Discovering the internet, again

I recently changed my default browser from Chrome to Arc and it’s been a game changer.

It must be a decade since I last changed browsers from Safari to Chrome. Like most, I tend to pick a browser and stay loyal to it.

We spend huge amounts of time with our web browser of choice. A good web browser must be a masterclass in user experience design. It must nail the concept of “don’t make the user think” and integrate seamlessly into our lives. It must be great, without being noticed.

Browsers are boring, basically.

But hold up, there’s a team of young founders, designers and engineers in New York who are disrupting the browser market by delivering some clever solutions to the modern pain points of using the internet.

And I’m here for it.

It’s time to ‘meet the internet, again’.

I’ve been using Arc as my default browser for a week and here are 5 things I love about it…

Site Search

Site Search allows you to search the contents of any website direct from the Arc command bar. Removing the step of going to the website’s landing page (eg. amazon.co.uk) first before making the search (eg. “drones”).

Split View

Extremely useful when I’ve needed to reference something while ‘creating’ in another window. Probably the feature I’ve used most so far. For example, writing editing this newsletter in one view while fact checking and referencing in the other.

Full screen

Arc encourages you to browse the internet in full screen mode. The sidebar is easily hidden with the ⌘S shortcut, instantly immersing you in a browsing experience without distracting UI. I’m aware Arc is far from the first browser to offer a full screen mode, but never before has the UX been executed in a way that made me want to use it.

Spaces

Creating temporary Spaces for focused work tasks has been really helpful. I’ve got a Space set up for a client website I am working on, which allows me to organise all of the relevant web apps (Webflow, Figma etc) I need while working on the build in one place. Once the project is done, I’ll simply delete the Space.

Command Bar

Arc’s Command Bar might fundamentally change how you navigate the internet. Tap ⌘T to open up the Command Bar and type anything from a google search, web address, question or action and Arc will do the rest. You can plug certain shortcuts into the command bar as well like direct ChatGPT prompting (and Site Search mentioned earlier). I’ve found myself barely using the traditional address bar that’s been ubiquitous amongst browsers for so long.

If you want to give Arc a spin for yourself you can download it for Mac OS here

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