Arc Browser Shuts Down December 22, 2026--The Browser Company Closed New Accounts on October 22, Ends Mobile Sign-In November 23, Deletes Account Data Within 30 Days of the Switch-Off, and Sends Mac Users to Dia, Which Runs Only on Apple Silicon

2026October 31, 2026Macs Only!Internet
A Dia browser window on a Mac with a gray sidebar holding a Work profile, four app icons and five tab names, and a search box in the main pane asking whether a Figma file has been updated to match feedback from Slack.
Image: The Browser Company · A Dia browser window on a Mac with a gray sidebar holding a Work profile, four app icons and five tab names, and a search box in the main pane asking whether a Figma file has been updated to match feedback from Slack.

Arc stops working on December 22, 2026. The Browser Company's farewell page, posted October 22, says that on that day "you will no longer be able to access or use Arc on macOS or Windows," that Arc accounts are deactivated the same day, and that their personal data is deleted within 30 days. New accounts closed on October 22. If Arc is your Mac's browser, you have until December 22 to export what is in it or import it into Dia, the company's other browser, and Dia does not run on an Intel Mac.

The shutdown comes in three steps

The dates:

  • October 22: new Arc accounts can no longer be created. The latest build adds an option to export all of your data out of Arc and a smoother import into Dia.
  • November 23: on iOS and Android, Browse for Me and the other AI features in Arc Search are disabled. Arc Search keeps working as a browser, but you can no longer sign in or sync your tabs.
  • December 22: Arc for macOS and Windows can no longer be opened, accounts are deactivated with their personal data deleted within 30 days, and Arc Search for Android is pulled from the Google Play Store.

TidBITS' report by Adam Engst, published October 26, says the December 22 step is a kill switch built into the app, so a copy kept on a Mac will not go on running. The iOS app is the one piece that survives, as a plain browser without an account.

The company says security is the reason, and Dia is the answer

"That's not an easy sentence to write," the page says of the shutdown, and then gives the reason: "Keeping a browser secure takes constant, dedicated work that is only increasing in the age of AI." Dia, it says, is where the company's engineering and security teams will work from now on. 9to5Mac's report by Zac Hall, published October 22, dates the wind-down to May 2025, when the company stopped building new Arc features. The Browser Company's letter to Arc members of May 26, 2025 said then that "we are not actively developing the core product experience like we used to" but promised regular Chromium upgrades and security fixes, and explained that Arc could not be open-sourced because it rests on the company's own ADK framework. The Register's report by Richard Speed, published October 23, quotes the same ADK reason, and describes Arc as a Chromium browser with a sidebar in place of a tab bar that was dropped into maintenance mode in 2025 when the company pivoted to Dia.

The owner changed in between. TidBITS' September 4, 2025 report put the price Atlassian paid for The Browser Company at $610 million in cash, and Atlassian's completion announcement of October 21, 2025 describes the aim as a browser for "knowledge work in the AI era." Engadget's report by Lawrence Bonk, published October 22, says the company is "trying to lure in customers who are wary of AI by noting that all of those additional features are optional."

What to do before December 22

The farewell page gives two routes, and we would take both. To keep a copy of your own, open Arc on the Mac, choose Arc, then Settings, then Advanced, then Export Data, and pick where to save the file. To move house, download Dia and choose Arc as the source during setup, or afterward choose Import from Another Browser in the Dia menu. The page says passwords, bookmarks, extensions and history come over, that Spaces, Folders and Tab Groups import with their contents, and that "the browser features you use in Arc are free in Dia, and the AI is optional."

The catch is the Mac itself. Dia's student page says, "Right now, Dia runs on Apple macOS 14+ with M1 chips or later." An Intel Mac gets no Dia, so its owner needs the export file and another browser. TidBITS names Zen, built on Firefox, which it says imports Arc's Spaces and Profiles, and Vivaldi as the nearest fits.

Then and now

On October 31, 2001, we wrote that Netscape 6.2 meant "Netscape now has a usable browser for Mac OS X and it is a good one," and Dana Baggett liked that one user file served the Mac OS 8, Classic and OS X versions. When Internet Explorer for the Mac ended in June 2003, Microsoft at least left the last version running. Twenty-five years on, a Mac browser is being switched off by its maker on a stated day, with whatever was not exported out of reach behind it. We can think of no better argument for exporting now.

