Troubleshooting Brave Browser Freezes on Surface (Windows 11)

If your Brave browser and Surface device run perfectly abroad but freeze/sluggishly crash at home in Boston, the issue is likely tied to your local network configuration (Orbi Wi-Fi) or hardware conflicts.

Part 1: Network & Browser Fixes

1. Mesh Network Roaming Issues (Orbi)

Mesh networks broadcast both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously. Surface devices frequently struggle to switch between these bands or between the router and satellites when they are too close together.

The Fix: Log into your Orbi router settings or use the Netgear Orbi App. Temporarily disable Fast Roaming or Implicit Beamforming. These features often cause dropouts on certain Surface models.
Interference: Ensure your Orbi satellites are at least 30 feet away from the main router to prevent frequency overlap.

2. Hardware Acceleration Conflict

Brave relies heavily on your GPU. If your display drivers are outdated, rendering certain web pages or ads can completely freeze the browser and occasionally the entire Windows 11 system.

The Fix: Open Brave, go to Settings > System, and toggle Hardware Acceleration. If it was on, turn it off and relaunch. If it was off, turn it on.

3. DNS and IP Conflicts

Your home network’s local IP address assignments or DNS resolver may be struggling, causing Brave’s built-in tracker blockers to hang while establishing connections.

The Fix: Flush your network settings. Open the Windows Command Prompt as administrator and run these commands one at a time, followed by a PC reboot:
```
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /flushdns
```

4. Extensions or “Eco Mode”

You might have browser extensions that attempt to sync your settings with cloud servers, which hang when connecting over your home network but worked fine in Europe.

The Fix: Check if Brave is running in Eco/Efficiency Mode in your Windows Task Manager and disable it. Try opening Brave in an Incognito Window to see if a synced extension is causing the freeze.

Part 2: How to Change Your Account to Administrator

Note: To change your account type, you must currently be logged into an account that already has admin rights, or know the password to one.

Method 1: Using Windows Settings

Press the Windows Key + I to open Settings.
Click on Accounts in the left sidebar.
Select Other users (or Family & other users).
Click the arrow icon next to your account name.
Click Change account type.
Select Administrator from the dropdown menu and click OK.

Method 2: Using Control Panel

Press the Windows Key, type Control Panel, and press Enter.
Click Change account type underneath the User Accounts category.
Click on the User Account you want to change.
Click Change the account type on the left side.
Select the Administrator radio button.
Click the Change Account Type button to save.

Method 3: Using Command Prompt (Quickest)

Press the Windows Key, type cmd, and right-click Command Prompt.
Select Run as administrator (click Yes if a prompt appears).
Type the following command and press Enter (replace YourUsername with your actual Windows account name):
```
net localgroup administrators "YourUsername" /add
```