Also, do not swap folders that have unmatched names. For example, do not swap folder Profile 2 for folder Profile 5.

The above notes, are also at:

‘Where Brave Browser Profiles Are Located’

Establish routines for preserving your data:

How to back up Passwords that are stored by Brave Browser

Scrolling down the webpage at:

https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018185951-How-do-I-use-the-built-in-password-manager

A note states:

“Export Passwords - Selecting Download file will export all credentials you’ve saved in your browser as a .CSV file onto your system. Note that anyone who has access to your system will be able to open and view this file, so it is recommended that you delete this file once you’ve used the file for its intended purpose.”

Tips on how to encrypt that .CSV file:

Be sure to safely store a copy of that CSV file on an external drive.

How to back up your Bookmarks as an HTML file

Two ways to get to the Bookmarks Manager.

One way:

Launch Brave and open the Main menu:
Select Bookmarks --> Bookmarks Manager
Open the More options menu at the top right
Select Export and choose where you want to store the exported file.

Another way:

In a new Brave Browser window, go to: brave://bookmarks
Locate the “Organize” (vertically-arrayed 3-dot) menu button in the upper-right area of the window; click on that
You should get a pop-up menu, in which you click on the “Export bookmarks” selection and choose where you want to store the exported file.

The exported file name: “bookmarks.html”

Be sure to safely store a copy of that HTML file on an external drive.

I suggest naming the backups in chronological order; for example:

20250926-2128_Friday_BB_Bookmarks.html
20250927-2128_Saturday_BB_Bookmarks.html

20250926-2131_Friday_BB_Passwords.csv
20250927-2131_Saturday_BB_Passwords.csv

Windows OS users, maintain a daily routine to backup the User Data folder:

C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default

MacOS users, backup the Brave-Browser folder:

/Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default

Linux OS users, backup the Brave-Browser folder:

/home/[username]/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/

All backups should be stored somewhere that is NOT within the Brave Browser installation paths. Of course, the Passwords.csv files (however you name them) should be stored within an encrypted directory / folder - “vault” of some kind.

Windows OS users, establish a daily routine of creating System Restore Points.

Automate Daily System Restore Point Creation

Enable System Protection

Press Win + R, type SystemPropertiesProtection, and press Enter

Under the Protection Settings list, enable protection for your system drive (usually C:) and allocate ~5-10% of space for restore points.

Create a PowerShell script to generate a restore point

Open Notepad, paste the following:

Checkpoint-Computer -Description "Automatic Restore Point" -RestorePointType "MODIFY_SETTINGS"

Save that as:

C:\Scripts\CreateRestorePoint.ps1

Schedule it

Open Task Scheduler → Create Task

Name: Automatic Restore Point

Triggers: Everyday at a convenient time

Actions:

Program/script: powershell.exe

Add arguments: -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Scripts\CreateRestorePoint.ps1"

Under Conditions, uncheck “Start the task only if the computer is on AC power” if you want it to run on laptops.

Under Settings, choose “Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed.”

You now have an automated Windows OS System Restore Point created daily.

Event-triggered restore points

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/sr/restore-points#event-triggered-restore-points

Suggested reading, studying:

‘Lost all cookies including passwords and site data - #2 by Saoiray’

SOMETIMES: A BB user has recovered passwords by using the backed up Login Data file; and sometimes by doing that PLUS using a previously-backed up Local State file; and sometimes by a combination of: Resetting the Brave Browser Settings, using the backed up Login Data file, plus, using the previously-backed up Local State file.

‘Everything gone after update: Passwords, Bookmarks, Top Sites - #2 by Mattches’

File and Folder Permissions - Brave Browser (Windows OS):

Ref.: ‘https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/issues/38609’

And then, there is the following:

‘Lost cookies, extensions, filters, but tabs are there, on 2 different computers - #3 by Flex’

I asked Perplexity.ai to decipher those commands. The reply:

Those three commands are working together to take control of the Brave Browser profile folders and reset their permissions for the Administrators group.

