Arc stops working on 22 December: how to export your Spaces and where to go

Arc has seven weeks left. The Browser Company says it has "decided to sunset Arc on December 22, 2026", and on that day the Mac and Windows apps stop working and you can no longer sign in to your Arc account. If you live in Arc's Spaces and pinned tabs, the one thing to do before then is get your data out. From that date, the company says, it will no longer be able to identify or retrieve Arc user data for data requests.

What happens, and when

The Browser Company has published a timeline on arc.net:

• 22 October: new Arc accounts can no longer be created, and an Export Data option arrives in the latest version.
• 23 November: on iOS and Android, Arc Search loses Browse for Me and its other AI features, and can no longer sign in or sync tabs.
• 22 December: Arc for macOS and Windows stops working, accounts are deactivated, and Arc Search for Android is removed from the Google Play Store. Personal data is deleted within 30 days of deactivation.

Until then, the company says, "Arc will continue to work as usual and will receive basic updates." It doesn't define "basic", and in our view that is not a promise of the same security patching a maintained browser gets. The company's own reason for ending Arc is that keeping a browser secure is getting harder, and it wants that effort to go into Dia. If you browse in Arc for the next few weeks, keep it updated, and don't leave the move to the last day.

Arc hasn't said what happens to Arc Search on iPhone after 22 December. TechCrunch and CyberInsider report that it keeps working as a basic browser without sync.

How to export your Spaces and tabs

Update Arc first, because the export option is only in the latest version. Then:

• Mac: Arc → Settings → Advanced → Export Data.
• Windows: press Ctrl+, (or open the Arc menu), then Advanced → Export Spaces and tabs → Export Data.
• iPhone (Arc Search): Tab Switcher → Settings → Export Data (Arc's timeline also calls it Export Open Tabs).
• Android (Arc Search): Tab Switcher → Settings → Storage → Export data.

If you're moving to Dia, its importer brings over your logins, extensions, bookmarks, history, Spaces (as Profiles), Favorites, pinned tabs and folders (as Tab Groups). CyberInsider reports that Easels, Boosts, saved payment methods and autofill data don't carry over, so export anyway as a backup. The Browser Company only documents an importer for Dia.

Where to go next

The Browser Company wants you on Dia, its AI-first browser, which is now on Apple Silicon Macs and Windows 11. Dia keeps vertical tabs, but it is a different product: built around an AI assistant, and in our view with fewer of the Arc touches people loved. Our Arc vs Dia comparison goes through what carries over and what doesn't.

If what you'll miss is the sidebar and Spaces rather than the AI, look elsewhere:

• Zen Browser is the closest in spirit: Firefox-based, with a calm vertical-tab layout and workspaces.
• Vivaldi scores 5 for customizability in our ratings and can be set up to look much like Arc. See Arc vs Vivaldi.
• For the full field, see the best browsers with vertical tabs and the best browsers for workspaces.

Why it's happening

Arc stopped getting new features in 2025, after The Browser Company switched its attention to Dia. Atlassian bought the company for $610 million in a deal completed in 2025 (Computerworld, TechCrunch). The obvious question is whether Arc could be open-sourced. CEO Josh Miller has previously said: "While we'd love to open-source Arc someday, we can't do that meaningfully without also open-sourcing ADK." ADK is the company's proprietary toolkit that also powers Dia. So for now, Arc simply ends.