IDM Download Button Not Showing in Brave Browser – Need Help!

Troubleshooting Guide: Resolving IDM Download Button Visibility Issues in Brave Browser

Introduction

Internet Download Manager (IDM) is a popular tool among users who want to accelerate and manage their downloads efficiently. However, many users have encountered issues where IDM’s download button or context menu option doesn’t appear automatically within web browsers, particularly Brave. This article aims to provide a comprehensive troubleshooting guide to resolve IDM integration issues with Brave Browser, ensuring seamless download management.

Understanding the Issue

Users have reported that when clicking on download links—such as videos or file downloads—in Brave, IDM’s download button or pop-up does not appear as expected. Instead, Brave defaults to its own download prompt, bypassing IDM’s interface. While manual copying and pasting links into IDM works, the automatic integration remains broken, disrupting the user experience.

Common Troubleshooting Steps

1. Enable Browser Integration in IDM

2. Open Internet Download Manager.

3. Navigate to ‘Options’ > ‘General’.
4. Ensure that ‘Use advanced browser integration’ is checked.

5. Confirm that ‘Brave’ is selected or added in the list of browsers.

6. Manually Add Brave Browser to IDM

7. In IDM Options > General, click on ‘Choose’ next to ‘Capture download from’ if applicable.

8. Manually point IDM to the Brave executable file—usually located at C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe.

9. This helps IDM recognize Brave as a compatible browser for integration.

10. Install IDM Extension in Brave

11. Open Brave in Developer Mode:

12. Navigate to brave://extensions/.
13. Toggle ‘Developer mode’ on the top right.
14. Add IDM Extension:
15. Drag the IDM extension file (IDMGCExt.crx) into the extensions page.
16. Confirm installation prompts.
17. Enable Extension:

18. Ensure that the IDM extension is enabled and allowed in Incognito mode if needed.

19. Adjust Brave Settings and Shields

20. Disable Brave Shields temporarily for testing:

21. Click on the shield icon in the address bar.
22. Toggle ‘Shields up for this site’ off.
23. Check Brave’s privacy settings:
24. Navigate to brave://settings/privacy.

25. Disable features that might block third-party extensions, such as ‘Block Scripts’ or ‘Block Ads’.

26. Enable Background Apps and Disable Conflicting Extensions

27. Allow background apps:

28. Go to brave://settings/system.