Brave Browser Now Supports Multi-Account Containers: Here’s How to Use Them

Keeping different online identities separate is a practical way to avoid tracking, manage work and personal accounts, and reduce cookie clutter. Brave has recently introduced a built-in multi-account container feature that lets you isolate browsing sessions inside the same browser window. If you’ve used Firefox’s Multi-Account Containers add-on, the concept will be familiar. For everyone else, here’s what the feature does and how to start using it.

What happened

Brave quietly added support for container tabs in a recent update (version 1.76, though the exact version may vary depending on your channel). The feature is turned off by default, but once enabled, you can create separate “containers” for different sites or activities. Each container has its own storage, cookies, and session data, meaning websites you visit in one container cannot see data from another container.

The implementation is very similar to Firefox’s approach, but it is built directly into the browser rather than relying on an extension. Brave’s version uses the existing profile system but simplifies the process so you don’t have to open a separate window or use different user profiles.

Why it matters

Most web browsers share cookies and local storage across all tabs in the same window. That’s convenient, but it also means a social network can see your search history if you have both open, or a tracker can follow you from one site to another. Containers break that link.

For users who maintain multiple accounts on the same service—say, two Twitter profiles, or a personal and work Google account—containers let you log in to both at the same time without constant sign-out cycles. Each container acts like a separate browser instance, so you don’t need to open a private window or a different browser for the second account.

From a privacy standpoint, containers also limit cross-site tracking. If you keep browsing for flights in one container and reading news in another, third-party scripts in the news site won’t see the flight searches.

What readers can do

Enabling and using containers in Brave takes only a few steps:

  1. Enable the feature
    Open brave://flags in the address bar. Search for “containers” or “multi-account”. You’ll see a flag called something like “Multi-Account Containers” or “Enable container tabs”. Set it to “Enabled” and restart the browser. (Note: flags may change or be removed in future versions.)

  2. Open a new container tab
    After restart, right-click any link or the + button for a new tab. Look for the “Open in container tab” option. Click it, and you can either choose an existing container or create a new one. Name it something descriptive, like “Work” or “Shopping”, and assign a colour to help distinguish them.

  3. Reopen existing tabs in a container
    You can move an already open tab into a container by right-clicking the tab and choosing “Move to container” (or “Reopen in container”). The tab will reload in the new container with its own cookies, so you’ll need to log into sites again within that container.

  4. Pin containers to the toolbar
    Brave lets you show container names or icons on the tab bar. You can also set a default container for certain websites—so every time you open Gmail, it always loads in your “Work” container, for example. That setting lives in brave://settings/containers after the feature is enabled.

  5. Treat containers like separate profiles
    Once you have a few containers set up, use them consistently. One container for personal social media, another for online banking, another for work emails. Browsing stays separated, and you can close and reopen containers without losing state.

How it compares to Firefox Containers

Brave’s approach is functionally similar to Firefox’s Multi-Account Containers add-on, but there are a few differences:

  • Integration: Brave’s feature is built in (once the flag is enabled), whereas Firefox requires installing an add-on. That may mean fewer compatibility issues in Brave, but also less flexibility if you want extra features like temporary containers.
  • Ease of use: Both browsers allow you to assign sites to containers and colour-code them. Brave’s initial implementation felt a bit clunky in earlier builds, but the latest version seems smoother.
  • Extension support: Because containers work at the browser level, some extensions may behave oddly inside containers. Brave notes that ad-blockers and privacy extensions generally work fine, but if you use a tool that syncs browser data (like a password manager), you may need to check whether it can see the correct container’s credentials. This is worth testing before relying on containers for critical accounts.

Potential limitations or gotchas

  • The feature is currently behind a flag. That means it might not be fully stable, and it could be changed or removed in a future update. Brave usually lands such features into stable without flags eventually, but for now proceed with that in mind.
  • If you use Brave’s built-in wallet or other integrated services, check their behaviour across containers. Some might not handle being launched from a container correctly.
  • Container isolation is not absolute. Brave’s containers prevent sites from accessing each other’s cookies, but they don’t block network-level tracking or fingerprinting. For maximum privacy, combine containers with Brave’s Shields and consider using a VPN.
  • Moving tabs between containers resets the session. You’ll lose any logged-in state or form data, which is by design but can be inconvenient if you do it accidentally.

Sources

For the most up‑to‑date instructions, look at Brave’s official support pages or the release notes for your current version. The container feature is still relatively new, so expect improvements and minor tweaks in the coming months.