The Arc Browser on Windows is Just TOO Confusing...

The Arc browser, so many people have recommended this chromium browser, (including myself at some point), but after actually trying it out on Windows 11, it's not as great as it initially seems. So in this video, I'll go over my personal experience of using this browser for about a week on windows 11, things that you should consider before switching to it as well as a far better alternative for windows users - spoiler it's the Zen browser. And if you want to see a video on Zen then be sure to drop a like. :D

Though if your looking for some more windows content then be sure to check out this playlist:

Or you could always check out this other playlist for a bunch of Google Chrome / Chromium related videos.

VIDEO INFORMATION
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⏲ Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:19 Quick Disclaimer ;)
0:42 Overview of the Browser UI
1:59 Space Savings and Fullscreen Mode
3:58 Odd Scrolling Behaviour
4:27 Odd Zooming Behaviour
4:50 Strange UI Choices
5:32 Pinned Tabs and Favourites
7:28 Arc on Start-up
8:03 Tab Switching and Preview
9:02 Accounts
9:57 Positives
10:11 Downloading Impressions
10:37 Theming
10:47 Spaces Navigation
11:22 Lack of New Tab Page
11:45 Split Windows
12:19 Keyboard Shortcuts
12:51 Final Thoughts
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TOOLS I USE
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📷 Stock Footage and Icons:
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🎵 Audio Sources:
Youtube Audio Libary
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#windows #browser #productivity

Thanks for watching!

[Productive_Tech]

By pressing the like button you increase the chances of a video on other browsers significantly... What browser do YOU use??? :)

[catane]

finally someone talking about this. Like I said on reddit one time: "I was a big fan of Arc until I used it. Big disappointment"

[JacobBumgarner]

Definitely curious to see a Zen deep dive!

[SteveMacSticky]

I have no interest in this "browser". They must add a "p" to the front of "arc", then reverse the word. Same thing.

[PetrosTotskas]

Finally someone who said what needed to be said.

[QuantumScribe]

Back in 2022, the Verge touted Arc as the Chrome replacement we’ve been looking for and described it as ‘much more opinionated and much more complicated than your average browser.’ Indeed, it is not only much more complicated for the user but clearly too complicated for the developers who couldn’t readily port it to Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. And bizarrely, Arc existed only in the Apple world, where 99% of its user base is adverse to complexity. To quote Steve Jobs, “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.” Arc, on the other hand, embraced complexity and tried to convince users to put their noses to the grindstone to discover the Arc way. Now that Arc has pulled their head out of there 🫏, it’s probably too late.

[Shimeih]

Arc used to be great then the honeymoon phase ended and I went back to safari.

[zyan...]

7:29 Yes, a video about the Zen browser would be cool.

[Mayura]

A major red flag for me is their silence around their monetization plans. It’s a serious turnoff and makes the whole thing feel uncertain.

[medelghorchi]

I installed ARC and started using it then I realized what a mess I got myself into, I uninstalled it straight away, and then I noticed that it changed the command (Shift+Ctrl+A) throughout my system, after fixing it I swore I would never use it again.

[navixaxa]

Arc is far more superior on MacOS and iOS.

And total bullshit on Windows and Android.

But overall, I think it is a failed attempt at re-inventing the Wheel.

And I feel more so this way given how Arc has effectively stalled, and the Browser Company has essentially abandoned it.

I've been using Arc since 2023, and most of the stuff never made any sense to me.


The only good things about it are the Themes, Easels, the Download Animation, the animation when you install Arc, and the ability to choose from a multitude of Icons.

Have been recently using Zen Browser and Opera One on both my Windows Machines and on my Macs.

Opera One is really, really beautiful, and Zen also has a lot of potential.

[darshanparmar]

I love Arc’s sync, spaces, color preferences, and split tabs -- i'm used to it now. only downside for me is the tab order. and thanks for mentioning Zen Browser; I’ve never tried it but will check it out. Keep up the awesome content

[LoneWolfie]

Honestly it just seems more trouble than anything to use this instead of something like Firefox. Oh and please do a deep dive on Zen, it seems promising.

And I must say I love your editing and the amount of info in your videos

[SireX]

I have used arcs on windows since the very beginning and I love it. For me all problems stated in the video are strange. Like, for me all this stuff is really intuitive and easy to understand. I especially enjoy multiple spaces with pinned pages in them and the ability to have favourite apps which are the same between all spaces. However, the lack of support from developers makes me sad(

[CookieCft]

Nice & entertaining video. Straight to the point.

[itsmsgm]

I tried to use it but found It confusing af. So switched back to Firefox again.

[andydoescoding]

Favorites glow when they're the tab you have open, minus means close tab, x means to remove the tab

[julholsch]

6:38 For that functionality are the profiles. You can create multiple profiles and assign them to the spaces.

[Anxyis]

Zen browser is just way better. I've been daily driving it for a while now, fully customised to my needs and no crappy ai or unnecessary bloat.

Its not chromium based, instead used firefox. Somehow almost has everything arc offers!

[nyx]

I’d love a Zen Browser Video! It’s my daily driver by now