Brave Software › Brave › Startup, Home page and New Tab page
Action on startup
Supported on Microsoft Windows 7 or later
What it does
Setting the policy lets you specify system behavior on startup. Turning this setting off amounts to leaving it unset as Brave must have specified start up behavior. If you set the policy, users can't change it in Brave. If not set, users can change it. Setting this policy to RestoreOnStartupIsLastSession or RestoreOnStartupIsLastSessionAndURLs turns off some settings that rely on sessions or that perform actions on exit, such as clearing browsing data on exit or session-only cookies. If this policy is set to RestoreOnStartupIsLastSessionAndURLs, browser will restore previous session and open a separate window to show URLs that are set from RestoreOnStartupURLs. Note that users can choose to keep those URLs open and they will also be restored in the future session. On Microsoft® Windows®, this policy is only available on instances that are joined to a Microsoft® Active Directory® domain, joined to Microsoft® Azure® Active Directory® or enrolled in Chrome Enterprise Core. On macOS, this policy is only available on instances that are managed via MDM, joined to a domain via MCX or enrolled in Chrome Enterprise Core.
What it writes
- Hive
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- Registry key
Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave
Options
| Option | Type | Registry value | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action on startup | Drop-down list | RestoreOnStartup |
|
Configure and deploy
Choose a state and the option values; the output below is generated from the template for exactly that.
Enabled · Computer · template defaults
Registry file (.reg)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave]
"RestoreOnStartup"=dword:00000005
PowerShell
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
function Set-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
}
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}
function Remove-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return
}
foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: Action on startup
# Name: RestoreOnStartup
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: brave.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave' -Name 'RestoreOnStartup' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 5
- The OMA-URI is an inferred ADMX-backed Policy CSP candidate derived from the source ADMX file name and policy name.
- Some Microsoft policies use built-in Policy CSP pages whose area names don't match the ADMX file name, so verify the candidate against Microsoft Learn before deployment.
- The generated payload is incomplete because one or more ADMX element values were not supplied: RestoreOnStartup
ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_brave/RestoreOnStartupIntune remediation scripts
Detection
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$reasons = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
function Test-RegistryValueExists {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return $false
}
return $null -ne (Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
}
function Test-RegistryValueEquals {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Kind,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Expected
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return $false
}
$valueObject = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($null -eq $valueObject) {
return $false
}
$actual = $valueObject.$Name
switch ($Kind) {
'String' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
'ExpandString' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
'DWord' { return [uint32]$actual -eq [uint32]$Expected }
'QWord' { return [uint64]$actual -eq [uint64]$Expected }
'MultiString' {
$actualArray = @($actual)
$expectedArray = @($Expected)
if ($actualArray.Count -ne $expectedArray.Count) { return $false }
for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Count; $index++) {
if ([string]$actualArray[$index] -cne [string]$expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
'Binary' {
$actualArray = [byte[]]$actual
$expectedArray = [byte[]]$Expected
if ($actualArray.Length -ne $expectedArray.Length) { return $false }
for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Length; $index++) {
if ($actualArray[$index] -ne $expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
default { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
}
}
# Policy: Action on startup
# Name: RestoreOnStartup
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: brave.admx
$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave' -Name 'RestoreOnStartup' -Kind 'DWord' -Expected 5
if (-not $isMatch) {
$reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave\RestoreOnStartup') | Out-Null
}
if ($reasons.Count -eq 0) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
$reasons | ForEach-Object { Write-Output $_ }
exit 1
Remediation
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
function Set-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
}
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}
function Remove-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return
}
foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: Action on startup
# Name: RestoreOnStartup
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: brave.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave' -Name 'RestoreOnStartup' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 5
History 31 retained releases
- 1.88.13214 Mar 2026
- Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.
30 later releases left it unchanged.
Template
- Internal name
RestoreOnStartup- Namespace
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave- Template file
brave.admx- Release
- Brave Browser 1.93.137 · file set
11b43ac4a4ada3ca…
Definition, editor controls and support
Definition
<policy class="Both" displayName="$(string.RestoreOnStartup)" explainText="$(string.RestoreOnStartup_Explain)" key="Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave" name="RestoreOnStartup" presentation="$(presentation.RestoreOnStartup)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:Startup" />
<supportedOn ref="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:SUPPORTED_WIN7" />
<elements>
<enum id="RestoreOnStartup" valueName="RestoreOnStartup">
<item displayName="$(string.RestoreOnStartup_RestoreOnStartupIsNewTabPage)">
<value>
<decimal value="5" />
</value>
</item>
<item displayName="$(string.RestoreOnStartup_RestoreOnStartupIsLastSession)">
<value>
<decimal value="1" />
</value>
</item>
<item displayName="$(string.RestoreOnStartup_RestoreOnStartupIsURLs)">
<value>
<decimal value="4" />
</value>
</item>
<item displayName="$(string.RestoreOnStartup_RestoreOnStartupIsLastSessionAndURLs)">
<value>
<decimal value="6" />
</value>
</item>
</enum>
</elements>
</policy>Editor controls
<presentation id="RestoreOnStartup" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions"><dropdownList refId="RestoreOnStartup">Action on startup</dropdownList></presentation>Supported platforms and category
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:category:Cat_Brave
<category displayName="$(string.Cat_Brave)" name="Cat_Brave" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:category:Startup
<category displayName="$(string.Startup_group)" name="Startup" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:brave" />
</category>
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:category:brave
<category displayName="$(string.brave)" name="brave" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:Cat_Brave" />
</category>
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:category:Cat_Brave
<category displayName="$(string.Cat_Brave)" name="Cat_Brave" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:Cat_Brave">Brave Software</string></strings>
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:category:Startup
<category displayName="$(string.Startup_group)" name="Startup" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:brave" />
</category>
<strings><string id="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:Startup_group">Startup, Home page and New Tab page</string></strings>
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:category:brave
<category displayName="$(string.brave)" name="brave" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:Cat_Brave" />
</category>
<strings><string id="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:brave">Brave</string></strings>
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:SUPPORTED_WIN7">Microsoft Windows 7 or later</string></strings>