10 Useful Brave Features You Didn’t Know Existed

Brave, the privacy-centric browser, is gaining in popularity against giants like Google Chrome. But even if you’re already browsing with it, you might not know about these nifty Brave features that could improve your experience even more.

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1. Manage Ad Blocker and Shields

The built-in ad blocker is one of the most useful Brave features. It gets rid of ads and trackers by default, but what I love even more is that I get control over what is and isn’t blocked.

Open the hamburger menu, and select Settings. Open Shields in the left pane. Adjust how aggressive you want the blocking to be. I find Standard works best in most cases. Of course, for custom blocking/filtering, click Content Filtering in the Shields settings, and set your options.

Click the little Brave lion icon at the end of the address bar to view what’s being blocked, and make additional changes per site. Want to support the site by allowing sites? Just drop the shields.

2. Block Social Media

Hidden inside the Brave Settings page is another privacy feature that’s toggled off by default. Easily block social media sites like Facebook from displaying login buttons and other embedded posts on websites. Go to Settings -> Shields, and scroll to the bottom.

This is useful if you are worried about being tracked by such sites across the Web. Social media sites are known to collect user data to serve relevant content and better ads.

3. Stream Torrent Files

Most browsers won’t let you play downloaded torrent media files directly. I’d typically need a separate app. But, Brave works differently and integrates WebTorrent natively to allow users to stream torrent files directly in the browser. It’s even enabled by default. If it’s not, go to Settings -> Extensions, and toggle on WebTorrent.

Note that there are other extensions built into the Brave browser than just WebTorrent.

4. Brave Talk

In keeping with the privacy theme Brave’s well-known for, Brave introduced Talk, a more private alternative to Zoom and Google Meet. My favorite part is that there’s nothing else to download, as it’s already built in. Just open a new tab, and click Start Call. This will be at the top right or left. For some reason, Brave keeps changing the position. Alternatively, go directly to Brave Talk.

Group calls are free for up to four people, and there are zero limits on the number of calls or call length. Get group watch parties and YouTube group streams, along with secure call recordings, for $7/month.

5. Earn and Tip with Brave Rewards

The Brave browser turned heads when it launched, as it was the first blockchain-powered browser with its own crypto token. Basic Attention Token – or BAT – is how users of the Brave rewards program for viewing up to 10 ads a day, and it’s optional. The idea is to split the revenue with the end users, rewarding them for their time and attention.

Toggle the Ads switch under the Settings -> Brave Rewards page. The token can be used to tip content creators, too. Not making enough tokens or don’t want to see ads? Buy some BAT tokens to top up your browser wallet to either tip or auto-contribute content creators.

Ad matching happens directly on your device, keeping personal details personal. Make Tech Easier is a verified creator through Brave. Click the triangle at the end of the address bar to see if your favorite site/creator is part of the program.

6. TOR Integration

TOR, the onion router browser, is largely considered to be the most secure and private browser. More commonly overlooked of the Brave features, TOR is built in, so I don’t need to switch browsers all the time. It’s not the full TOR browser, so it’s not quite as secure. Brave has a message letting me know that if I need full anonymity, I may want to switch to TOR instead.

Open the hamburger menu, and select New private window with TOR, and wait for the browser to connect. Once you see the green connected confirmation, you’re ready to browse even more privately.

While Brave also has a built-in VPN, it’s not free, but it’s just $9.99/month and won’t require you to download another app. Or, try a third-party VPN if you’re not a fan of Brave’s.

7. Brave Search

Originally, Brave used DuckDuckGo, but now the private browser has introduced its own private search engine. This has quickly become one of my favorite Brave features, and I’ve found it works just as well as Google and often better, as my results are being customized based on my search history.

It’s been set as the default search engine since it was introduced. But if you don’t like it, Brave doesn’t take it personally. Just change your default to something else.

8. Brave Sync

Instead of relying on email or a user ID to sync data across platforms, the Brave browser offers a 24-word seed phrase associated with your wallet. This is how all crypto wallets work on a blockchain. Go to Settings -> Sync to set things up.

Simply open the Brave browser on your smartphone, and scan the QR code, or type the seed phrase manually to sync data on both devices. You choose what you want to sync, from bookmarks to passwords. Note that whoever has access to the phrase has access to your Brave wallet, its data, and crypto tokens stored within.

9. Built-in AI Leo

AI is everywhere, including many of our favorite browsers. Brave is no exception and has Leo as your friendly AI assistant. It offers a variety of features, such as summarizing search results (my favorite part), summarizing web pages, creating content, and answering questions.

Some searches automatically use Leo and show a brief summary, along with sources, above the results. Other times, you need to click the Leo button in the search box (a diamond). Bring up Leo in a sidebar by clicking the Leo button near the hamburger menu.

10. Crypto Wallet

The Brave browser’s native wallet integrates with MetaMask, a popular wallet used to access DeFi (Decentralized Finance) products via Dapps (decentralized apps). Go to Settings -> Wallet, or open the hamburger menu, and select Wallet to manage everything.

There are also widgets connecting the browser to popular centralized exchanges, like Binance and FTX.

Using a combination of the wallet and Brave’s integration with DeFi, centralized exchanges, and Dapps, you can now buy, sell, trade, and stake cryptocurrencies and more, all from a single browser and wallet.

This is just a short list of useful Brave features, but it’s many you might not have already been using. If you’ve switched to Brave to stay more private online, think about other ways to protect your privacy. For instance, if you love using TikTok, enable these privacy features.

Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Crystal Crowder.

Crystal Crowder –
Staff Writer

Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.

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