Overview of Brave Appearance Customization
Brave is a privacy-focused browser that also offers a high degree of visual customization. From color schemes and themes to new tab layouts and toolbar arrangements, you can tailor the browsing experience to match your personal style or workspace requirements. This article will walk you through every step needed to make Brave look and feel exactly how you want.
Accessing the Appearance Settings
Navigating to Settings
To begin customizing Brave’s appearance, open the main menu by clicking the three horizontal lines or dots in the top-right corner. Then follow these steps:
- Choose Settings.
- In the left sidebar, select Appearance.
You’ll now see all of Brave’s built-in options for colors, themes, fonts and more.
Themes and Color Schemes
Built-In Themes
Brave comes with three default themes:
| Theme | Description | How to Apply |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Bright background with dark text. Ideal for well-lit environments. | Click the Light tile under Themes in Settings. |
| Dark | Dark background with light text. Reduces eye strain in low-light situations. | Click the Dark tile under Themes in Settings. |
| System | Matches your operating system’s color mode automatically. | Select System to sync with OS preferences. |
Installing Custom Themes
- Visit the Chrome Web Store in Brave by typing chrome.google.com/webstore in the address bar.
- Search for “Brave themes” or any Chrome theme you like.
- Click Add to Brave and confirm the installation.
- Return to Settings → Appearance to enable or switch themes.
Customizing the New Tab Page
Selecting Wallpapers and Layouts
The New Tab page in Brave can display a custom wallpaper, predefined themes or a minimalist layout. To configure:
- Open a new tab.
- Click the gear icon in the top-right corner.
- Choose Background Image and pick from built-in collections or upload your own photo.
- Under Layout, select from Grid, Classic, or Minimal styles.
Displaying or Hiding Panels
You can toggle the visibility of various panels like “Most Visited” or “Brave Rewards” on the New Tab page. Simply check or uncheck panels in the same gear menu to show or hide.
Toolbar and Button Arrangement
Adding and Removing Extensions
- Right-click an extension icon to Show in toolbar or Hide in menu.
- Go to Settings → Extensions to enable or disable entire extension modules.
Reordering Buttons
Click and drag any icon on the toolbar to reposition it. This works for both default buttons (like Reload or Home) and extension icons.
Fonts, Zoom and Page Display
Font Settings
In Settings → Appearance → Font, you can adjust:
- Standard font family and size.
- Serif, sans-serif and monospace preferences.
- Minimum font size to ensure legibility.
Default Zoom Levels
Set a global zoom percentage for all websites, or configure per-site zoom by clicking the zoom icon next to the address bar.
Dark Mode and Color Filters
Enabling Dark Mode
Choose the Dark theme in Appearance, or force dark mode on web contents via Settings → Brave Shields → Additional settings → Force Dark Mode for Web Contents.
Applying Color Filters
For accessibility, Brave allows color inversion and high-contrast filters. Go to brave://flags, search for “Color Correct Rendering” or “High Contrast mode,” enable the flags, and restart Brave.
Advanced Customization with Extensions
Using Stylish or Stylus
To apply custom CSS to websites:
- Install the Stylus extension from the Chrome Web Store.
- Create or import user styles to override colors, layouts or fonts on any domain.
Installing Custom New Tab Extensions
Search for “custom new tab” extensions in the Web Store to gain extra layouts, clocks, to-do lists or weather widgets directly on Brave’s New Tab page.
Tips and Best Practices
- Keep your custom theme and extensions up to date for security and performance.
- Back up your Brave profile folder to preserve custom settings and themes.
- Use the Sync feature to share appearance settings across multiple devices.
With these tools and techniques, you can transform Brave into a browser that not only protects your privacy but also reflects your personal taste and workflow needs.
Be the first to leave a comment