Arc is trying to convince users that there’s a better way to surf the Internet. But like every new product, it’s still a work in progress. While many users swear by its features and disruptive interface, it has its ups and downs. You’ll have to decide whether it’s the best web browser for you, and I’ll give you all the tools to make an informed decision.
I’ll explain my experience with the Arc web browser, walk you through the browser’s interface, and share my pros and cons.
What Is the Arc Browser?
Arc is a relatively new web browser developed by The Browser Company of New York. It just made its way to Windows 11 (and no other Windows version) not long ago after starting out exclusively on macOS.
Arc was not built from the ground up, like many claim. Instead, like other browsers (except Mozilla Firefox and a few others), it’s built on Chromium, Google’s open-source browser engine. However, it was written in Swift, the Apple ecosystem programming language that the same team brought over to Windows.
Developing on Chromium makes sense, especially for a small company without infinite funds to build a competitive browser from scratch. Even Microsoft had to give up at some point to use Google’s engine.
The Chromium base means Arc would be compatible with Chrome apps and browser extensions. That way, users can easily migrate. It also meant the company could focus on innovating the browser’s user experience, as it originally set out to do.
Who is it for?
As I mentioned, Arc is not for everyone. I don’t mean it lacks fundamental browsing functions. Nor do I mean that it is buggy and unusable. On the contrary, it’s a powerful browser and has all the capabilities to deliver modern web pages and apps.
But its unconventional user interface and experience—its main selling points—could be tough hurdles for mainstream users. Hurdles they may not want to scale.
If you dislike vertical tabs and don’t want to learn an entirely new way of browsing, Arc is not for you.
However, if you’re a power user like me, are willing to adapt, have been looking for better tab management, want more browsing real estate, and want something just different from Chrome, Arc will be interesting to explore.
While you already get some of its capabilities in browsers like Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, and Opera, Arc’s navigational features and calming experience stand out.
Exploring the Arc Web Browser: Is It That Unique?
Now that we’ve answered the “What is the Arc web browser?” question, let’s go through what you should expect on your first interaction with the browser. I’ll show you everything that jumps in your face when you start Arc for the first time—and there is a lot.
I’ll also go deeper into the browser’s minor annoyances and the features I believe are great.
Setting up Arc for Windows
The Browser Company maintains the same setup status quo. Head to the Arc website, download a small installer, and allow it to download and install the rest of the package. Easy.
Once the browser is installed, you face your first hurdle: creating a user account. This part is not optional. I closed the page and launched Arc again, but got to the same prompt.
The next stage allows you to import data from other browsers. After that, you’ll be asked to choose a weird gimmicky card that apparently serves no purpose—at least none that I know of.
The browser’s emergence reveals a significant shift from conventional browsing. No welcome page or introductions or default homepage or giant search bars. Just a blank page, a title bar, and a left sidebar.
Design
Seeing the Arc web browser for the first time is quite an experience. I’d say it felt as minimalistic and unusual, if not more, as I expected. There are no basic browser controls like the omnibar (where you can type a URL and always see a site’s full address).
Clicking the area in the title bar that reads “Search or Enter URL” opens Arc’s command bar, its own version of the omnibar. But this time, it’s a floating pop-up window with preset suggestions that you can’t change.
The names of the sites you open appear in the title bar. You won’t see the lengthy version of the site’s address, but you can click the button to the right (Site Controls Center) to check if it’s secure and share the URL. The menu also displays your extensions and other options.
The sidebar is where your tabs, bookmarks, spaces (more on this later), and folders live. It has a toggle button just beside the Arc logo in the top-left corner, which allows you to hide it. Ctrl + S is another way to activate the toggle. Hovering your mouse to the left corner of your screen pops out the sidebar.
The rest of the browser includes the navigation and reload buttons in the top-right corner, the Arc logo, which produces the browser’s menu, and the split screen button in the top-right corner.
Tab management
Tab management is one of Arc’s main highlights and where it’s truly changing the game. But only personal preference dictates whether that’s a good thing. For me, it is, in some ways, a good thing.
Here’s what my browsing screen looks like on a regular workday. And that’s just one window.
While tab groups are helpful, your tab row can still be packed depending on how many tabs exist within a group. Finding tabs in such environments is always a tall order, and I’ve been struggling with that issue for years.
The Arc sidebar
Arc’s vertical tabs will allow you to see each tab’s details and help maintain a cleaner browsing environment. The top section is reserved for your favorite sites. Bookmarks, created folders, and pinned tabs are under favorites. The bottom section is for other regular tabs, called Today Tabs.
The browser clears regular tabs into your archives (bottom-left of the sidebar) after a period. You can always go to the Settings app to change your preference. Only pinned tabs and those in folders used to make it to the next browsing session in earlier versions. It happened to me once, but my today tabs were always still in place after subsequent restarts.
While Arc doesn’t have tab groups, turning on the Tidy Tabs feature in Arc Max (more on this later) reorders your tabs into related groups.
Creating new tabs and Windows
Ctrl + T is the universal shortcut for creating new tabs. It’s the same with Arc, but somehow different. You cannot create a new tab with a blank page, like what happens when you open the browser for the first time.
Instead, Ctrl + T opens the command bar, and you must enter a new search query or website (must be a new link) to create the new tab.
You can also go to the sidebar and click the new tab button or click the plus sign and select the new tab, both of which still launch the command bar. Additionally, Arc still maintains the traditional right-click-and-open-in-new-tab option for links.
