Arc Browser Will Stop Working on December 22, 2026 as The Browser Company Pushes Users Toward Dia

The Arc browser shutdown now has a firm date. The Browser Company says Arc will stop working on Mac and Windows on December 22, 2026, ending a product that earned a devoted following for its unusual design but never became a mainstream replacement for Chrome. The company is steering those users to Dia, its newer AI-first browser.

The wind-down began on the Thursday of the announcement, when The Browser Company stopped letting people create new Arc accounts. From there the timeline splits between the desktop browser and the mobile app.

Two Dates to Remember

Arc Search, the iOS and Android app, loses its AI features first. Browse for Me and the rest of the app’s AI tools stop on November 23, 2026. After that date Arc Search continues to function only as a basic local browser. Sign-in and tab sync are switched off, and the app is removed from the Google Play Store.

Desktop users have roughly a month longer. When December 22 arrives, Arc is disabled on Mac and Windows. Arc accounts are deactivated the same day, and personal data is deleted within 30 days of the shutdown.

Why the Company Is Retiring Arc

The Browser Company frames the decision around security. Running a browser, the company argues, demands an expanding and dedicated engineering effort, and it points to rising security costs in the AI era as a central reason for consolidating its work. Engineering and security teams will concentrate on Dia, which the company describes as built to current security standards and as faster, more stable and more secure than Arc.

The company has also said Arc’s novelty and complexity held back mass adoption. Arc feature development had already stopped in 2025, well before the shutdown was announced. In the same year, Atlassian acquired The Browser Company for $610 million.

What Moves to Dia

For users willing to switch, The Browser Company has mapped much of Arc onto Dia. Profiles take the place of Arc Spaces, and Arc Folders become Pinned Tab Groups. The vertical tabs sidebar that defined Arc’s look remains available in Dia as an option.

Migration carries over passwords, bookmarks, extensions and history. The features that correspond to Arc stay free in Dia, and the browser’s AI capabilities are optional rather than mandatory.

The Open-Source Question

Reaction on social media was largely negative, and many users asked the company to release Arc as open source rather than retire it. CEO Josh Miller explained why that will not happen: Arc depends on the proprietary Arc Development Kit, which also powers Dia and remains central to the company’s value. Opening Arc meaningfully would mean releasing the ADK, and doing so would expose Dia’s intellectual property.

Some details remain unconfirmed, including the exact hour Arc stops working, whether users can export their data before deletion, and whether Arc Search stays available on Apple’s App Store. What is settled is the direction of travel: The Browser Company has repositioned around Dia, and Arc’s remaining life is measured in months.