1) `takeown /F ... /R /D Y /A`

takeown /F C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser /R /D Y /A

takeown – changes the owner of files/folders.
/F <path> – target folder: here it is the Brave-Browser folder in your profile.
/R – recurse into all subfolders and files.
/D Y – automatically answer “Yes” to any confirmation prompts when access is denied.
/A – make the Administrators group the owner (instead of just the current user).

Effect: Administrators become the owner of the entire Brave-Browser tree under that user profile, including all subfolders and files.

2) `icacls ... /setowner Administrators /T`

icacls C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser /setowner Administrators /T

icacls – manages NTFS permissions and ownership.
/setowner Administrators – explicitly sets the owner to the Administrators group.
/T – applies to the folder and all subfolders and files.

Effect: Confirms and enforces that Administrators are the owner of everything under Brave-Browser (similar goal to the first command, using a different tool).

3) `icacls ... /inheritance:e /T /C`

icacls C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware /inheritance:e /T /C

/inheritance:e – enables permission inheritance so items inherit ACLs from their parent folder.
/T – recurse through all subfolders and files under BraveSoftware.
/C – continue even if errors occur (skips over problem files, keeps going).

Effect: Re-enables normal inherited permissions for everything under BraveSoftware, so permissions flow down from the parent instead of using only custom/blocked ACLs.

Overall purpose

Together, these commands:

Make the Administrators group the owner of the Brave Browser data folder and all of its contents.
Ensure that ownership is set consistently using both tools (takeown and icacls).
Turn inheritance back on for the broader BraveSoftware folder so its permissions are normalized and inherited from its parent, which can fix “Access denied” and permission corruption issues within the Brave profile.

Windows Credential Manager

‘https://community.brave.app/search?context=user&q=credential%20manager%20%40MasterLink%20%20order%3Alatest&skip_context=true’

Some info re Windows OS Credential Manager and Brave Sync:

‘Internal Sync Setup Error - My Solution’

Note about that: After testing issue, set ‘Credential Manager’ service start, to manual.

Install Brave Browser (Desktop)

Brave Browser Beta
‘https://brave.com/download-beta/’
‘https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases?q=beta&expanded=true’

Brave Browser Nightly
‘https://brave.com/download-nightly/’
‘https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases?q=nightly&expanded=true’

Brave Browser Stable Release
‘https://brave.com/download/’
‘https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/blob/master/CHANGELOG_DESKTOP.md’

Brave Browser for Linux OS - How to install
‘https://brave.com/linux/’

Brave Browser Release Schedule at Brave GitHub:
‘https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/wiki/Brave-Release-Schedule’

At GitHub, typical example of Brave Browser installers for Windows OS (64-bit machine) users:

ARM: ‘https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases/download/v1.85.118/brave-v1.85.118-win32-arm64.zip’

INTEL: ‘https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases/download/v1.85.118/brave-v1.85.118-win32-x64.zip’

Determine Windows OS PC architecture - try any of:

Settings → System and then About (bottom left corner). It should be listed under Device Specifications ← scroll to that, and look for System type (example: 64‑bit operating system, x64‑based processor)

Command Prompt: wmic os get osarchitecture

‘https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/32-bit-and-64-bit-windows-frequently-asked-questions-c6ca9541-8dce-4d48-0415-94a3faa2e13d’

64 architecture, system level installation:
C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe

x86 architecture, system level installation:
C:\Program Files(x86)\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe

64 / x86 architecture, user level installation (NOTE: you must substitute your Windows OS user account name for [UserName]):
C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe

Uninstall Brave Browser (Desktop)

The Brave Browser application brave.exe etc.:
‘Every time I open the browser it closes again directly - #20 by clifton’

The Brave Browser updater, BraveUpdate.exe:
‘Have to re-install Brave multiple times per day on Windows11 - #24 by mherrmann’

A note from Brave Support, if all you want, is: How do I delete my data in Brave?
'https://support.brave.app/hc/en-us/articles/4413256282765-How-do-I-delete-my-data-in-Brave

IF still struggling to uninstall, try:
https://crystalidea.com/uninstall-tool

About Brave Browser Tabs:

‘Every time brave crashes, the restore feature doesn’t work - #2 by 289wk’

In a Brave Browser New Window, at brave://flags, search for Override software rendering list ← if that is enabled, the browser might suffer a reset → on Windows OS ARM machines.

