By Kshetez Vinayak, founder of SupaSidebar. Last updated June 4, 2026.
Arc browser is available on Windows and runs today, but it is in maintenance mode and gets zero new features. Arc has never been released on Linux, and there is no public roadmap for it.
The Browser Company, now owned by Atlassian, ships Chromium security patches to both the macOS and Windows builds, with the most recent Windows build, version 1.105.0, dated May 6, 2026 on Chromium 148. Dia, the team's new browser, is also Mac-only at launch, so a "wait for Dia on Windows" plan does not solve the Windows-or-Linux problem either. The realistic options are Zen on both platforms, Vivaldi for power users on Windows, and Edge or Brave for users who can accept a different sidebar model.
Looking for cross-platform Arc context?
You're on the right page - keep reading.
Related questions:
- Is Arc still being worked on at all? → Arc Browser Status: Latest Updates
- Is Arc dead, and what does maintenance mode actually mean? → Is Arc Browser Dead?
- Comparing every Arc alternative for Mac? → Arc Browser Alternative Guide
- How does SupaSidebar compare to Arc directly? → Arc Browser vs SupaSidebar
Arc cross-platform status at a glance
| Platform | Is Arc available? | Active development? | Latest version (May 2026) | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| macOS | Yes | No - maintenance mode since May 27, 2025 | 1.146.0, May 6, 2026 | Safe to keep using; plan a move on your own timing |
| Windows | Yes | No - maintenance mode, same as macOS | 1.105.0, May 6, 2026 | Same as above; Windows had feature parity gaps even before maintenance mode |
| Linux | No - never released | No - no plans, no announcement | n/a | Use Zen or Vivaldi; the Windows build under Wine is not officially supported |
| Dia for Windows | Not yet | Signup page exists | n/a as of May 2026 | Not a near-term Windows replacement |
| Dia for Linux | No | No plans | n/a | Not coming |
The short version: Arc on Windows works, but is frozen. Arc on Linux does not exist. Dia is not the cross-platform answer The Browser Company hinted at in 2024 - it is a Mac-first product that is still missing from both Windows and Linux as of May 2026.
Arc for Windows: what's actually installable
Arc for Windows went generally available in early 2025 after a long beta. It runs on Windows 11 (Windows 10 was never supported), it installs from arc.net/download, and the Microsoft Store listing also exists. The latest Windows build is 1.105.0, released May 6, 2026, on Chromium 148.0.7778.97, per Arc for Windows Release Notes.
What the Windows version gives a user is most of the Arc layout: vertical tabs in a sidebar, Spaces, pinned tabs, Little Arc-style preview windows, Cmd+T (Ctrl+T on Windows) command bar. It is recognizably Arc, and for users coming from Chrome or Edge, it feels like the Arc videos they saw before deciding to try it.
What the Windows version does not give is feature parity with the Mac build. Arc on Windows shipped well after Mac and carried gaps for most of its life: missing AI features like Arc Max, no title-bar hiding for the same immersive look, and a slower text-rendering path that several users describe as a noticeable hit on a machine that runs Chrome smoothly. One Arc Windows day-one user, posting on r/ArcBrowser, summarized the asymmetry: "I've been an Arc Early Birds user, and use this as a daily driver pretty much since day 1 of its launch on Windows. Mind you, the feature parity between Arc on Windows and Arc on Mac is already not great. We never got the AI features everyone else did." (Source: r/ArcBrowser discussion thread, June 2025.)
That gap froze in place along with the rest of Arc when The Browser Company moved to maintenance mode on May 27, 2025. The Windows version is now in the same state as the Mac version - it gets the Chromium security pipeline, and nothing else. Bugs the Windows build had before maintenance mode will mostly stay. Features the Mac build had that Windows missed will not arrive.
For users searching "when is Arc coming to Windows" hoping for a feature catch-up, the answer is: it is here, but the catch-up is not coming.
Arc for Linux: never shipped, no roadmap
Arc has never been released for Linux. The Browser Company's official Unsupported Devices page lists Linux as unsupported, and the Arc FAQ does the same. There has been no public roadmap commitment, no beta sign-up, no leaked screenshot of an Arc-on-Linux build.
This was a sore point with a specific slice of Arc's audience long before maintenance mode hit. Power users and developers, who skew Linux-heavy, were exactly the people Arc's vertical-tab layout and command bar were built for, and they got nothing. One Arch Linux user wrote on r/ArcBrowser that they had kept a Windows partition specifically to run Arc, despite the Windows version being a "second-class citizen," because no Linux option existed: "I dual-booted just to use this browser." (Source: r/ArcBrowser discussion, May 2025.) That kind of friction is the cost of a missing native Linux build.
Running Arc for Windows under Wine has been attempted, and some community guides walk through the steps. It is not officially supported, the experience is fragile, and any update can break a working install. For a daily-driver browser on Linux, this is not a real path.
The honest summary: there is no Arc on Linux, there is no Arc coming to Linux, and even if maintenance mode ended tomorrow, Linux was never on the published roadmap.
