Arc
Chromium browser with a vertical sidebar, Spaces and profiles. Shutting down on 2026-12-22 in favour of Dia.
Arc is a Chromium-based browser from The Browser Company (owned by Atlassian since 2025) that puts tabs in a vertical sidebar organised into Spaces. Spaces can be tied to profiles, and the browser adds Split View, Peek, Little Arc and Boosts. Feature development stopped in 2025, and the company will end Arc for macOS and Windows on 2026-12-22. New accounts have been blocked since 2026-10-22, and users are directed to its successor, Dia.
Built-in AI
AI optional
Arc Max (Tidy Tab Titles, Tidy Downloads, 5-Second Previews, ChatGPT in command bar) is off until turned on in Settings → Max; content goes to OpenAI/Anthropic.
resources.arc.netBloat check
2 things you didn't ask for
- Telemetry on by defaultSegment and BigQuery product-usage telemetry and Sentry crash data are collected by default; no opt-out setting is documented.arc.net
- Account requiredAn Arc account (email sign-up) is required to use the browser; new accounts have been closed since 2026-10-22.arc.net
Ads, crypto, paid upsells, news feeds, default-on telemetry, required accounts.
Organization
| Feature | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|
| SidebarVertical sidebarTabs live in a vertical sidebar that is the main tab UI and can be hidden. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: Sidebar model (StorableSidebar) with Favorites, pinned and unpinned sections per Space.releases.arc.net |
| SpacesSeveral workspaces per window, each with its own pinned and open tabs, switched by swipe or shortcut. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: SpaceCreation, SpaceManagement and SpaceStyleEditor modules; Spaces switchable by menu and shortcut.releases.arc.net |
| ProfilesProfiles per Space (shareable)Each Space can use its own browser profile (separate cookies, logins, history), and one profile can be shared by several Spaces. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: Profile holds history, logins, cookies, extensions; one Profile can serve several Spaces.releases.arc.net |
| FavoritesGlobal favoritesPinned icons at the top of the sidebar shared by every Space (Zen calls them Essentials). | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: Favorites section ("Drag to add Favorites"); kept per profile per web docs, not verified in bundle.releases.arc.net |
| Pinned TabsPinned tabs & foldersPer-space pinned tabs that act like bookmarks, with nested folders. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: Pinned tab sections per Space and folders, with a "New Nested Folder" action.releases.arc.net |
| Live foldersSidebar folders that fill and refresh themselves from an outside source, such as GitHub pull requests or an RSS feed. | ✓ | GitHub Live Folders: an auto-made Pull Requests folder that refreshes itself; no RSS source shipped.resources.arc.net |
| ArchiveAuto-archive tabsUnpinned tabs close automatically after a set time and stay recoverable in an archive. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: archive after 12 h/24 h/7 d/30 d or never, per profile; 12 h default per release notes.releases.arc.net |
| Theme pickerSpace themesPer-space colour or gradient themes. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: SpaceStyleEditor and WindowThemeUI modules with gradient Space themes ("Add some flair with a theme").releases.arc.net |
Browsing
| Feature | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Split ViewTwo or more tabs side by side in one window. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: Split View with right/bottom panes and layout flip; pane cap exists, "four" from web docs.releases.arc.net |
| PeekLink previewOpen a link in an overlay without leaving the current page (Zen calls it Glance). | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: Peek setting for links from Favorites and Pinned tabs, or Shift-click/hover on any link.releases.arc.net |
| Little ArcMini windowA small, chrome-less window for links opened from other apps or a quick search. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: LittleBrowser module; "Links from other apps open in Little Arc" setting; global hotkey.releases.arc.net |
| Command barA ⌘T palette that searches tabs, history, bookmarks and browser commands. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: CommandBar module; searches tabs and runs actions, with Ask ChatGPT results.releases.arc.net |
| Air Traffic ControlLink routingRules that send links from other apps to a chosen space or profile. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: Air Traffic Control routes (menu action) in the macOS app; Windows support not checked.releases.arc.net |
| BoostsSite customizationPer-site custom CSS/JS, or zapping elements off a page. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: BoostsEditor/BoostsDialog modules with element picker; JS Boosts cannot be shared. Not in Dia.releases.arc.net |
| Auto PiPAuto picture-in-picturePlaying video pops out into picture-in-picture automatically when you switch tabs. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: "Enable Picture in Picture when you leave a video tab"; per-host and global off switches.releases.arc.net |