Sources

  1. The Browser Company, “A farewell to Arc” accessed Oct 31, 2026The farewell page, posted October 22, 2026: "Arc is sunsetting on December 22, 2026"; "That's not an easy sentence to write"; "Keeping a browser secure takes constant, dedicated work that is only increasing in the age of AI"; Dia built to meet today's security standards, where the engineering and security teams will focus; the timeline: October 22, new accounts can no longer be created, the latest version adds an option to export all of your data and a smoother import into Dia; November 23, on iOS and Android Browse for Me and other AI features are disabled, Arc Search keeps working as a browser but you can no longer sign in or sync tabs; December 22, "you will no longer be able to access or use Arc on macOS or Windows," accounts deactivated with personal data deleted within 30 days, Arc Search for Android pulled from the Google Play Store; the export steps on macOS, Arc, Settings, Advanced, Export Data; import during Dia signup by choosing Arc, or afterward via Dia, Import from Another Browser; "Your passwords, bookmarks, extensions and history come over to Dia seamlessly"; "Spaces, Folders, and Tab Groups are in Dia and import over with your data intact"; "The browser features you use in Arc are free in Dia, and the AI is optional"; signed by Josh for The Browser Company of New York; accessed October 31, 2026.
  2. The Browser Company, “Letter to Arc members 2025” accessed Oct 31, 2026Josh Miller's letter of May 26, 2025: "we are not actively developing the core product experience like we used to"; "We do regular Chromium upgrades, fix security vulnerabilities, related bugs, and more"; Arc cannot be open-sourced meaningfully without open-sourcing ADK, the Arc Development Kit, which "is still core to our company's value"; accessed October 31, 2026.
  3. The Browser Company, “Dia for Students” accessed Oct 31, 2026"Right now, Dia runs on Apple macOS 14+ with M1 chips or later."; accessed October 31, 2026.
  4. 9to5Mac, “Arc browser gets a sunset date, and users have two months to move on - 9to5Mac” accessed Oct 31, 2026Zac Hall, October 22, 2026: Arc will be sunset on December 22, 2026, two months out; Arc development stopped in May 2025 in favor of Dia; the company's security statement; passwords, bookmarks, extensions, history, Spaces, Folders and Tab Groups transfer to Dia; Dia is free; accessed October 31, 2026.
  5. TidBITS, “The Browser Company Kicks Arc to the Curb on 22 December 2026 - TidBITS” accessed Oct 31, 2026Adam Engst, October 26, 2026: the three-step timeline (October 22 new accounts disabled and export via Settings > Advanced > Export Data; November 23 iOS AI features, sign-in and sync removed; December 22 Arc inaccessible on macOS and Windows, accounts deactivated, data deleted within 30 days); a kill switch in the app stops it running after the deadline; Dia requires Apple silicon; alternatives include Zen, Firefox-based, which imports Spaces and Profiles, and Vivaldi; accessed October 31, 2026.
  6. The Register, “Arc browser on its way out as makers suggest an alternative - The Register” accessed Oct 31, 2026Richard Speed, October 23, 2026: the October 22 announcement and the December 22 end; "the Chromium-based Arc was an innovative browser with a workflow unlike its rivals. Instead of a plethora of tabs, there was a sidebar"; "In 2025, The Browser Company pivoted to AI and its Dia browser, dropping Arc into maintenance mode"; the open-sourcing hope dashed because Arc "runs on custom infrastructure we call ADK"; accessed October 31, 2026.
  7. Engadget, “The Browser Company is officially killing Arc on December 22 - Engadget” accessed Oct 31, 2026Lawrence Bonk, October 22, 2026: Arc shuts down December 22, 2026; bookmarks, extensions, passwords and history transfer to Dia; the company stresses that Dia's AI features "are optional"; accessed October 31, 2026.
  8. TidBITS, “Atlassian Acquires The Browser Company for $610 Million - TidBITS” accessed Oct 31, 2026Adam Engst, September 4, 2025: Atlassian is buying The Browser Company for $610 million in cash; the company's focus is Dia; accessed October 31, 2026.
  9. Atlassian, “Atlassian Completes Acquisition of The Browser Company of New York” accessed Oct 31, 2026October 21, 2025: Atlassian completed the acquisition of The Browser Company of New York, "the company behind the Dia and Arc browsers," to "reimagine the browser for knowledge work in the AI era"; accessed October 31, 2026.

Then and now

All pairings

In 2001 Netscape 6.2 gave Mac OS X a usable browser at last; in 2026 The Browser Company set December 22 as the day Arc stops opening on the Mac.

Also on October 31, other years

Every October 31 since 1997

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