Two Weeks with Arc Browser

I'm a self-proclaimed browser enthusiast. I love experimenting with new features and approaches to web browsing. From Edge's AI-powered Copilot to Firefox's innovative Container tabs, there's always something exciting on the horizon. However, each browser has its quirks that prevent me from fully committing to any single one. For example, Firefox's past struggles with DNS resolution on startup (which I believe they've recently addressed) kept me from using it for a while.

After what felt like forever, Arc Browser finally launched for Windows! I've been diving into it for two weeks now, and wanted to share my early thoughts.

The Good Stuff

Arc's "Spaces" feature has been an instant win for me. As someone who like to divide works and personal environment, it's fantastic to have separate workspaces for my various tasks. It's a much cleaner, more organized way to work. This feels like how Firefox multi container, but instead I have two environment instead of putting everything in one windows.

Chrome can do this, but I dislike to only able open a link in one profile. and also, it open on multiple windows while windows 11 have that long time bug where Win + (#) number key command not opening taskbar apps and previews in Windows 11 when there's multiple windows for the same app opened (https://aka.ms/AAjb755) kudos for windows for not fix this bug for 3 years and keep releasing AI features /s

Another nice touch is Arc's handling of duplicate tabs. If I open a new tab and start typing a site I already have open, Arc cleverly takes me to the existing tab instead of creating a new one. This might seem small, but it's those little details that make a browser feel more intuitive.

Arc's "auto archive" feature has been surprisingly helpful. It automatically suspends tabs I haven't used in a while, freeing up system resources. It's like those onetab, but built right into the browser and far less clunky.

Some Bumps in the Road

Unfortunately, it hasn't all been smooth sailing. One of the first things I noticed is that Arc doesn't display website certificates. If you're like me and want to quickly check a site's security details, you'll still need to have another browser on hand, which is a bit of a hassle.

I'm still on the fence about the vertical tab layout. It's definitely easier to read the titles when you have a bunch of tabs open, but I've also found myself struggling to find specific tabs sometimes, especially if they're for ongoing things like Google Meet calls.

Bookmarks in Arc are essentially permanent tabs, which I actually like. I don't use bookmarks much, and when I do, it's usually more of a reminder to myself that a website exists.  Having it always there as a tab feels more useful to me than a traditional bookmark.

A Few Bugs to Squish

Being an early launch, there are still some bugs to work out. As I write this post, Arc keeps opening new tabs in a different space than the one I'm working in, which is a bit frustrating.

Overall

Overall, my first couple of weeks with Arc have been mostly positive. It definitely feels like a browser designed for the way we use the web today, and features like Spaces and auto archive are genuine improvements. If the team can iron out some of the kinks and maybe add a certificate viewer, Arc could be a real contender.

Have you tried Arc yet? What are your impressions?

Let me know in the comments below!