Arc browser is being discontinued by The Browser Company and stops working on 22 December 2026. The company announced the shutdown on 22 October 2026, closed new account sign-ups the same day, and is moving users to Dia, its AI browser. Accounts are deactivated on the closing date and personal data deleted within 30 days.
When Does Arc Stop Working?
Arc shuts down in three stages, ending on 22 December 2026.
| Date | What changes |
|---|---|
| 22 October 2026 | New Arc accounts can no longer be created; shutdown announced |
| 23 November 2026 | Arc Search on iOS and Android loses Browse for Me and other AI features; sign-in and tab sync stop |
| 22 December 2026 | Arc stops working on macOS and Windows; accounts deactivated; Arc Search removed from the Google Play Store |
| Within 30 days after | Personal data held against deactivated accounts is deleted |
Existing users keep normal access until 22 December. Desktop users start seeing shutdown reminders inside the browser from 23 November 2026.
Why Is The Browser Company Shutting Arc Down?
The company blamed the cost of keeping two browsers secure and said it is putting its engineering and security staff behind Dia instead.
Its announcement put it directly: “Keeping a browser secure takes constant, dedicated work that is only increasing in the age of AI.” The company said Dia “was built from the ground up to meet today’s security standards”, and claims it now beats Arc on speed, stability and security benchmarks. It has not published those benchmark figures.
Ownership is part of the backdrop. Atlassian agreed to buy The Browser Company for $610 million in cash, announced on 4 September 2025, and the team has operated inside Atlassian since.
What Happens to Your Arc Account and Data?
Arc accounts are deactivated on 22 December 2026, and the personal data tied to them is deleted within the following 30 days.
That deadline matters more for Arc than for most browsers, because Arc requires an account to use at all. Once sign-in stops working on mobile on 23 November 2026, there is no way back into a synced session on those devices.
The last Arc release includes an option to export everything. Locally stored items such as browsing history and saved passwords sit outside the account data copy and need to be migrated separately.
What Moves Across to Dia?
Passwords, bookmarks, extensions and history transfer to Dia, and Arc’s main organising features survive under different names.
Spaces become Profiles. Folders are renamed Pinned Tab Groups. Arc’s vertical tab sidebar exists in Dia as an option rather than the default layout. The company has not promised that every Arc-only feature has an equivalent.
Mobile splits in two directions. Arc Search stays on iOS as a plain browser with its AI features switched off, while the Android version is pulled from the Google Play Store on 22 December 2026 and removed from devices where it is installed.
Why Did Arc Never Catch On?
Arc’s chief executive said the browser was too unfamiliar for most people to bother learning.
Josh Miller, who co-founded The Browser Company with Harsh Agrawal, called the problem a “novelty tax” in a letter to Arc members in late May 2025. “For most people, Arc was simply too different, with too many new things to learn, for too little reward,” he wrote, adding that the browser “was experimental, that was part of its charm, but also its complexity”.
Arc had arrived with a redesigned interface built around a vertical sidebar, Spaces and a command bar, and was pitched as a personal home on the internet rather than a window onto it. The company’s own verdict was that the novelty cost it mainstream users. Its first closed beta for Windows users arrived in December 2023, more than a year after the Mac version.
Did the Company Promise Not to Do This?
In May 2025 The Browser Company said it had no plans to shut Arc down completely, and seventeen months later it did exactly that.
Arc went into maintenance mode in late May 2025, receiving security patches and bug fixes but no new features, after Dia was announced in December 2024. At the time the company said it had considered selling Arc or releasing its source code, and that a full shutdown was not the plan. Dia reached public beta in June 2025.
Nothing in the October 2026 notice explains the reversal beyond the security argument.
Will Arc Be Open-Sourced?
No open-source release has been committed to, because Arc shares proprietary code with Dia.
Arc runs on the Arc Development Kit, an internal toolkit that also powers Dia. Miller has explained the block in the same terms for more than a year: “While we’d love to open-source Arc someday, we can’t do that meaningfully without also open-sourcing ADK.” He added that “ADK is still core to our company’s value”, while saying the idea is not ruled out forever.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Still Sign Up for Arc?
No. Registration closed on 22 October 2026, and because Arc needs an account to run, there is no route in for new users.
Will My Passwords Be Lost?
Not if you export them before 22 December 2026. Arc’s final build includes a data export tool, and Dia’s importer accepts passwords, bookmarks, extensions and history.
Does Arc Search Still Work on iPhone?
The iOS app keeps running as a basic browser, but loses Browse for Me, its other AI features, sign-in and tab syncing on 23 November 2026.
Who Owns Arc Now?
Atlassian, which agreed to acquire The Browser Company for $610 million in a deal announced on 4 September 2025.
What Is the Last Day to Use Arc?
21 December 2026 is the final full day. Arc becomes inaccessible on macOS and Windows on 22 December 2026.
