If you’re using the Brave Browser and have encountered an issue where the browser minimizes itself after exiting full screen mode, you’re not alone. This behavior can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to switch between full screen and windowed modes smoothly. Whether you’re watching videos, playing browser-based games, or sharing your screen during presentations, an involuntary browser minimize can interrupt your flow and affect productivity.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
Brave may minimize automatically after exiting full-screen mode due to system settings, outdated drivers, or window management conflicts. Try disabling hardware acceleration, updating your graphics drivers, and adjusting multi-monitor settings. As a temporary fix, you can also use keyboard shortcuts or window manager tools to regain control. The goal is to identify whether the issue lies within Brave itself or external system settings.
Understanding the Problem
First, it’s essential to understand why Brave minimizes when you exit full screen. While this may appear as a bug, it often stems from system interactions, browser flags, or OS-specific quirks. This issue typically occurs more frequently on Windows systems and multi-monitor setups, though macOS and Linux users have reported similar experiences.
Here are some common triggers behind this behavior:
- Hardware acceleration conflicts
- Window manager or desktop environment glitches
- Outdated graphics drivers
- Brave experimental feature flags
- Operating system focus and window behavior
Step-by-Step Solutions
1. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Many users have resolved this issue by disabling hardware acceleration, a feature that offloads certain visual processing tasks to your GPU.
To disable hardware acceleration in Brave:
- Open Brave and click on the three-dot menu in the upper right-hand corner.
- Go to Settings > System.
- Toggle off “Use hardware acceleration when available”.
- Restart Brave.
Once you’ve made this change, try entering and exiting full screen to see if the minimize issue persists.
2. Update Graphics Drivers
Out-of-date or corrupt graphics drivers can sometimes interfere with full screen transitions. It’s a good idea to update your drivers to the latest version supplied by your GPU manufacturer (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel).
For Windows:
- Visit the manufacturer’s official website.
- Download the latest driver for your specific GPU model.
- Install the driver and restart your system.
Keeping your drivers updated not only solves browser issues but also improves overall system performance and compatibility.
3. Disable Unnecessary Extensions
Sometimes extensions can conflict with browser behavior, particularly those that deal with screen capturing, video enhancement, or tab management.
To manage your extensions:
- Click on the puzzle piece icon in the upper right corner of Brave.
- Select “Manage Extensions”.
- Disable all extensions and re-enable them one-by-one to identify the culprit.
This is a useful method to isolate the cause if the issue is extension-driven rather than a core browser or system behavior.
4. Tweak Windows Focus Settings (Windows Users)
Windows may treat Brave as a lower-priority window when transitioning out of full screen. This can occur due to focus-stealing prevention rules embedded in Windows or related UI behavior in multi-tasking environments.
Try the following:
- Go to Settings > Multitasking.
- Check whether Snap windows or Focus Assist is interfering.
- Temporarily turn off focus assist and restart Brave.
5. Use Brave Flags with Caution
Brave, like Chrome, has a set of experimental features known as “flags.” While fun to explore, enabling the wrong flag can cause instability, including the minimizing issue after leaving full screen mode.
Access Flags:
- In the Brave address bar, type
brave://flags. - Search for terms like “full screen,” “UI,” or “window” to see relevant options.
- If you’ve changed any of these flags, reset them to default using the “Reset all” button.
Always be cautious when modifying experimental settings. Unless you’re troubleshooting a specific problem, flags should remain at their defaults.
Workaround Tips
If none of the above solutions solve your issue, there are a few helpful workarounds you can try:
- Use Keyboard Shortcuts: Press
Alt + Tabimmediately after exiting full screen to quickly bring Brave back to focus. - Switch Display Scaling: On high-DPI displays, scaling effects can cause display glitches. Try setting your scaling to 100% temporarily.
- Try Brave Beta or Nightly: These versions may have fixed the issue in recent updates before they reach the stable channel.
- Separate Profiles: Sometimes specific profiles could have corrupt settings. Create a new Brave profile and test the behavior there.
Testing Environment: When to Report a Bug
If the issue only occurs under certain conditions such as with a specific video player (e.g., YouTube or Netflix), or within web apps like Zoom or Google Meet, it could be a compatibility issue with that service. In that case, collect the following information before reporting a bug on Brave’s GitHub page:
- Your Operating System version
- Version of Brave
- Steps to reproduce the issue
- Extensions installed and whether the issue persists in a private window
How to report: Visit Brave GitHub Page and open a new issue with a clear description. Attach log files or screenshots if possible.
Brave vs Other Browsers
It’s worth noting that this minimizing glitch is not unique to Brave. Users of Chrome, Edge, and Vivaldi have reported similar issues, particularly on Windows 10 and 11. This suggests the issue may sometimes originate at the OS level or within shared Chromium code.
Key takeaway: If all Chromium-based browsers minimize after exiting full screen, consider looking into deeper operating system tweaks or consider a clean installation of your graphics drivers.
Conclusion
While it may seem like an obscure problem, Brave minimizing when exiting full screen can usually be resolved by adjusting system or browser settings. Through methods like disabling hardware acceleration, updating drivers, checking extensions, and cautiously adjusting experimental flags, you can often eliminate the cause.
As Brave continues to evolve, providing feedback through community forums and bug trackers is crucial to help them refine their software. In the meantime, use the workarounds mentioned above to regain a smooth user experience without disruption.
With a bit of troubleshooting, you’ll be back to enjoying full screen transitions—without the annoying minimize behavior—in no time.