# Brave Application: Brave Software, Inc. Also called brave browser Brave Software, Inc., Browsers A Chromium browser with Brave Shields. The process is brave.exe, not chrome.exe. ## What you need to know Brave is Chromium with a different vendor and exe name. brave.exe is Brave Software's browser. Shields and optional Rewards are Brave features. Process isolation still looks like Chrome. The path should say BraveSoftware. - **What is it?**: A Chromium browser **Is it Chrome?**: Same engine family, different product **Many processes?**: Yes Feex says If you installed Brave to get away from Google Chrome, the engine family is still Chromium. The process name is the easy tell: brave.exe versus chrome.exe. ## What is Brave? Brave is a Chromium-based browser from Brave Software, Inc. Profiles live under AppData\Local\BraveSoftware, not Google\Chrome. ## If you have never used it If you installed Brave to get away from Google Chrome, you still get a Chromium engine with a different vendor. Download it from brave.com/download. The process is brave.exe. Shields are on by default. You do not need Chrome installed for Brave to work. ## What is it used for? **Web browsing** Daily tabs. Site compatibility is Chromium-class, not Gecko. **Shields** Brave's tracker and ad blocking. This is why some sites look different than in Chrome. **Optional Rewards** A Brave-specific program. Turn it off in settings if you do not want that helper. ## Who is it for? - People who want Chromium with Brave Shields - Users who already have a Brave sync chain - Anyone comparing exe names instead of logos ## Current status Actively developed on the Chromium cadence. This article is the desktop Windows browser. ## How old is it? Brave Software shipped the browser in 2016. Brendan Eich, who created JavaScript and formerly led Mozilla, is the company founder. It is newer than Firefox and Chrome, and it is not a 2024 AI browser. Muon was an early engine experiment. Current Brave is Chromium. ## Versions Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here. Release Beta Nightly ## System requirements Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need. ### Minimum | RAM | 4 GB class machines run it. More tabs want more RAM | | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | Operating system | A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per Brave | ## Resource profile - **CPU demand**: Tabs and Shields **RAM demand**: Chromium tab cost **GPU demand**: When acceleration is on ## Installed processes These executables belong to this product when it is installed. | brave.exe | Browser, tabs, GPU | | --------- | ------------------ | ## Startup components Brave can keep background apps after the last window. That is a Brave setting. ## File locations | Typical install | C:\Users\\\\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\\ | | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ## File formats HTML, PDF, PNG, JPEG ## Common problems ### People apply chrome:// URLs blindly Some internals exist. Shields settings are the Brave-first stop. ### Rewards questions Disable Rewards in Brave if you do not want that helper. ## Getting unstuck ### Check Shields before you call a site broken The lion icon on the URL bar. Down for a site is the first test, not a GPU driver. ### Confirm the path says BraveSoftware brave.exe under BraveSoftware is this product. chrome.exe under Google is Chrome. ### Install from brave.com/download A "Brave browser turbo" listing is junk. The official installer is on Brave's site. ## Alternatives Firefox if you want Gecko. Chrome and Edge if you want stock Chromium. Pick them for sync, not a process-count myth. ## Official help and downloads Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel. | Download | [brave.com/download/ ](https://brave.com/download/)Official Windows installer | | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Help Center | [support.brave.app/ ](https://support.brave.app/)Shields, sync, and desktop issues | | Community | [community.brave.app/ ](https://community.brave.app/)Brave-hosted forums | | GitHub | [github.com/brave/brave-browser ](https://github.com/brave/brave-browser)Product issues | ## Related hardware Same class as Chrome: RAM first, then a current GPU driver. ## Technical details Technical details Per-version file hashes and volume-license paths are not verified in this preview. ## Related These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link. [brave.exe: Application Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/brave.exe)[Google Chrome: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/google-chrome)[Mozilla Firefox: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/mozilla-firefox) ## Sources and verification Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research). - [Brave ](https://brave.com/download/)· Official download - [Brave Help ](https://support.brave.app/)· Product help - [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark. ## Was this article useful? A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note. Quick facts The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article. - **Developer**: Brave Software, Inc. **Category**: Web browser **Process**: [brave.exe](https://feex.it/wiki/process/brave.exe) **Engine**: Chromium **First released**: 2016 **Official site**: [brave.com](https://brave.com/) **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026 --- Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/brave/) [Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)