The Arc Browser, but on Windows
A review by a Mac user
Table of Contents:
– The Problem
– The Solution
– The Windows version
— Mac Features vs. Windows Features
– Data Transfer Guide
– Don’t have Arc yet?
– TL;DR
The Problem
You open E̶d̶g̶e Chrome, create a bunch of tabs, maybe a few windows, and now you can’t find that youtube video you were watching during breakfast because you see the icons of the 30 tabs you’ve opened since then.
Want to fix that?
The Solution:
Well The Browser Company is slowly sending invites for a beta version of The Arc Browser for Windows users right now, and I just got one. It’s been 3 days and it’s already better than any browser I’ve used on Windows.
Originally developed for macOS, The Arc Browser (Chromium based) finally made its way to Windows, bringing its innovative and remarkable features to a new audience (or new devices of current audience members). The creators, The Browser Company, brief description is a great intro to what this browser does:
“Effortlessly organize everything you do online — work, study, hobbies — all in one window with Spaces and Profiles.”
For those curious about the browser’s core capabilities and history, here’s an article by The Soggy Waffle which talks more about Arc itself, “Arc Browser: A Comprehensive Overview”.
If you’re just here to see how you can transfer your data from a different Chromium browser (Chrome, Brave, probably Opera GX) to Arc on Windows. That informations at the bottom so maybe read?
The Windows Version
For some techy background info, Arc is predominately written in Swift and obviously Swift is no .NET Maui or Flutter. Rather than rewriting the Arc Browser codebase, The Browser Company decided to just create a Swift language projection to WinRT instead (The project is open-source on Github with over 400 ⭐’s so check it out). It may seem like reinventing the wheel and may slow progress, but since their focus was quality and Swift seemed to work for their Apple deployment, why not build a custom wheel?
Nerd to English translation: Arc wasn’t built for Windows initially, so the transition to a Windows app means the same features need to be rebuilt and may be more complex to add.
Mac Features vs. Windows Features
Spaces
So far however, the transition has been worked really well for an app in beta mode. Arc’s most obvious selling point is currently the organization system. The Windows app came shipped with Spaces (essentially a page which holds your tabs) which can be used nearly identical to on Mac. You can name a space (e.g. Work), pin websites to them (similar to a bookmark you often use for that space’s category), add folders, and the tabs you open in that space stay on that page. The one downside is you can’t yet add icons like in Mac.
Add section(s)
On Windows, you can use the + icon in the menu bar to add a new space, folder, and tab. That’s pretty basic and similar to other web browsers… However, if the Window’s app follows suite to the Mac app, we can expect to be able to add Easels (essentially a brainstorming page where you can draw/add text/shapes/embeddings/etc.), add Notes (an Arc brand quick notepad), and much more.
Split View
The Split View capability of Arc is possibly one of my favorite features it enhances productivity (or Netflix multitasking) by allowing up to four tabs in a single window view, a pretty steep improvement over traditional split-screen methods requiring multiple windows. While the implementation differs slightly between Mac and Windows, the functionality promises a more organized browsing experience.
To do this on Windows is a bit different than Mac especially if you want more than two tabs in Split View. On Windows, right now you need to start with the first desired tab open like normal. Then either click the little icon near the top right of your tab (the little rectangle with a line in the middle) and then choose which side you want your new tab to be on relative to the last clicked one — then choose the new tab.
The simpler way is to open the first tab you want, then right click the next tab you want in Split View from the side menu bar (hidden in the picture below) and click “Open in Split View”.
*quick note: Sometimes I can’t interact with the first tab if I’m using a two-tab split view on the Windows app. A little bug :)
Search Bar
Image the Windows search bar (or Spotlight for Mac users) combined with your browser bar, and that’s what Arc’s search bar is for both the Windows and Mac version. You can use it to search for Arc Browser related settings (password manager, chrome extensions, history), and it’s the normal internet browser bar that you’re used to. You don’t need to use the top bar to enter your URL or search query, which clears up some more of your screen!
Settings
The app’s settings page is where the most visible design difference is between the apps. The Mac version (left) looks a lot like a Mac systems window. Likewise, the Windows version also more of a Windows design as a drop down from the top bar.
General Design differences
For the most part, the Windows version of Arc stuck true to their original design style from the Mac app. But because The Browser Company is needing to basically convert all the Apple design code components to Windows-equivalent components, and it is a Windows app at the end of the day, there are still some clear differences.
The one I dislike the most, is the fact that the top bar with the URL is always visible on Windows, no matter if you hide the side menu or not. On Mac that’s adjustable, but so far it seems we’re stuck with it for the Beta at least.
Data Transfer Guide
As of writing this, the current beta version of Arc on Windows doesn’t allow for transferring your Mac account data (spaces/history/caches/etc.) unlike normal Chromium-based browsers. I read it’s a bug and the team is working on resolving it, but until then, u/TimTendo12 found this work around and posted about it on the r/ArcBrowser subreddit. I recommend checking out that subreddit for any tips or tricks too.
Don’t have Arc yet?
I don’t know why you read this if you don’t have Arc, but if that’s the case then let’s get you sorted! Below is my Mac referral (I don’t get money, just want to spread the love) and the official Windows Beta waitlist.
Mac: https://arc.net/gift/c6763fb1
Windows: https://browserco.typeform.com/to/l9lYbJtU?typeform-source=arc.net#source=arcnet
TL;DR
For a Beta version, Arc on Windows has all the important core features which drew me to it in the first place. It beats the web browsing organization of any other web browser by miles.
There is still a lot to be added though, if we’re comparing against the Mac version (Arc’s internal AI “Max”, cleaner designs, Easels/Notes, account syncing, etc.)