When it comes to new windows, Arc can be quite annoying. Pressing Ctrl + N opens a new window but packs all your tabs and spaces and folders and favorites into that window. You can’t get a fresh window. That perk is reserved for incognito windows, which you can open by tapping Ctrl + Shift + N.
You cannot also drag a tab out of the sidebar to create a new window, like you would normally do in other browsers.
Spaces
The Spaces feature is similar to Microsoft Edge and Vivaldi’s workspaces. It allows you to create a separate environment within the browser without opening a new window. It’s a neat way to break up tab congestion.
You can click the plus icon at the bottom of the sidebar to create a new space. You can also click the Arc logo and select Spaces > New Space.
Your favorite websites are consistent across every space, unless the space belongs to a different profile. But you can create new folders, pinned tabs, and bookmarks for each space. You can also customize themes for individual spaces.
Profiles
While you’ll create a profile at startup, you can create more within the browser anytime you wish. Profiles have their own logins, histories, browser extensions, and preferences. You can also add new spaces to specific profiles. That way, it’s easy to group different browsing modes, login details, and workspaces.
Opening a new profile involves going through the Settings app (click the Arc logo and select Settings).
Navigation
Navigation will be a pain area for everyday users who just want familiar browsing environments. They’ll have to adapt to Arc if they want to make the switch. The basic front and back navigation buttons in the title bar are a welcome sight, but switching between tabs and using other controls with your mouse can be frustrating.
However, to naturally navigate the Arc browser on Windows, users may want to learn its shortcuts, as they are quite consistent with other web browsers.
For example, Ctrl + T opens a new tab in the weird way I mentioned. But if you want to enter a new URL in the same tab, you can also press Ctrl + L to summon the command bar.
Switching between tabs also involves using the Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + number (1, 2, 3, etc.) shortcuts, the same as in other browsers. You can press Alt + number to switch between spaces.
That said, the Arc browser for Windows still needs some getting used to, as you cannot memorize every single shortcut.
Performance
As I mentioned, Arc is capable. It launches any website as fast as you would expect from any modern browser. It opens PDFs, powers through video streaming, and renders web applications like Figma, Slack, and Google Docs comfortably.
Privacy
The Arc browser privacy page claims the developers don’t see what you type, know the websites you visit, or sell your data.
Arc also comes with the uBlock Origin extension preinstalled. It’s a competent ad blocker that allows you to experience websites without intrusive ads.
However, browsers such as Brave are far better if you want stronger protection from trackers.
Multitasking
The Browser Company’s provisions for multitasking and productivity are Arc’s split screen, spaces, and tab management features.
You can click the splitscreen button in the top-right corner to cut the browser’s interface into two or more tiles and display websites side by side (up to down or right to left). That way, you don’t have to rely on Windows’ split screen mode to display multiple sites at once.
The browser’s picture-in-picture feature automatically pops out videos (including YouTube videos) when you switch tabs or windows. That way, you can continue watching videos, especially work-related ones, when working on other tabs or windows. However, you can only activate PiP by switching to another Arc tab before switching to a different window.
Arc Max
Every browser is integrating AI features everywhere they can. Arc’s not far behind. Its AI package is called Arc Max. For now, Arc Max on Windows 11 only has two features: Tidy Tabs and Ask on Page.
Tidy Tabs automatically groups tabs by subject, and Ask on Page is an AI chatbot that answers questions related to selected text.
Other Things to Consider Before Using the Arc Web Browser
- You’re stuck with the left sidebar. You cannot customize its position to the right or anywhere else. Its current size also takes up significant screen real estate, which forces you to collapse it.
- The best way to enjoy the browser is by hiding the sidebar. But that means you can’t see how your new tabs behave when you open a new tab. For example, you can tell when a page has loaded or if it gets stuck by quickly looking at a tab in other browsers.
- The current command bar (Arc’s version of the address bar) is a no for me. I find it a bit intrusive, as you cannot move or minimize the window. It covers the middle of your current browsing screen with default suggestions that you can never get rid of.
- When it comes to the current Arc browser for Windows, users looking to enjoy the full suite of features currently on macOS may have to wait for future deployments, as some of the most exciting capabilities are still not available.
- The Arc browser privacy principles may get better over time, but for now, it’s like other regular web browsers on that front.
- Pressing Ctrl + Tab does not continue taking you to the next tab like you’re already used to. Instead, it behaves like Windows’ Alt + Tab shortcut. It takes you to the most recent tab and back to where you came from again. However, you can keep on going in the order of your recent tabs as long as you keep your finger on the Ctrl button while tapping the tab key.
- The Settings app is not very helpful, as it only has few Arc-specific options. It doesn’t hold your password manager, performance options (including hardware acceleration), and other advanced settings. To view this page, you must click the Site Controls Center button, select the three dots beside Security, and click All Site Settings.
- While Arc lets you sync your tabs and spaces across its supported platforms, it’s still limited to Windows 11, macOS, and iOS for now. You are out of luck if you use an Android device or earlier Windows version.
Will Arc Get Better?
Like other web browsers, Arc for Windows will continue to receive updates to refine the user experience and introduce more features to catch up with the macOS version. Whether it starts pandering to mainstream browsers is left to be seen.
Arc on Windows: Game Changer or Just Hype?
Arc is not just hype. It is unique, innovative, and disruptive. However, to use the Arc browser on Windows, users must adapt, not the other way around. If you are fine with learning your way around the browser, then you may change how you browse forever.
In the end, Arc is only offering a different browsing experience, and it’s worth exploring. But if your current web browser works for you, you’ll be doing nothing wrong by sticking with it.
Let us know what you think about the Arc browser!
