A powerful optimization script that transforms Brave Browser into a privacy-focused browsing experience. This script removes unnecessary bloat, enhances performance, and automates installation.
❌ Eliminates cryptocurrency wallet and related UI elements
❌ Removes Brave VPN promotions and notifications
❌ Disables Brave Rewards system completely
❌ Removes LeoAI Chat suggestions and integrations
❌ Eliminates unnecessary background processes (Brave Sync, etc.)
✅ Enables GPU acceleration for smoother browsing
✅ Implements zero-copy optimization for reduced memory usage
✅ Activates Vulkan support for improved graphics rendering
✅ Enables parallel downloading for faster speeds
✅ Optimizes memory usage with intelligent tab management
✅ Creates a specialized wrapper script to prevent duplicate extension installations
✅ Disables all telemetry and analytics
✅ Stops background data collection
✅ Enables experimental ad-blocking features
✅ Installs privacy-focused extensions by default (uBlock Origin, Dark Reader)
✅ Applies a clean dark theme for reduced eye strain
✅ Automates Brave installation (Stable, Beta, or Nightly variants)
✅ Configures preferred search engine during setup
✅ Batch installs recommended extensions
✅ Creates optimized desktop launcher with persistent settings
Choose your preferred privacy-respecting search engine:
- DuckDuckGo - Privacy-focused but collects some anonymous data
- Brave Search - Privacy-focused with independent index
- SearXNG - Recommended if self-hosted for maximum privacy
- Whoogle - Google results without tracking (self-hosted recommended)
- Kagi - Premium search engine with excellent results (paid service)
- Yandex - Alternative engine useful behind VPN for certain searches
...or traditional options (not recommended for privacy):
- Bing
git clone https://github.com/nomadxxxx/fast-brave-debloater.git
cd fast-brave-debloater
chmod +x brave_debloat.sh
sudo ./brave_debloat.sh
Install homebrew:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Download and execute script:
git clone https://github.com/nomadxxxx/fast-brave-debloater.git && cd fast-brave-debloater && chmod +x brave_debloat_macos.sh && sudo ./brave_debloat_macos.sh
It is coming....
- Removes Brave bloat (Rewards/VPN/Wallet/Leo)
- Enables hardware acceleration and rendering optimizations
- Provides full URLs and wide address bar for better usability
- Improves memory usage and performance
- Installs uBlock Origin, Dark Reader, and Dark Theme by default
- Creates a specialized wrapper script to prevent duplicate extension installations
- Installs your choi1ce of Brave variant (Stable/Beta/Nightly)
- Applies all default optimizations automatically
- Guides you through search engine selection
- Provides curated extension installation options
- Change Search Engine - Select from privacy-focused alternatives
- Toggle Hardware Acceleration - Optimize for your hardware
- Disable Analytics & Data Collection - Enhanced privacy controls
- Enable Custom Scriptlets - Advanced JavaScript injection (for power users)
- Disable Background Running - Prevent background processes
- Toggle Memory Saver - Automatically free memory from inactive tabs
- UI Improvements - Full URLs, wide address bar, bookmarks bar
- Dashboard Customization - Clean new tab page with minimal distractions
- Remove Brave Rewards/VPN/Wallet - Eliminate cryptocurrency features
- Toggle Experimental Ad Blocking - Enhanced ad-blocking capabilities
- Install Recommended Extensions - Curated privacy and productivity tools
- Install Dashboard Customizer - Replace default new tab page
- Enable Dark Mode - System-wide dark theme for Brave
- Install Browser Theme - Choose from various visual themes
- Completely undo all modifications made by the script
The script uses several mechanisms to debloat and optimize Brave:
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Policy Files: Creates and modifies JSON policy files in Brave's managed policies directory to control browser behavior at a system level, making changes persistent across updates.
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Preferences Modification: Directly edits Brave preferences using jq to disable unwanted features and customize the browser experience.
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Local State Modification: Updates the Local State file to enable experimental features like advanced ad blocking.
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Custom Wrapper Script: Creates a specialized wrapper that checks for installed extensions before launching Brave, preventing duplicate installations and ensuring consistent behavior.
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Desktop Entry Creation: Creates a custom desktop entry that launches Brave through the wrapper with optimized parameters.
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Extension Installation: Provides a streamlined interface for installing recommended privacy and productivity extensions.
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Policy Enforcement: Uses enterprise policies to permanently disable unwanted features like Brave Rewards, VPN, Wallet, and AI Chat.
- Requires root privileges for system-wide changes
- Requires a browser restart after applying changes
- Launch Brave using the "Brave Debloat" shortcut created by the script (visible in application launchers like Rofi etc)
- Custom Scriptlets feature requires manually enabling developer mode in Brave
- Primary testing done on Arch Linux, Fedora and Ubuntu (your mileage may vary)
- Implement experimental ad-blocking feature
- Implement Brave install automation
- Implement auto-install extensions
- Fix install script for Fedora
- Include uBlock Origin, Dark Reader and Dark theme by default
- Implement wrapper script to prevent duplicate extension installations
- Update readme to explain new features
- Finish and test PowerShell version for Windows
- Make a script compatible with macOS
- Add support for Firefox as an alternative browser