Brave profiles all disappeared

[SomeSomeSomeName]

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Description of the issue:

All of my brave profiles have disappeared. When I opened brave, it didn’t ask for the profile, and all profile-related options have disappeared from the menus. I found the same issue on this forum here ( Lost all Brave Profiles ), but they resolved the issue via DMs and there is no explanation in the post. I looked in AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data and the Profile XX folders are still there. Brave just can’t see them. I also cannot even find any profile menus or options for creating menus in Brave. How do I get them back?

Brave Version( check About Brave):

1.85.120

Additional Information:

[289wk]

@SomeSomeSomeName

You probably have a backup of (we hope?):

• bookmarks
• passwords
• User Data folder
• Windows OS System Restore Points

See: Where Brave Browser Profiles Are Located

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

Try a Brave Browser New Window and go to brave://profile-picker/ and take a screenshot, to report here.

Visit brave://version and scroll down to the Profile path: ← copy the info, except DO NOT display your Windows OS user account name (the [username]) and report here.

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TRY: Start up Brave Browser - unburdened - using the Brave Browser shortcut on your computer’s Desktop.

For the following Changed Path, the switches are intended to:

• Start up Brave Browser, using the “Default” named user Profile folder [--profile-directory="Default"]
• Showing a New Private Window [--incognito]
• Disable all experiments at brave://flags [--no-experiments]
• Disable extensions [--disable-extensions]
• Disable hardware (GPU) ie Graphic Acceleration [--disable-gpu]
• 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 Window OS Desktop

Changed Path - different commands depending upon your type of Windows OS machine’s architecture, and whether or not you made a system level or user level installation:

64 architecture, system level installation:

"C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe" --profile-directory="Default" --incognito --no-experiments --disable-extensions --disable-gpu --enable-leak-detection --crash-on-failure 2> %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\brave_console_out.txt

x86 architecture, system level installation:

"C:\Program Files(x86)\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe" --profile-directory="Default" --incognito --no-experiments --disable-extensions --disable-gpu --enable-leak-detection --crash-on-failure 2> %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\brave_console_out.txt

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" --profile-directory="Default" --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:

"C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe"

And, everything added to the existing path, is located after the existing path.

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In a Brave Browser New Window, go to brave://local-state and search for the exact character string: "Default": {

Your result should resemble something like the following:

[SomeSomeSomeName]

Thanks. I ran the command, and I think the problem is here. Here is the log file:

[40056:24848:0108/135310.336:ERROR:chrome\browser\ui\views\user_education\impl\browser_user_education_interface_impl.cc:154] Attempting to show IPH IPH_DiscardRing before browser initialization complete; IPH will not be shown.
[40056:24848:0108/135310.358:ERROR:chrome\browser\profiles\profile_attributes_storage.cc:1032] Failed to PNG encode the image.

It is crashing while loading the profiles and so only loads default.

The brave://profile-picker/ only shows the default profile.

Profile path from brave://version is \AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default

brave://local-state shows:

     "info_cache": {
         "metadata": [ "user_controlled", "user_modifiable", "extension_modifiable" ],
         "value": {
            "Default": {
               "active_time": 1767840004.550369,
               "avatar_icon": "chrome://theme/IDR_PROFILE_AVATAR_57",
               "background_apps": false,
               "default_avatar_fill_color": -1842200,
               "default_avatar_stroke_color": -10724240,
               "enterprise_label": "",
               "force_signin_profile_locked": false,
               "gaia_id": "",
               "is_consented_primary_account": false,
               "is_ephemeral": false,
               "is_using_default_avatar": true,
               "is_using_default_name": false,
               "managed_user_id": "",
               "metrics_bucket_index": 1,
               "name": "{REDACTED}",
               "profile_color_seed": -11909408,
               "profile_highlight_color": -1842200,
               "shortcut_name": "{REDACTED}",
               "signin.with_credential_provider": false,
               "user_name": ""
            }
         }
      },

Does it mean one of the profile icons is corrupted?

[289wk]

@SomeSomeSomeName

"name": "{REDACTED}",

Local State file, corrupted.

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IF Brave Browser runs long enough, then:

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:

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I used Alter.systems AI online, to ask a question, and it replied specifically to a portion of what you posted:

[40056:24848:0108/135310.358:ERROR:chrome\browser\profiles\profile_attributes_storage.cc:1032]
Failed to PNG encode the imag

That’s the profile metadata writer failing to serialize the icon image for a user profile. This usually happens because:

The Local State file got corrupted or truncated.

The Profile Path registry pointer or internal JSON ProfileAttributesStorage is mismatched (Brave lost the mapping between profile name and folder).

Permissions or filesystem errors prevent reading/writing to the User Data directory.

Re the Local State file

This JSON-formatted file maps friendly profile names to those [profile] folders.

If that file becomes damaged, Brave can’t “see” any profiles even though the folders still exist.

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OTHER THAN somehow succeeding to get the Crash ID numbers that end in strings of “0”'s . . . you might want to take a swing at the corrupted Local State file problem.

First, make a determined effort to backup up your data.

The question I asked of Alter.systems:

Brave Browser (Windows OS) seems to have lost track of the user Profiles. I managed to launch the browser from a command line that directed the browser to use the “Default” folder. The command line included instruction to crash upon leak detection and produce a report. Here is the report: [40056:24848:0108/135310.336:ERROR:chrome\browser\ui\views\user_education\impl\browser_user_education_interface_impl.cc:154] Attempting to show IPH IPH_DiscardRing before browser initialization complete; IPH will not be shown.
[40056:24848:0108/135310.358:ERROR:chrome\browser\profiles\profile_attributes_storage.cc:1032] Failed to PNG encode the imag

Instead of my repeating their answer details, you might ask that question, and then try some of the Alter.systems AI suggestions / steps to follow. BECAUSE, IIRC, they suggest that you run some Windows OS maintenance routines?

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If you somehow come up with a patched up Local State file, that allows Brave Browser to run long enough to Export bookmarks and backup passwords, then you would probably do well, to Un-install Brave Browser . . . and then Install, anew.

[SomeSomeSomeName]

OK, I managed to fix it. The process was pretty easy.

1. I backed up the “Profile XX” directories.
2. I ran the “C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe” --profile-directory=“Profile XX” for each profile. This overwrote those profile folders, but created profiles in Brave.
3. I copied the backed-up folders back into the Profile XX folders.

This worked except that the profile names were missing, which is not such a big problem.

Thanks for your help.

[289wk]

@SomeSomeSomeName

If you Exit / Quit everything and Restart your computer - 2 times - and you still get a good response re Profiles, then you are probably OK.

Remember the access to the Profile Picker: brave://profile-picker/

Another Windows OS update, or Brave Browser update, or extension update, might cause the issue again; but now you will be better prepared.

My consolidated notes re data backup:
‘Brave deleted all my active tabs and favorites - #2 by 289wk’

[avxo]

This is definitely the resolution:

I backed up the “Profile XX” directories.

1. I ran the “C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe” --profile-directory=“Profile XX” for each profile. This overwrote those profile folders, but created profiles in Brave.

2. I copied the backed-up folders back into the Profile XX folders.