Arc browser is shutting down on 22 December: how to save your data and move on

For many people, Arc made the web feel tidy: tabs down the side, work and home kept in separate Spaces, and a calm design. Those people now have two months to pack up. The Browser Company said on 22 October that it is shutting down the Arc browser on 22 December 2026.

It is not a surprise. Arc stopped getting new features in May 2025, when the company moved its effort to Dia, its AI-first browser. Atlassian, the software company, bought The Browser Company in October 2025. What changes now is that Arc has a firm end date, and anyone who keeps passwords, bookmarks and years of habits in it needs a plan.

Arc browser shutting down: three dates to know

The company set out the timeline in “A farewell to Arc”, a note on its website credited to founder and chief executive Josh Miller.

• 22 October 2026: no new Arc accounts can be created.
• 23 November 2026: on the Arc Search app for iPhone and Android, Browse for Me and the other AI features turn off, and sign-in and tab sync stop. The app keeps working as a basic browser. This date applies to the phone app only; desktop sign-in carries on until December.
• 22 December 2026: Arc stops working on Mac and Windows, all Arc accounts are closed, and Arc Search for Android is removed from Google Play.

The company says personal data is deleted within 30 days of an account closing: by about 21 January 2027.

Why the company says security forced its hand

The company’s reason is security. In its words, keeping a browser safe takes constant, focused work, and in the AI era that work will only grow. Dia was built to today’s security standards, so its engineers and security team will now work only on Dia. Put simply, it does not want to protect two browsers at once.

That is a fair argument. A browser is the front door to your bank, email and work. Threats keep changing too; researchers recently showed spyware hidden inside online ads, with no click needed.

Some questions are still open. The company has not said how long the basic Arc Search app on iPhone will get security fixes after 23 November. Users have asked for Arc to be made open source. Miller has said the team hopes to one day, but cannot without also releasing the internal toolkit that runs Dia. There is no promise.

If Arc is your daily browser, start here

Don’t wait for December. These steps come from the company’s help pages.

1. Export your data first. On a Mac or Windows PC, open Settings, then Advanced, then Export Data, pick a folder and save. If you already uninstalled Arc, you can reinstall it to export before 22 December. For a second backup, save your bookmarks as a file.
2. Save what won’t move. Easels stay tied to your Arc account, so save each one as a picture from its Share button. Boosts cannot be exported.
3. Phone users: Arc Search can export from Settings in the tab switcher.

Next, choose where to go. If you want to move from Arc to Dia, you sign up and your passwords, bookmarks, extensions, history, Spaces (called Profiles in Dia), pinned tabs and folders come across. What is Dia browser? A browser from the same team, with vertical tabs, Split View and AI built in. The company says it is free on Mac and Windows, and the AI is optional.

You don’t have to stay with the same company. Most Arc browser alternatives, such as Chrome, Edge, Brave, Firefox and Zen, can import a bookmarks file. Browsers built on Chrome’s engine also keep your Chrome extensions working. Be careful with unofficial export tools.

A fair goodbye that still leaves users carrying the cost

On balance, the company is handling this well. Two months’ notice, a built-in export, clear dates and an easy path to Dia show respect for users.

Still, a shutdown always costs the people who trusted the product. They lose time, habits and features like Boosts. Dia also asks Arc users to accept an AI-first browser at a moment when AI is being added to everyday tools whether people want it or not. The likelier outcome is that many move to Dia because it is easy, while others take the chance to choose a browser with a longer track record.

With the Arc browser shutting down, the wider lesson is simple: when a free app from a young company holds your digital life, keep your own backup. Save yours now, and then decide calmly where your tabs live next.