Perplexity.ai generated a Windows OS PowerShell script for backing up the User Data folder:

Here is a simple, customizable PowerShell script that backs up a `User Data` folder to a specified backup location and keeps date‑stamped copies.

Replace the paths in the CONFIGURATION section as needed and save as Backup-UserData.ps1.

<# 
    Backup-UserData.ps1
    - Backs up a "User Data" folder to a backup location
    - Creates a dated subfolder for each run
#>

#region CONFIGURATION
# Full path to the "User Data" folder you want to back up
$SourcePath      = "C:\User Data"

# Root folder where backups will be stored
$BackupRootPath  = "D:\Backups\UserData"
#endregion CONFIGURATION

# Create a timestamp (example: 2026-01-01_0730)
$timeStamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd_HHmm"

# Build backup destination folder path
$BackupDestination = Join-Path -Path $BackupRootPath -ChildPath "UserData_$timeStamp"

Write-Host "Source folder:      $SourcePath"
Write-Host "Backup destination: $BackupDestination"
Write-Host ""

# Validate source path
if (-not (Test-Path -Path $SourcePath)) {
    Write-Error "Source path '$SourcePath' does not exist. Backup aborted."
    exit 1
}

# Create backup root folder if needed
if (-not (Test-Path -Path $BackupRootPath)) {
    Write-Host "Backup root '$BackupRootPath' does not exist. Creating it..."
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $BackupRootPath | Out-Null
}

# Create this run's backup folder
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $BackupDestination | Out-Null

# Use Robocopy (recommended for reliability and preserving attributes)
$roboLog = Join-Path $BackupRootPath "Backup-UserData_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd').log"

$roboArgs = @(
    "`"$SourcePath`"",        # Source
    "`"$BackupDestination`"", # Destination
    "/E",                     # Copy subdirectories, including empty ones
    "/COPYALL",               # Copy all file info (data, attributes, timestamps, ACLs, owner)
    "/R:1",                   # Retry once on failure
    "/W:2",                   # Wait 2 seconds between retries
    "/MT:8",                  # Multithreaded copy (8 threads; adjust as needed)
    "/LOG+:$roboLog",         # Append output to log file
    "/NFL", "/NDL"            # No file list / no directory list (log is shorter)
)

Write-Host "Starting backup with Robocopy..."
$robocopyExe = Join-Path $env:SystemRoot "System32\robocopy.exe"

# Start Robocopy
& $robocopyExe @roboArgs
$exitCode = $LASTEXITCODE

Write-Host ""
Write-Host "Robocopy exit code: $exitCode"

if ($exitCode -lt 8) {
    Write-Host "Backup completed successfully."
    exit 0
} else {
    Write-Warning "Backup may have encountered errors. Check log file: $roboLog"
    exit $exitCode
}

How to use it

Edit $SourcePath to point to your actual User Data folder (for example, C:\Users\YourName\User Data).
Edit $BackupRootPath to point to the drive/folder where you want backups stored (local drive or network share).

Run PowerShell as Administrator if needed and execute:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser RemoteSigned
.\Backup-UserData.ps1

Each run will create a folder like UserData_2026-01-01_0730 under the backup root, preserving file attributes and permissions similarly to typical Robocopy-based backup scripts used in Windows environments.

