Brave browser fails to open because of locked profile

How to resolve an issue when Brave browser is not opening normally, it just opens a small window with Brave title but no content in it.

Checking /var/log/messages we see that trying to start Brave browser is causing a systemd-coredump like shown below.

Apr  8 12:23:24 localhost systemd-coredump[11272]: Process 11164 (brave) of user 1000 dumped core.#012#012Stack trace of thread 11164:#012#0  0x00005636c5d05f73 n/a (brave)#012#1  0x00005636c5d02a76 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c5d0297e n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c4f5d451 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c4f5d08e n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c3c086f9 n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c381839a n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c3818519 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00005636c4f52ff7 n/a (brave)#012#9  0x00005636c4f50af4 n/a (brave)#012#10 0x00005636c4f70b56 n/a (brave)#012#11 0x00005636c41dbe8e n/a (brave)#012#12 0x00005636c4f6a52d n/a (brave)#012#13 0x00005636c4f6a3e0 n/a (brave)#012#14 0x00005636c4f6a444 n/a (brave)#012#15 0x00005636c41d5e85 n/a (brave)#012#16 0x00005636c38f85f9 n/a (brave)#012#17 0x00005636c51a9923 n/a (brave)#012#18 0x00005636c51a8b94 n/a (brave)#012#19 0x00005636c51a92f2 n/a (brave)#012#20 0x00005636c51aab71 n/a (brave)#012#21 0x00005636c51c99d8 n/a (brave)#012#22 0x00005636c76da92c n/a (brave)#012#23 0x00005636c76db453 n/a (brave)#012#24 0x00005636c773419a n/a (brave)#012#25 0x00005636c507136b n/a (brave)#012#26 0x00005636c507077a n/a (brave)#012#27 0x00005636c5071844 n/a (brave)#012#28 0x00005636c4e1b642 n/a (brave)#012#29 0x00005636c381e3b4 n/a (brave)#012#30 0x00005636c3c0116e n/a (brave)#012#31 0x00005636c381cc20 n/a (brave)#012#32 0x00005636c38201cb n/a (brave)#012#33 0x00005636c381ae00 n/a (brave)#012#34 0x00005636c4dc3127 n/a (brave)#012#35 0x00005636c4df8730 n/a (brave)#012#36 0x00005636c4dc17a1 n/a (brave)#012#37 0x00005636c2cc05b3 ChromeMain (brave)#012#38 0x00007f84431bc413 __libc_start_main (libc.so.6)#012#39 0x00005636c2a3502a _start (brave)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11194:#012#0  0x00007f84432959b7 epoll_wait (libc.so.6)#012#1  0x00005636c524d01a n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c524a92f n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c523f639 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51ec418 n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51c99d8 n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c52038c0 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#9  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11198:#012#0  0x00007f84448cab18 pthread_cond_timedwait@@GLIBC_2.3.2 (libpthread.so.0)#012#1  0x00005636c5236b30 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c52370c5 n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c5237291 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51f2d6f n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51f356f n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c51f3304 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#9  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11199:#012#0  0x00007f84448cab18 pthread_cond_timedwait@@GLIBC_2.3.2 (libpthread.so.0)#012#1  0x00005636c5236b30 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c52370c5 n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c5237291 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51f2d6f n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51f356f n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c51f3304 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#9  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11200:#012#0  0x00007f84448cab18 pthread_cond_timedwait@@GLIBC_2.3.2 (libpthread.so.0)#012#1  0x00005636c5236b30 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c52370c5 n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c5237291 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51f2d6f n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51f356f n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c51f3304 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#9  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11184:#012#0  0x00007f84448ce9f2 waitpid (libpthread.so.0)#012#1  0x00005636c5235ced n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c5233993 n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#5  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11202:#012#0  0x00007f84448cab18 pthread_cond_timedwait@@GLIBC_2.3.2 (libpthread.so.0)#012#1  0x00005636c5236b30 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c52370c5 n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c5237291 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51f2d6f n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51f356f n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c51f3304 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#9  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11203:#012#0  0x00007f84448cab18 pthread_cond_timedwait@@GLIBC_2.3.2 (libpthread.so.0)#012#1  0x00005636c5236b30 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c52370c5 n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c5237291 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51f2d6f n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51f356f n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c51f3304 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#9  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11187:#012#0  0x00007f84448cab18 pthread_cond_timedwait@@GLIBC_2.3.2 (libpthread.so.0)#012#1  0x00005636c5236b30 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c52370c5 n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c5237291 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51f2d6f n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51f356f n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c51f3304 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#9  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11205:#012#0  0x00007f84448cab18 pthread_cond_timedwait@@GLIBC_2.3.2 (libpthread.so.0)#012#1  0x00005636c5236b30 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c52370c5 n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c5237291 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51f2d6f n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51f356f n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c51f3304 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#9  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11188:#012#0  0x00007f84448cab18 pthread_cond_timedwait@@GLIBC_2.3.2 (libpthread.so.0)#012#1  0x00005636c5236b30 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c52370c5 n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c5237291 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51f2d6f n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51f356f n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c51f3304 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#9  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11208:#012#0  0x00007f84448ca72c pthread_cond_wait@@GLIBC_2.3.2 (libpthread.so.0)#012#1  0x00005636c52369f2 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c523721d n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c5236f2f n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51aa898 n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51ec418 n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c51c99d8 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c52038c0 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#9  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#10 0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11193:#012#0  0x00007f84432959b7 epoll_wait (libc.so.6)#012#1  0x00005636c524d01a n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c524a92f n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c523f696 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00005636c51ec418 n/a (brave)#012#5  0x00005636c51c99d8 n/a (brave)#012#6  0x00005636c52038c0 n/a (brave)#012#7  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#8  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#9  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11196:#012#0  0x00007f844328a3f1 __poll (libc.so.6)#012#1  0x00007f84445b53a6 n/a (libglib-2.0.so.0)#012#2  0x00007f84445b54d0 g_main_context_iteration (libglib-2.0.so.0)#012#3  0x00007f842af35c7d n/a (libdconfsettings.so)#012#4  0x00007f84445de2aa n/a (libglib-2.0.so.0)#012#5  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#6  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11179:#012#0  0x00007f844328a3f1 __poll (libc.so.6)#012#1  0x00005636c3b600d2 n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c5202eaf n/a (brave)#012#3  0x00005636c523a568 n/a (brave)#012#4  0x00007f84448c458e start_thread (libpthread.so.0)#012#5  0x00007f8443295683 __clone (libc.so.6)#012#012Stack trace of thread 11207:#012#0  0x00007f84432959b7 epoll_wait (libc.so.6)#012#1  0x00005636c524d01a n/a (brave)#012#2  0x00005636c524a92f