| Mini playerMedia still playing in a tab you left keeps play/pause controls in the sidebar. | ✓ | Sidebar Mini Audio Player with play/pause for media in other tabs, plus a Mini Player PiP window.resources.arc.net |
| Tab SwitcherRecent-tab switcherCtrl+Tab jumps back to the tab you used last and cycles in recently used order. | ✓ | Tab Switcher (Ctrl+Tab) jumps between your five most recent tabs on macOS and Windows; Dia keeps it.resources.arc.net |
| Super CopyClean link copyA shortcut (⌘⇧C) copies the page URL with tracking parameters removed. | ✓ | Super Copy (⌘⇧C, Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows) copies the URL with a toast and strips trackers such as Amazon and Instagram parameters.resources.arc.net |
| CaptureScreenshotsBuilt-in capture of a chosen area or element, and of the full page. | ✓ | Capture (⌘⇧2) grabs an area or element into an Easel or the clipboard; Capture Full Page saves the whole page. macOS only.web.archive.org |
Compatibility & migration
| Feature | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Arc importImports Arc spaces, pinned tabs and folders. | – | Arc is the baseline browser. |
| Chrome extensionsInstalls extensions from the Chrome Web Store. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: Chromium 157 with extensions and Chrome Web Store installer code (webstore_standalone_installer).releases.arc.net |
| DRM streamingNetflix, Disney+, Spotify web and other DRM video/audio play, through Widevine or, on WebKit, FairPlay. Chromium forks need a Google Widevine licence; FairPlay counts once a major service is confirmed playing in the app. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: Widevine CDM component installer in ArcCore; CDM is downloaded at runtime, not shipped in the app.releases.arc.net |
| PasskeysWebAuthn passkeys, Touch ID and the system/iCloud keychain. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: web-browser.public-key-credential entitlement plus webcredentials:arc.net; Windows not checked.releases.arc.net |
| SyncSpaces, pinned tabs and settings sync across devices. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: Arc Sync replaces iCloud sidebar sync (Firestore bundled); ends 2026-12-22; scope per web docs.releases.arc.net |
| Mobile appiPhone, iPad or Android app that shares spaces with desktop. | ◐ | Arc Search shares Spaces/tabs with desktop only until 2026-11-23; Android removed 2026-12-22.resources.arc.net |
Extras
| Feature | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in ad blockerAd and tracker blocking without installing an extension. | ✓ | Bundle 1.172.2: built-in "Block Ads & Trackers" with EasyList/uBlock/AdGuard lists; uBlock Origin was the older default.releases.arc.net |
| Custom ShortcutsShortcut editorMost browser keyboard shortcuts can be remapped in Settings. | ✓ | Settings > Shortcuts remaps Arc's keyboard shortcuts on macOS; the help article says Windows could not.web.archive.org |
More Arc features
Arc features shown but not counted in the score, because almost no replacement has them or only a few people need them.
| Feature | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|
| EaselsA shareable canvas of live page captures, notes and drawings. | ◐ | Easels with live captures, notes and sharing are macOS-only; Windows release notes never mention them.resources.arc.net |
| Shared CollectionsShared spaces & foldersShare a Space, folder or set of tabs as a link anyone can open, or another user can add to their sidebar. | ✓ | Share a Space, folder, Split or tabs as a permalink anyone can view; Arc members add it to the sidebar. A snapshot, macOS only.web.archive.org |
| PreviewsWeb app previewsHover a pinned Gmail, Calendar or other web app to glance at it; a pinned calendar shows the next meeting with Join. | ✓ | Hover pinned Gmail, Calendar, Notion, Figma, Linear or Confluence for a glance; Live Calendars (Mac and Windows) show the next meeting with Join.web.archive.org |
| Developer modeA developer view that turns on by itself for localhost: full URL, quick DevTools and dev tools in reach. | ✓ | Developer Mode turns on for localhost: full URL bar, dev shortcuts, auto-installed JSON Formatter, Ctrl+D toggle. macOS only.web.archive.org |
Extension support
Which extension formats and stores run, beyond the Chrome Web Store row above.
| Feature | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Manifest V2 extensionsThe older extension format Chrome removed in 2025. Needed for full uBlock Origin and other extensions that block requests. | ✕ | Chromium 157 blocks MV2 with no flag; bundle holds stock MV2 handler strings, no restore patch found.chromium.googlesource.com |
| Manifest V3 extensionsThe current extension format used by the Chrome Web Store (and supported by Firefox and Safari). | ✓ | Chromium 157 loads MV3 (max supported 3); ArcCore ships Chrome Web Store installer code.chromium.googlesource.com |
| Firefox add-onsAdd-ons from addons.mozilla.org or .xpi files install and run. | ✕ | Chromium-based: Firefox .xpi add-ons are not CRX packages, so its installer rejects them.chromium.googlesource.com |
| Safari extensionsSafari web extensions (the App Store extension apps Safari uses) install and run. | ✕ | Safari extensions are app extensions that only Safari loads; Chromium 157 has no loader for them.developer.apple.com |