Quick Links
As someone whose work involves surfing the web all day, the browser I use plays a major role in my productivity. After years of using Google Chrome, I switched to Arc browser—and I haven’t looked back since.
1Better Tab Management
One of my biggest frustrations with Google Chrome is how quickly tabs can spiral out of control. As more tabs pile up, their titles become unreadable, making navigating between them increasingly difficult.Arcbrowser solves that problem by showing tabs in its vertical sidebar, allowing me to scroll through them effortlessly.
Another standout feature of Arc is how it handles bookmarks. I can easily drag a tab to the top-left corner of the screen to pin it, and these pinned tabs serve as both bookmarks and open tabs. This way, I don’t have to worry about accidentally opening duplicates.
I also like how Arc checks my existing tabs whenever I open a new one. If the page is already open, it gives me the option to switch to the active tab instead of opening a new one.
2Automatic Tab Archiving
Another thing that Arc does to help me manage my tabs better is automatically archive those I haven’t used in the past12 hours. I can also extend this interval to24 hours,7 days, or30 days.
This way, my browser doesn’t get cluttered with tabs I opened and forgot about, whether from yesterday or weeks ago. I can easily view or restore archived tabs if needed by clicking thearchive iconin the bottom-left corner.
3Split View Options
With Chrome, I had to rely onWindows' Snap Layoutswhenever I needed to open two tabs side by side. While it worked, it always felt like a workaround. Arc, on the other hand, makes it ridiculously easy to view multiple tabs side by side.
I simply click theSplit View iconat the top and then choose whether I want to open a tab on the left, right, top, or bottom of the existing one. Even better, Arc lets me save my split-view setups. If I frequently use two sites together—like a research article on one side and notes on the other—I can pin them as a set and open them quickly.
4Spaces to Create Distinct Browsing Areas
Spaces in Arc work much likemanaging Chrome’s Tab Groupsbut better. I use Spaces to create separate browsing environments for work and personal use. For instance, I have one dedicated entirely to work-related sites—email, docs, project management tools, etc. Then, I have another Space just for leisure—social media, news, and YouTube.
I can even customize each Space with its own set of tabs and color-coded themes. Further, Arc allows me to save browsing data of each space in different profiles, so my work logins don’t mix with my personal ones.
5Useful Arc Max Features
Arc Max brings some helpful AI-poweredfeatures that make browsing with Arc more productive. While I don’t use all of them, a few are particularly handy. For instance, when I have more than six tabs open, I can just click theTidy buttonin the left sidebar, and Arc automatically groups related tabs together.
Another feature I love isAsk on Page. Instead of skimming long articles or manually hunting for specific info, I can pressCtrl + Fand simply ask a question. Arc then instantly finds the answer for me from the page, saving me time and effort.
And then there’s the5-Second Previewfeature. By pressingShiftand hovering over a link, I can get an instant AI-generated summary of the webpage—without even clicking. It’s perfect for when I need to check if a link is worth opening.
6Use Arc Boosts to Customize Websites
Screenshot by Anjali Kaikini
With Boosts, I can tweak the appearance and functionality of any website to fit my preferences. Whether it’s changing colors, brightness, or even fonts, Arc gives me complete control.
However, my favorite feature is theZap tool. It lets me easily remove any element on a page that I find distracting or unnecessary. It’s incredibly satisfying to clean up web pages exactly how I like them.
7Arc Easel for Brainstorming
I don’t know about you, but for me, a brainstorming session often means a chaotic mix of links, scribbled notes, and scattered screenshots. With Arc Easel, I can drag and drop ideas, images, and snippets of text onto a flexible, infinite canvas right within the browser.
Arc Easel is essentially a virtual whiteboard where I can sketch, write, and capture my thoughts without having to switch between apps.
8Integration With My Favorite Apps
Arc supports integration with several popular apps I use, including Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and X. For example, I have Gmail pinned in Arc, which allows me to simply hover over the tab to check unread emails. The same goes for Google Calendar—just a quick hover over the icon, and I can view my upcoming events for the day.
Another thing I like about using Arc is when I’m listening to music on Spotify or watching a video on YouTube in one tab, and I switch to another, Arc shows a little pop-up window with basic controls like pause, play, and skip tracks.
9Peek to Preview Sites
Peek is one of those simple features that, once you try it, leaves you wondering why it’s not the norm everywhere. Whenever I come across a link while browsing, I can just press theShift keyand click on the link to preview the site.
It opens the page in a pop-up window where I can get a quick look at the content without moving away from my current tab. Once I’ve seen enough, I can choose to either expand the preview, open it in a split view, or simply dismiss it.
10Better Privacy and Security
Chrome isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you talk aboutprivacy-focused browsers. Although Arc is also based on Chromium and benefits from those same security updates, the browser takes a more user-first approach. It has several Chromium features that are disabled right out of the box for better privacy.
Further, unlike Chrome, Arc guarantees that it doesn’t track the websites I visit or sell my data to third parties. Their privacy policy clearly outlines these promises, giving me the necessary peace of mind.
All in all, switching from Chrome to Arc is something I don’t regret. It’s the combination of a sleek new interface, useful features, and better privacy that has made Arc my go-to browser. If you’re looking for a change, there are several goodreasons to give Arc a try.