How to schedule a PowerShell backup script with Task Scheduler

To schedule your PowerShell backup script with Task Scheduler, create a basic scheduled task that calls powershell.exe and points it to your .ps1 file.

Prepare the script

Save your backup script as something like C:\Scripts\Backup-UserData.ps1.

Make sure it runs correctly when you run it manually in PowerShell with:

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Scripts\Backup-UserData.ps1"

Create the scheduled task

Press Start, type Task Scheduler, and open it.
In the right pane, click Create Task… (not Basic Task, to get all options).
On the General tab:
- Name: Backup User Data.
- Select Run whether user is logged on or not.
- Check Run with highest privileges (often needed for file backups).

Set the trigger (schedule)

Go to the Triggers tab and click New….
Choose when to run it, for example:
- Begin the task: On a schedule.
- Daily, Recur every: 1 days, and set the start time.
Click OK.

Set the action (run PowerShell)

Go to the Actions tab and click New….
Action: Start a program.
Program/script:
```
powershell.exe
```

Add arguments (optional) (adjust the path as needed):

-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Scripts\Backup-UserData.ps1"

Click OK.

Configure conditions and settings

On Conditions, uncheck “Start the task only if the computer is on AC power” if you want it to run on battery as well.
On Settings, enable Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed if desired.
Click OK, then enter your account password so the task can run unattended.

Test the scheduled task

In Task Scheduler, right‑click your new task and select Run.
Verify that the backup destination folder and any log files from your script are created as expected.

On Windows OS machines, for anybody struggling to establish routine data backups:

‘https://www.winzip.com/en/product/winzip/’

Brave sometimes mentions: ‘https://www.7-zip.org/’

How do I manually submit crash reports?

https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/22281484910221-How-do-I-manually-submit-crash-reports

After you click the “Send Now” button, return to brave://crashes and gather up the Crash Report ID numbers that end with a string of zeros. Post the numbers, here, in a new reply. Example of a Crash Report ID number:

Tips regarding Brave Shields:

I have more success, with:

Brave Shields UP, but . . .
Either Allow All Cookies or Block 3rd Party Cookies, but NOT Blocking All Cookies
Allowing JavaScripts from specific sources, but NOT Allowing All JavaScripts
Trackers & Ads treatment: Aggressive (at first), and then incrementally relaxing that setting
Fingerprinting (aka footprinting) blocking: Strict (at first), and then incrementally relaxing that setting

I almost NEVER use:

All of Brave Shields UP
All of Brave Shields DOWN

Shields Basics

https://support.brave.app/hc/en-us/categories/360001330932-Shields

How do I configure global and site-specific Shields settings?

https://support.brave.app/hc/en-us/articles/360023646212-How-do-I-configure-global-and-site-specific-Shields-settings

How do I use Shields while browsing?

https://support.brave.app/hc/en-us/articles/360022806212-How-do-I-use-Shields-while-browsing

Create a new user Profile for Testing:

Create and use AN ADDITIONAL Brave Browser user Profile (Menu --> More tools --> Add profile) - only ← meaning: Do not have any other Brave Browser user Profile tabs/windows open.

When creating this new Brave Browser user Profile for test purposes

Do not import anything.
Do not add any extensions.
Do not allow/enable any Brave Browser “bells and whistles” such as Brave Rewards, Brave Talk, etc.

IF this test Brave Browser user Profile does not present your problem, then possibly, the profile that you have been using, has a problem . . . and that might be caused by one or more extensions, or too many tabs ← complex/conundrum.

Detailed info about testing - IF, in regard to memory and performance issues:

Create a new profile to help Troubleshoot

Extensions Tests:

test by disabling all extensions
test by enabling each extension individually
test by uninstalling all extensions
test by installing each extension individually
test combinations of extensions
test order of installation of extensions

Clearing cache, cookies, and history:

Clear cache, cookies, history - for Time range > All time, using Basic tab at brave://settings/clearBrowserData
Exit / Quit everything
Restart the computer

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