How to download and install Brave on Mac

Brave is a free browser built on Chromium that blocks ads and trackers by itself, and it comes from Brave’s website as one installer for every Mac. Here is how to install it, bring over what you had in another browser and set it up after the first launch.

Brave

macOS 13 or later
One file for Apple Silicon and Intel
Free

Official Brave websitebrave.com ↗

Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:

For any Mac.dmg

The links go to the developer’s website (brave.com, laptop-updates.brave.com). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.

Step by stepDownload from the website and installHomebrewOne command in Terminal

Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:

brew install --cask brave-browser

Homebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.

No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.

Before you download

Brave’s Mac installer runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, so there is no version to choose. Brave is free and needs no account. Its paid extras, Brave VPN and the premium plan of the Leo assistant, are optional.

Brave needs macOS 13 Ventura or later. Download it only from brave.com: «Brave» from other sites may come with extra software.

How to install Brave

Open Brave-Browser.dmg in your Downloads folder.
In the window that opens, drag Brave Browser to the Applications folder.

The Brave disk image window: Brave and the Applications folder to drag it to

Eject the Brave disk: click the eject button next to it in the Finder sidebar.
Open Brave Browser from Applications and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.

On first launch Brave offers to import your bookmarks and to become the default browser. You can skip both and do it later.

What to set up after the first launch

Bookmarks and passwords. Open Brave’s Settings, go to Get started, click Import bookmarks and settings and pick Safari or Chrome.
Shields. Brave blocks ads and trackers with Shields. If a site doesn’t work right, click the lion icon in the address bar and turn Shields off for that site.
Default browser. System Settings › Desktop & Dock › Default web browser.
The installer. Move Brave-Browser.dmg from Downloads to the Trash once Brave runs.

If Brave won’t install or open

«Brave Browser is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete it and download it again from Brave’s website.
Brave doesn’t start on an older Mac. Check your macOS version in About This Mac: Brave needs macOS 13 or later.
Nothing helps. Remove Brave completely, with its profile and caches, and install it again: see how to uninstall Brave on Mac.

Alternatives to Brave

Keep your Mac tidy

MacWashing, System Junk: Xcode junk, user caches, installers and logs found, 22.83 GB ready to be cleaned

Browsers build up cache fast. System Junk in MacWashing finds browser and app caches and shows how much space they take, and the Uninstaller removes Brave with its files if you ever switch.

Download MacWashing How it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Is Brave for Mac free?

Yes. The browser, its ad and tracker blocking and sync between your devices are free. Brave VPN and Leo Premium are optional paid extras.

Is Brave in the Mac App Store?

No. Brave for Mac comes from Brave’s website, so download it there or install it with Homebrew.

Do Chrome extensions work in Brave?

Most do. Brave is built on Chromium, the open-source project behind Google Chrome, so it installs extensions from the Chrome Web Store, but it doesn’t need a Google account.