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How do I remove unwanted ads, pop-ups & malware?

If you're seeing some of these problems with Brave, you might have unwanted software or malware installed on your computer:

  • Pop-up ads and new tabs that won't go away
  • Your Brave homepage or search engine keeps changing without your permission
  • Unwanted Brave extensions or toolbars keep coming back
  • Your browsing is hijacked, and redirects to unfamiliar pages or ads
  • Alerts about a virus or an infected device

In the future, avoid unwanted software by only downloading files or visiting sites that you know are secure.

Remove unwanted programs (Mac)

Before you reset your browser settings on a Mac, check your computer for unwanted programs.

Manually remove malicious programs (Mac)

  1. Open Finder.
  2. On the left, click Applications.
  3. Look for any programs you don't recognize.
  4. Right-click the name of any unwanted programs.
  5. Click Move to Trash.
  6. When you're done, at the bottom, right-click Trash.
  7. Click Empty Trash.

Reset your browser settings

  1. On your computer, open Brave.
  2. At the top right, click Menu icon_MM.png --> Settings
  3. At the bottom, click Advanced.
    • Linux and Mac: Under Reset Settings, click Restore settings to their original defaults Reset Settings.
    • Windows: Under Reset and cleanup, click Reset Settings.

If you removed unwanted programs or reset your browser settings, you might need to turn some extensions back on. To turn extensions on, at the top right, click More --> Tools Extensions. Only turn on extensions you trust.

Still not working? If the steps above don't work, visit the Brave Community. 

More info about malware

Learn what to look for when you have malware on your computer and how to stay safe online.

How to avoid malware in the future

  • Watch out for things that look too good to be true. Winning a contest or getting expensive copyrighted content for free is sometimes a trick to get you to download malware.
  • If you haven't recently run a virus scanner, be wary of warnings about viruses or infected devices. The site might be trying to scare you into downloading unwanted software.
  • Only download files or visit sites that you know are secure. 

If a popup about updating or downloading a program looks suspicious, don't click on it. Instead, go to the program's official website to download it.

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