5 steps to move out of Arc before it stops opening on 22 December

👋 HEY, IT'S RAJA

Arc stops opening on 22 December. The Browser Company announced it on 22 October, and 30 days after that last day, your account data is deleted.

If Arc is still your main browser, moving out takes about 20 minutes. The order matters, because the iPhone deadline comes first and the export only works while Arc still opens.

📘 Moving out of Arc without losing anything

Note the dates, export, check your logins, pick, then run 2 side by side.

#1 Put the 2 dates in your calendar

On 23 November, Arc Search on iPhone loses its AI features, sign-in and sync. On 22 December, Arc stops opening on Mac and Windows. If you use Arc on your phone, your real deadline is the first one, 3 weeks from now.

#2 Export your tabs while Arc still opens

1. Open Arc on your Mac.
2. Open Settings and go to Advanced.
3. Click Export Data.

That saves your tabs as a list of links you can open anywhere. Bookmarks and history come over differently, through the new browser's own import tool, so keep Arc installed until step 5.

💡 Save the export file somewhere you'll find it again, like iCloud Drive. If an import goes wrong next month, that list of links is your backup.

#3 Check your logins before you leave

When you run the new browser's import in step 5, tick passwords as well as bookmarks and history if it offers them. Then sign in to the 3 sites you can't afford to be locked out of, like your bank, your email and work. If one fails, you find out while Arc can still open and show you the password.

#4 Pick the browser by what you'll miss most

I went through what ex-Arc users are actually switching to and wrote up the 6 that keep the most of Arc. The short version:

• Arc on your iPhone too: Crest, which syncs your Spaces to iPhone and iPad.
• Arc exactly as it was: Ardia, on Chromium, so every Chrome extension still works.
• Something light: Yab, about 40 MB, built on the engine already in macOS.
• The safe, proven pick: Zen, which is Firefox with Arc's design. Your extensions need Firefox versions.
• Fast and clean: Helium, with tabs down the side and no Spaces.
• Zero setup: Dia, from Arc's own makers. It has the smoothest import, and it's built around AI.

All 6 are free to try. The full write-up has what each one is missing: 6 browsers to move to before Arc stops working.

#5 Run 2 side by side for a week, then delete Arc

Install your top 2 picks, run each one's import while Arc is still on your Mac, and use both for a week. Keep the one you stop noticing. Only then drag Arc to the Trash, and set the winner as your default in System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Default web browser.

Do step 2 tonight, even if you haven't picked a browser yet. Hit reply and tell me which one you're moving to.

See you Friday.

Keep it useful,

Raja · The Useful Tech

P.S. Know someone who still lives in Arc? Forward this before 22 December.

P.P.S. Textlore, my Mac app that finds every book, show and restaurant your friends recommended in your texts, launches on Product Hunt tomorrow. If you've tried it, a comment there would mean a lot: producthunt.com/products/textlore