The Browser Company announced on October 22 that it will shut down the Arc browser service on December 22, 2026, and will concentrate resources on the AI browser Dia. The company said that in the AI era, the cost of maintaining browser security keeps rising, and its future engineering and security teams will focus on safeguarding Dia's security.
Arc will be shut down in phases: starting today, creating new accounts is stopped; starting November 23, Arc Search for iOS and Android will lose AI features such as 'Browse for Me', and users will also be unable to sign in or sync tabs, but it can still be used as a local browser; starting December 22, Arc for Mac and Windows will fully stop running, accounts will be deactivated, personal data will be deleted within 30 days, and Arc Search will also be removed from Google Play.
To reduce migration costs, Dia will retain several Arc features, including 'Profiles' (formerly 'Spaces') for separating work and personal contexts, an optional vertical tab sidebar, and folders renamed as 'Pinned Tab Groups'. Passwords, bookmarks, extensions and browsing history can all be migrated; Arc's original features will continue to be offered for free, with AI features optional.
The Browser Company stopped active development of Arc in 2025 and shifted to the AI-first Dia. The company was acquired by Atlassian in 2025 for 610 million USD. Because Arc is built on the proprietary internal development kit ADK, which is also the core engine of Dia, open-sourcing Arc would involve core intellectual property. This shutdown means the company is doubling down further on AI browsers, but it also reflects the fact that Arc failed to become a mainstream Chrome alternative.