What about Dia on Windows and Linux?
Dia is The Browser Company's actively developed browser - the one Arc users keep hearing about as the successor in some sense. It is also Mac-only at launch. Dia requires macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon, which rules out Intel Macs, and per the official diabrowser.com site, there is no shipping Windows or Linux version as of May 2026.
A Dia Windows beta has been talked about - a signup page has existed since around March 2026 - but no release date has been published. There is no signal at all on a Dia Linux build, and given the Mac-Apple-silicon-first design philosophy, that is unlikely to change soon.
For a Windows user reading this looking for a "wait for Dia" plan: that plan does not exist on a known timeline. For a Linux user: there is no plan at all.
Best Arc alternatives for Windows in 2026
Windows users leaving Arc generally split into three groups: power users who want the most Arc-like layout possible, mainstream users who want a stable browser with vertical tabs, and developers who want to script and customize. The right pick differs by group.
is the closest thing to Arc available on Windows. Zen is a Firefox-based browser with native vertical tabs, Workspaces (the rough equivalent of Arc's Spaces), Compact Mode, and split view, and it runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux as a first-class native build. Per recent threads on r/ArcBrowser, Zen has become the default Arc-leaver answer for cross-platform users. It is open source, getting active contributions, and the trajectory is positive. The trade-off: Zen is younger than Arc was at the same age, and bugs are part of the deal. For Arc-on-Windows refugees, Zen on Windows is the closest match.
is the Chromium-based power-user answer. Vivaldi has had Workspaces for years, supports tab nesting and grouping, and exposes more customization knobs than any other mainstream browser. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. The catch is upfront investment: Vivaldi's settings depth is real, and a user who wants an Arc-like experience needs to spend time configuring Workspaces, tab favorites via Web Panels, and Command Chains to get close. Once configured, it stays configured. For a Windows user willing to put a couple of hours into setup, Vivaldi covers most of what Arc did and adds capabilities Arc never had.
Microsoft Edge
is the path of least resistance for a Windows user who wants vertical tabs and minimal switching cost. Edge has vertical tabs and Workspaces - though each Edge Workspace opens in a separate window, which is the opposite of how Arc's Spaces worked inside one window. Edge gets the AI integration Windows users were hoping Arc would deliver, via Copilot. The trade-off: Edge is Microsoft's browser, not a power-user browser, and the Arc-style sidebar-first identity is not there.
Brave
is the privacy-leaning option, also Chromium-based, with built-in ad and tracker blocking and a vertical-tabs setting in its tab bar settings. Brave does not have native Workspaces in Arc's sense, but tab groups and profiles cover most multi-context use. For users who left Arc partly for the customization but partly for the design polish, Brave is a defensible pick.
For a full ranked listicle covering more options, see Arc Browser Alternatives: 7 Mac Apps in 2026. The listicle is Mac-focused, but Zen, Vivaldi, and Edge all run on Windows too.
Best Arc alternatives for Linux in 2026
Linux users have a shorter list because most Arc-inspired Mac apps do not run there.
Zen Browser
is the recommended answer. Zen ships native Linux builds (Flatpak, AppImage, and distribution-specific packages), and the Linux experience is the same as the macOS and Windows experience - the same vertical-tab sidebar, the same Workspaces, the same Compact Mode. For a user moving from Arc on Mac or Arc on Windows to a Linux daily driver, Zen is the most direct continuity.
Vivaldi
has full Linux support, including ARM Linux builds. The Workspaces and tab customization work the same way they do on Windows. Vivaldi is the right pick for a Linux power user who wants the deepest customization.
Firefox with Sidebery
is a viable bare-metal-Linux option for users willing to assemble the Arc experience from parts. Sidebery is a Firefox extension that adds tree-style tabs and container integration, and stacked on Firefox it covers the vertical-tab and grouping needs. It does not give the polish of Zen out of the box, but it is fully open source and runs anywhere Firefox runs.
Running Arc itself on Linux via Wine is documented, but not recommended for a primary browser. Updates break it, Chromium-on-Wine is slower than a native browser, and the configuration overhead is high for an outcome that is worse than just installing Zen.
Mac users with Windows colleagues: the cross-platform question
A common reason this question comes up is not "Arc died for Windows" but "the Mac user is the one who chose Arc, and now needs to collaborate with Windows colleagues who can't use the same workflow." This is a slightly different problem.
Browser-level workflows do not always need to match across the team. A Mac user can use Arc on Mac while a Windows colleague uses Edge or Vivaldi, and shared work - tabs to specific URLs, bookmarks, collaborative docs - flows through the URLs and the apps inside them, not the browser chrome. Sync handles bookmarks if both browsers support a common sync provider (most Chromium browsers can sync via a Google account; Firefox-based browsers via Firefox Account).