When trying to start brave-browser or brave-browser-stable from command line we see the message saying that there is some other Brave process keeping the profile in use and that profile is locked.
Message will look something like this:
“The profile appears to be in use by another Brave process ($pid) on another computer ($hostname). Brave has locked the profile so that it doesn’t get corrupted. If you are sure no other processes are using this profile, you can unlock the profile and relaunch Brave.”

(brave-browser:9312): Gtk-WARNING **: 12:18:14.282: Failed to parse /home/user/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini: Key file does not have group ?Settings?
[9312:9312:0408/121814.419144:ERROR:process_singleton_posix.cc(323)] The profile appears to be in use by another Brave process (11497) on another computer (localhost.localdomain). Brave has locked the profile so that it doesn't get corrupted. If you are sure no other processes are using this profile, you can unlock the profile and relaunch Brave.
[9355:9355:0408/121814.421480:ERROR:sandbox_linux.cc(364)] InitializeSandbox() called with multiple threads in process gpu-process.
[9312:9312:0408/121814.435206:ERROR:desktop_window_tree_host_x11.cc(1120)] Not implemented reached in virtual void views::DesktopWindowTreeHostX11::InitModalType(ui::ModalType)
Segmentation fault (core dumped)

If the process exists we can try to kill that process.

~]$ kill -9 11497
bash: kill: (11497) - No such process

Even if the process is killed and doesn’t exists Brave browser can still keep the profile locked to process number.
Profile lock is maintained by a symlink on path /home/user/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/SingletonLock which points to a file with hostname-pid naming format. If you delete the symlink the lock on the Brave browser profile is released.

~]$ ls -l /home/user/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/SingletonLock 
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 user user 27 Apr 5 10:28 /home/user/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/SingletonLock -> localhost.localdomain-11497

After the symlink is removed Brave browser should open normally.
This issue was on Fedora 29, it is possible path to lock file is different on other Linux distros.

Helpful link:

https://github.com/brave/browser-laptop/issues/11829

One thought on “Brave browser fails to open because of locked profile”

  1. Thank you. This helped me recover Brave after a partial system update locked up my Linux computer. After rebooting Brave locked my profile. I was getting a very similar error message you showed above.

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