Arc browser is shutting down on December 22, 2026: how to export your data, moving to Dia, and the alternatives

The Arc browser is shutting down. In an undated farewell post on arc.net, which TechCrunch reported on October 22, 2026, The Browser Company said Arc will stop working on macOS and Windows on December 22, 2026, and that Arc accounts will be deactivated that day, with personal data deleted within 30 days. The company is moving everyone to Dia, its newer browser built around AI, and gives security as the reason: "Keeping a browser secure takes constant, dedicated work that is only increasing in the age of AI."

This story is based on The Browser Company's farewell page and FAQ at arc.net, Dia's changelog and website, Atlassian's acquisition releases, and each alternative browser's own website or help pages, checked October 23, 2026. Arc isn't the first AI-era browser to close in 2026: OpenAI retired its Atlas browser in August, as our explainer on ChatGPT agent mode recounts.

The short version

• No new Arc accounts since October 22, 2026. Existing users can keep using Arc, which "will receive basic updates" until the end.
• November 23: Browse for Me and other AI features turn off in Arc Search on iOS and Android. Sign-in and tab sync stop.
• December 22: Arc stops working on Mac and Windows. Accounts are deactivated, and personal data is deleted within 30 days.
• Export: the latest Arc version adds an Export Data option. Dia can also import directly from Arc.
• Dia is The Browser Company's replacement. It says Arc's browser features "are free in Dia, and the AI is optional."

When does Arc stop working?

Arc stops working on December 22, 2026, on both macOS and Windows. Until then, the company says, "Arc will continue to work as usual and will receive basic updates." It doesn't promise security patches by name.

How the Arc browser shuts down

1. Oct 22, 2026New Arc accounts can no longer be created; the latest Arc adds an export optionConfirmed
2. Nov 23, 2026Browse for Me and other AI features turn off in Arc Search on iOS and Android; sign-in and tab sync stopExpected
3. Dec 22, 2026Arc stops working on macOS and Windows; accounts deactivated; Arc Search for Android pulled from Google PlayExpected
4. Within 30 days of Dec 22Personal data tied to deactivated Arc accounts deletedExpected

• Confirmed
• Expected

On mobile, Arc Search keeps working "as a browser" after November 23, without AI features, sign-in or tab sync. The Android app leaves Google Play on December 22; the company doesn't say whether the iOS app leaves the App Store.

What happens to my Arc data?

The Browser Company says it will "deactivate all Arc accounts on December 22, 2026," and that personal data tied to a deactivated account "is deleted within 30 days." After December 22, it says, it "will no longer be able to identify or retrieve Arc user data for data requests." If you have both an Arc and a Dia account, only the Arc data is affected.

How do I export my data from Arc?

Update Arc to the latest version first; the export option arrived on October 22. The steps below are The Browser Company's own.

On mobile, the export shares or copies a list of your open tabs. The same page's per-platform timeline gives shorter mobile paths (Settings > Export Open Tabs on iOS, App Settings > Export Data on Android) than its FAQ, so look in both places. The FAQ doesn't name the desktop file format or list everything the export contains. For tabs, it says you can "save them as a list of links before December 22, 2026" to use in another browser.

How do I move from Arc to Dia?

You don't need to export first. The Browser Company says Dia imports "your logins, extensions, Spaces, Favorites, Pinned Tabs and Folders straight over from Arc." On a new Dia install, pick Arc when asked which browser to import from. If you already use Dia, choose Dia > Import from Another Browser on a Mac, or Import from another browser in the Dia app menu on Windows. Arc's Spaces become Dia Profiles, and Folders become tab groups.

Since October 15, 2026, an Arc import switches Dia on Windows to sidebar tabs, "so your tabs stay in the vertical layout you're used to from Arc," per Dia's changelog.

What is Dia, and does it cost money?

Dia is The Browser Company's AI browser for macOS and Windows; the Windows version reached 1.0 on October 6, 2026. Its chat and "skills" features work across your open tabs and connected tools, and it has Profiles, split view and a sidebar tab layout.

The company says the browser features Arc users rely on are free in Dia and "the AI is optional." The AI is what costs money. Dia's plans page, checked October 23, 2026, lists a free Better Browser plan "with no AI features"; Better Answers, for AI chat across your tabs and tools; and Better Days at $100 a month, with "6x" Better Answers' usage plus a daily briefing and reports. The page prices Better Answers at $10 a month on its plan card but $20 a month in its FAQ, and doesn't say which applies. New Dia users get a 14-day Better Days trial. Paid plans roll out "to most new Mac users on August 17," the page says, without a year; existing users "keep what they have for free" and get at least 30 days' email notice before paid plans apply, and Dia on Windows isn't affected yet. It doesn't say how Arc users who install Dia now are treated. (TechCrunch reported an earlier $20-a-month Dia Pro plan in August 2025.) Dia's changelog says it moved to OpenAI's GPT-5 for all queries in September 2025; its pages, checked October 23, 2026, don't name the models.

The Browser Company is owned by Atlassian. Atlassian announced the deal on September 4, 2025, as a purchase for about $610 million in cash, and announced its completion on October 21, 2025. Its quarterly filing, made October 31, 2025, says the deal closed on October 20 for about $610 million: about $488.3 million in cash and the rest in Atlassian shares subject to vesting. The announcement focused on Dia, "the AI browser for work," and didn't mention Arc's future.

What are the best Arc alternatives?

There's no neutral ranking of browsers for Arc users, so the table below sticks to what each vendor documents about the features Arc users ask about most: vertical tabs and separate spaces.

Last verified: October 23, 2026

On Hacker News, commenters on the shutdown thread most often named Zen, followed by Helium, Brave, Vivaldi, Floorp, Firefox, Chrome and Safari. That's community opinion, not a measurement. If you want an AI browser, note that Perplexity's agent setup asks you to install Comet, as our story on Perplexity Computer for Mac describes, and that AI browsers that act for you carry their own risks on sites that block or trap agents, which our analysis of websites blocking AI agents covers.

What's confirmed, reported and uncertain

• Confirmed (The Browser Company, arc.net): the October 22, November 23 and December 22 dates; the 30-day deletion window; the export and import steps; Spaces becoming Profiles; the security reasoning.
• Confirmed (Atlassian): the roughly $610 million acquisition, announced September 4, 2025 as all cash; closed October 20, 2025 with about $488.3 million in cash and the rest in shares, per its 10-Q; completion announced October 21.
• Confirmed (Dia's plans page): a free plan without AI, Better Days at $100 a month, and a 14-day trial for new users.
• Reported: an earlier $20-a-month Dia Pro plan (TechCrunch, August 6, 2025).
• Unclear: whether Better Answers costs $10 or $20 a month (Dia's page shows both), and how paid plans apply to Arc users moving now.
• Not stated: the export file format; whether Arc Search leaves the iOS App Store; whether Arc's "basic updates" include every Chromium security fix until December 22.