What does not travel across platforms is the sidebar-and-Spaces workflow itself. The Mac user keeps Arc's sidebar; the Windows colleague does not. Tools that try to recreate Arc's UX as a layer on top of any browser tend to be Mac-only - native macOS apps that hook into the windowing system in ways Windows and Linux do not expose the same way. That is the reality of cross-platform tooling around the sidebar problem: the sidebar wrapper lives where the OS APIs let it live.
SupaSidebar is one of those Mac-only layers. SupaSidebar is a macOS app that brings Arc's sidebar to every browser - one sidebar for tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps across 25 browsers including Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc, Zen, Vivaldi, Brave, Helium, and Dia. It runs on macOS only, so it solves the Mac side of a mixed-platform team. For the Windows side, the Windows colleague picks from the list above (Zen for the most-Arc-like experience, Vivaldi for power-user control, Edge for least friction). The workflow does not need to be identical across platforms - just functional enough on both ends.
For the migration mechanics on the Mac side specifically, see Switching from Arc Browser.
Conclusion: what to use, by platform
The verdict: Arc on Windows is installable today but frozen, Arc on Linux does not exist and will not, and Dia is not the cross-platform answer some users hoped for. The realistic plan depends on the platform.
Windows users:
Zen is the closest Arc-like browser available natively. Vivaldi is the power-user pick if a couple of hours of setup is acceptable. Edge or Brave is the path of least resistance if vertical tabs are the main thing wanted. Staying on Arc-on-Windows is safe as a security matter - it still ships Chromium updates - but the gap between Arc and other browsers will widen over time.
Linux users:
Zen on Linux is the answer for most users. Vivaldi is the depth pick. Firefox with Sidebery is the assemble-it-yourself option. Running Arc under Wine is not recommended for a daily driver.
Mac users with Windows or Linux colleagues:
browser-level workflows do not need to match across the team; sync handles the data layer, and each user picks the best browser for their platform. For the Mac side, Try SupaSidebar (free tier) keeps Arc's sidebar across whichever browser the Mac user lands on; the Windows or Linux side picks from the alternatives above. For the full Mac-focused migration walkthrough, see Switching from Arc Browser.
Why we recommend SupaSidebar for the Mac side of the workflow
SupaSidebar is a macOS app that brings Arc's sidebar to every browser - one sidebar for tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps across 25 browsers including Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc, Zen, Vivaldi, Brave, Helium, and Dia. It is not a browser and not a browser extension; it is a standalone Mac app that adds the sidebar layer on top of whatever browser is running. For a Mac user moving off Arc, that means the browser choice opens up to anything still under active development, while the Arc-style sidebar workflow stays intact. SupaSidebar also imports Arc data directly via a 3-click flow (Preferences → Import and Export → Arc → Import), so the move does not start from an empty sidebar. SupaSidebar is Mac-only, so it does not solve the Windows or Linux side of a mixed-platform setup - those users pick Zen, Vivaldi, or Edge per the sections above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Arc browser available on Windows in 2026?
Yes. Arc for Windows is generally available and downloadable from arc.net/download. The latest Windows build is 1.105.0, released May 6, 2026, on Chromium 148. It is in maintenance mode, which means security and stability updates only, no new features.
Is Arc browser coming to Linux?
No. Arc has never been released for Linux, and there is no public roadmap, beta signup, or announcement for a Linux build. The Browser Company lists Linux as unsupported, and given that Arc is in maintenance mode, a Linux release is not realistic.
When is Dia coming to Windows or Linux?
Dia is currently Mac-only and requires macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. A Dia for Windows beta signup page has existed since around March 2026, but no public release date has been announced. There is no announcement for Dia on Linux.
Is Arc for Windows still maintained?
Yes, at the same level as the Mac version. Arc for Windows gets Chromium security and stability updates through the maintenance-mode process, with the most recent build (1.105.0) released May 6, 2026. No new Windows-specific features are planned.
What is the best Arc alternative for Windows?
Zen Browser is the closest cross-platform Arc-like browser available natively on Windows, with vertical tabs, Workspaces, and split view. Vivaldi is the power-user choice with deeper customization. Edge or Brave works for users who want vertical tabs without leaving the Chromium mainstream.
What is the best Arc alternative for Linux?
Zen Browser is the recommended Linux option, with native builds across Flatpak, AppImage, and distribution packages. Vivaldi is the alternative for power users, and Firefox with the Sidebery extension is the open-source assemble-it-yourself path.
Can I run Arc browser on Linux using Wine?
Technically yes, with community guides walking through Wine configuration to run the Windows build. It is not officially supported by The Browser Company, updates can break the install, and performance is worse than a native Linux browser. It is not recommended as a daily driver.
Why did The Browser Company not release Arc for Linux?
The Browser Company never publicly explained the decision in detail. Arc launched as Mac-first, expanded to Windows late in its lifecycle, and entered maintenance mode in May 2025 before a Linux build ever appeared. With development focus now on Dia, a Linux Arc release is not a realistic prospect.
By Kshetez Vinayak, founder of SupaSidebar. Last updated June 4, 2026.