This isn't a tech article, this isn't a rant about the next JavaScript framework, this isn't even about the fact that I'm finally on break and I was so bored I decided to write about something I totally love.
This is about the new kid on the block.
The block which has been dominated by Google for the last millennia (yes, I know what a millennia means but exaggeration makes for content).
I'm talking about Arc by TheBrowserCompany.
The latest little big boy that's taking the browser market by storm.
Now now, don't be put off by the colors.
The Arc team is way more talented than me at writing stuff like this but here I am raving on about it anyway (btw if being an Arc supporter is a cult, I guess I'm an "arc-anist" hehe get it ?... ANYWAY
I'm just gonna list some of the things I love so hope you're enticed enough to use Arc yourself 🙌🏼
A few things to mention
So right now, The Browser Company have only released the Arc browser for MacOS as of right now.
The Windows Beta is currently live an in testing. You can sign up for that here
The mobile app is currently being reworked but they have a mobile companion which is available on the App Store but I would personally wait for the new and improved one to come out.
But, if you are on Mac and you wanna give it a try, here you go !
https://arc.net/
1. Theming 🎨
One of Arc's lovely features is the ability to theme your browser to your liking. From the color of your windows to the applications that you use on the browser itself (yes, you can change your application's colors, we'll get to that in a bit)
Yes I know that other browser's have it too. But Arc's theming blends really well with the rest of the UI in a way that's really pleasing to the eye.
Arc provides this with a nifty little color swatch you can drag around till you find the color you want to daily drive.
So go ahead my fellow procrastinator, put aside your work and spend 3 hours finding the right color for you Arc window! Cause I know I couldn't stop playing with that damn color swatch.
2. Workspaces 🗂️
Now what point is there in theming your windows if all of them are just gonna be the same color?
Introducing Arc's workspaces!
If you've used multiple profiles on Chrome or Edge, every time you open one of them you end up having a bunch of windows which you have to move through and find just to get the window with the right profile.
Now the biggest issue I've always had is that I've needed to consistently alt tab between apps or have to look really close to figure out what window I have open. Yes themes did help but when you liked a certain color across all your windows it became more of a hassle to set them up in a way you could figure out what was what.
Arc's workspaces are similar to profiles but the difference being that they are actually independent from the profiles you create.
So you could have
- 1 space per profile
- Multiple spaces using the same profile
So how do you tell the difference ?
Well it's a combination of naming and theming.
For example, this is my Personal workspace.
It's purple, has the name Personal with a nice lil logo.
And this is my "work" workspace.
It's gray, it's named Development and also has a logo that I can use to differentiate it
They each have their own histories, cookies, saved logins etc.
Pretty neat 🥸 and just before you ask me "what makes that such a big deal ? I still have to find the workspaces 😩"
Yes but no.
You can just slide between them 🤩
But let's say you don't like that.
You can use the icons at the bottom of the side bar to switch too !
You can even use control + 1 or control + 2 (on Mac) to switch if you like shortcuts (the number is the order of your workspace)
Now, in case even THAT wasn't "for you"
Arc offers another way to switch workspaces, which also happens to lead me to the next feature I think is just an absolute win!
3 The command/action bar
TLDR;
Think spotlight on Mac, but for the browser 🤩
Spotlight on Mac is a magical feature which lets you run actions, search for files, apps and even sites.
The amazing people at TheBrowserCompany managed to take this little piece of heaven and put it into Arc.
I love calling this the "Arc Spotlight Search" just because it sounds right!
Wanna focus on a specific workspace ? Just type Focus on <name-of-your-workspace>
But now now, don't think the Spotlight search is just for switching workspaces.
You can still do your normal google searches
But you can also run "actions"
What do you mean actions???
I mean ACTIONS
Simply press Tab when the spotlight search is open.
This opens up a list of actions that your browser can do like,
- Refreshing the page
- Creating a new space
- Archive a tab
- Open notes (yes, notes)
And on top of all that ?
Yes. ChatGPT in your search bar 🙌🏼
Okay I'm getting excited just talking about all this.
4. Boosts
Okay okay, now out of the number of features I could be talking about, this one is one of my personal favorites but it might not be for everyone.
So remember how I said at the start that you could even theme your applications? Take a look carefully at the very first image in this blog.
That's not how Spotify looks isn't it?
This is enabled by a lovely little feature called boosts in Arc.
It's a feature which allows you to "permanently" change the theming, look and feel of the sites you visit more often.
This is all done with the Boost Side Panel
Just playing with the swatch, allows me to change a site like YouTube from this.
To this
Pretty cool isn't it ?
Okay now there are a lot more cool features like
1.The in-built notes app
2.Split Views
3.Easels and Mood-Boards
But I'm going to leave that to your curiosity to try.
Here's a few I haven't even touched on yet:
- (Arc Max)[https://arc.net/max]
- The types of Tabs in the Side Panel
- (Smart Screenshots)[https://resources.arc.net/en/articles/8411618-how-do-i-take-a-screenshot-in-arc]
- (Air Traffic Control)[https://resources.arc.net/en/articles/7670020-air-traffic-control-route-links-to-the-right-space-automatically]
- Site Search (yes its in other browsers, but it's just nicer in Arc)
- (Folders)[https://resources.arc.net/en/articles/6449566-folders-stash-similar-tabs-together]
- (Pinned Tabs (and the amazing Tab Reset feature))[https://resources.arc.net/en/articles/6449654-pinned-tabs-tabs-you-want-to-stick-around]
- Portrait Mode
- Quoted Links
- Workspace/Folder Sharing
Arc is such a promising browser and a lot of people have asked me why I don't ask them for sponsorship at the rate I talk about them (as a joke of course). I have just been waiting for a browser like this that keeps me interested in using it for more than just what I use a browser for. The integration, the ease of use and simplicity is just incredible.
It's like waking up to Christmas every Thursday (cause they usually release updates on Thursdays). Arc does the little things right and I honestly want nothing but a better browser for everyone and this is the biggest step I have seen in that direction.
They have a long way to go but if they keep doing what they're doing I have no doubt in my mind they will be the browser to beat!
So keep it up Arc! Can't wait to see what you have in store!
Top comments (1)
Completely sympathise with this obsession with arc. I've been using arc for nearly 8 months and it is indeed life changing. Amazing article!