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How to Change Bookmark Icons in Brave Browser

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Bookmark icons (also called favicons) help you quickly identify your saved sites. This tutorial shows you multiple ways to change or update these icons in Brave browser.

Table of Contents

  1. Automatic Update Method
  2. Using Browser Extensions
  3. Manual File Edit (Advanced)

Method 1: Automatic Update

Difficulty: Easy
Best for: When the website has changed its icon or the icon isn’t displaying correctly

Steps:

  1. Simply visit the bookmarked website
  2. Brave will automatically fetch and update the favicon
  3. Check your bookmarks bar or bookmarks manager to see the updated icon

Why this works: Brave caches favicons, and visiting the site forces it to refresh the cached icon.

Method 2: Browser Extensions

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Best for: Adding custom icons to bookmarks

Steps:

Installing an Extension:

  1. Open Brave browser
  2. Visit the Chrome Web Store (Brave supports Chrome extensions)
  3. Search for one of these extensions:
    • Bookmark Favicon Changer
    • Custom Bookmark Icon
    • Bookmark Manager (various options available)
  4. Click “Add to Brave” or “Add to Chrome”
  5. Confirm the installation

Using the Extension:

  1. Once installed, right-click on any bookmark
  2. Look for the new option added by the extension (usually “Change Icon” or similar)
  3. Choose from:
    • Uploading your own image file
    • Selecting from an icon library
    • Entering a custom URL for an icon
  4. Save your changes

Tip: Most extensions support PNG, JPG, and ICO file formats. For best results, use square images (16×16 or 32×32 pixels).

Method 3: Manual File Edit (Advanced)

Difficulty: Advanced
Best for: Power users comfortable with JSON editing
?? Warning: Always backup the Bookmarks file before editing!

Steps:

1. Close Brave Completely

  • Make sure Brave is fully closed (check your system tray)
  • This prevents the browser from overwriting your changes

2. Locate Your Bookmarks File

Windows:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/

Linux:

~/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/

3. Backup the Bookmarks File

  • Find the file named Bookmarks (no extension)
  • Create a copy and name it Bookmarks.backup

4. Edit the Bookmarks File

  1. Open the Bookmarks file in a text editor (Notepad++, VS Code, or similar)
  2. The file is in JSON format
  3. Search for the name or URL of your bookmark
  4. Find the "favicon" field – it looks like this: "favicon": "data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KG..."
  5. Replace the base64 data with:
    • A URL to an icon: "favicon": "https://example.com/icon.png"
    • New base64 encoded image data

5. Save and Restart

  1. Save the file
  2. Open Brave
  3. Check your bookmark to see the new icon

Converting an Image to Base64:

If you want to embed a custom icon:

  1. Use an online tool like “Base64 Image Encoder”
  2. Upload your icon image (16×16 or 32×32 pixels recommended)
  3. Copy the resulting base64 string
  4. Paste it into the favicon field (including the data:image/png;base64, prefix)

Troubleshooting

Icon Not Updating?

  • Clear Brave’s cache: Settings ? Privacy and security ? Clear browsing data
  • Make sure you’re visiting the actual website, not a cached version
  • Wait a few minutes – favicon updates can be delayed

Extension Not Working?

  • Check if the extension has permissions enabled
  • Try restarting Brave after installing the extension
  • Verify the extension is compatible with your Brave version

Manual Edit Issues?

  • Ensure Brave was completely closed before editing
  • Check that your JSON syntax is valid (use a JSON validator)
  • Restore from your backup file if something breaks

Tips and Best Practices

  1. Icon Size: Use 16×16 or 32×32 pixel square images for best results
  2. File Format: ICO, PNG, and SVG formats work best
  3. Backup First: Always backup your Bookmarks file before manual editing
  4. Extension Method: For most users, browser extensions are the easiest and safest option
  5. Organize First: Consider organizing your bookmarks into folders before mass icon changes

Conclusion

Changing bookmark icons in Brave is straightforward once you know the right method:

  • Quick fix: Just visit the website
  • Custom icons: Use a browser extension
  • Full control: Edit the Bookmarks file manually (advanced users only)

Choose the method that best fits your technical comfort level and needs!