Arc Browser Spaces: How to Use Them

Arc Browser’s Spaces let you split your browsing into separate, themed work areas — each with its own tabs, pinned sites, and even its own profile. This guide walks you through creating, switching, and managing Spaces so you can keep work, personal, and project browsing neatly separated.

What You’ll Need

• A Mac or Windows computer with Arc Browser installed (the current stable version).
• Your Arc account signed in (Spaces sync across devices, but you can use them without an account too).

Step-by-Step

Creating a New Space

1. Open Arc Browser.
2. Look at the left sidebar. At the top, you’ll see your current Space name (by default it’s called “Personal” or “Space 1”).
3. Click the + (plus) icon next to the Space name, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+N (Windows) or Cmd+N (Mac) — but note that this shortcut creates a new window, not a Space. To create a new Space directly, click the small down-arrow next to the Space name and select “New Space.”
4. Give your Space a name, like “Work,” “School,” or “Shopping.”
5. Optionally, pick a color and icon for the Space to make it easy to spot in the sidebar.
6. Click “Create Space.” Arc will switch to the new empty Space immediately.

Switching Between Spaces

1. Look at the top of the sidebar again. You’ll see all your Spaces listed as small icons or names.
2. Click on any Space name to switch to it. Your tabs and pinned sites for that Space appear in the main tab area.
3. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Left/Right (Mac) to cycle through Spaces quickly.

Organizing Tabs Within a Space

1. In any Space, you can create folders to group related tabs. Click the + next to “Pinned” or “Today” in the sidebar and choose “New Folder.”
2. Drag tabs into the folder. Tabs inside folders still open normally when clicked.
3. Use the “Today” section for temporary tabs — these disappear after 12 hours unless you pin them. To pin a tab, right-click it and select “Pin Tab” or drag it to the “Pinned” section.

Using Profiles with Spaces

1. Each Space can have its own profile, meaning separate cookies, logins, and extensions. To set this, click the Space name at the top of the sidebar.
2. Select “Space Settings” (or the gear icon).
3. Under “Profile,” choose an existing profile or create a new one. This is great for keeping work email and personal social media logged in simultaneously.
4. Close the settings. Now when you switch to that Space, you’ll be logged into the sites associated with that profile.

Renaming, Reordering, and Deleting Spaces

1. Right-click a Space name in the sidebar.
2. Choose “Rename” to change its name, or “Delete Space” to remove it. Deleting a Space removes its tabs and folders, but your pinned sites can be recovered if you have sync enabled.
3. To reorder Spaces, drag the Space name up or down in the sidebar.
4. To duplicate a Space (useful for starting fresh but keeping the same pinned sites), right-click and select “Duplicate Space.”

Moving Tabs Between Spaces

1. Right-click a tab you want to move.
2. Select “Move to Space” and choose the destination Space from the list.
3. The tab disappears from the current Space and appears in the target Space’s “Today” or “Pinned” area, depending on where it was.

Common Mistakes

• Confusing Spaces with windows: A new window (Ctrl+N) is not a new Space. It’s just another window showing the same Space. To get a truly separate set of tabs, create a new Space.
• Forgetting that “Today” tabs expire: If you rely on a tab that you haven’t pinned, it will vanish after 12 hours. Pin anything you need long-term.
• Using the same profile everywhere: If you don’t set a different profile per Space, you’ll be logged into the same accounts in all Spaces. That defeats the purpose of separation for privacy.
• Deleting a Space without checking sync: If you have sync off, deleting a Space permanently removes its pinned sites. Always confirm before deleting.

Tips

• Name Spaces by project or context (e.g., “Client A,” “Research,” “Personal”) rather than by generic labels like “Work” — it makes switching easier.
• Use the color coding: assign a distinct color to each Space so you can tell at a glance which one you’re in.
• Take advantage of per-Space extensions. If you have a password manager, you can set it up only in the Spaces where you need it.
• Use Split View within a Space to view two tabs side by side — this works independently in each Space.
• If you use Arc on multiple devices, Spaces sync automatically when you’re signed in. You can reorder or rename them on any device and the changes appear everywhere.

Troubleshooting

• Spaces aren’t syncing between devices: Make sure you’re signed into the same Arc account on both devices and that sync is enabled in Arc’s settings (Arc > Settings > Sync). Check your internet connection.
• A Space disappeared: If you didn’t delete it, check if you accidentally switched to a different profile or if the Space was hidden. Right-click the sidebar area and see if “Show All Spaces” is available. If sync is on, you can also check your other devices.
• Can’t create a new Space: If the + icon is greyed out, you might have reached the limit (Arc allows a large number, but not unlimited). Try deleting an old Space you no longer need.
• Tabs from one Space appear in another: This usually means you’re actually looking at the same Space in two windows. Check the Space name at the top of each window — they should differ if you intended them to be separate.
• Extensions not appearing in a Space: Each Space with a different profile has its own extension set. Go to the Space’s settings and ensure the extensions you want are enabled for that profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have more than one window open for the same Space?

Yes. You can open multiple windows, and each window can show any Space. Use the window switcher (Cmd+` or Ctrl+`) to cycle between windows.

Do Spaces share bookmarks?

Bookmarks (pinned sites) are per-Space. A site pinned in one Space does not appear in another unless you pin it there too. Your regular bookmarks bar, if you use one, is shared across Spaces.

Can I set a different homepage for each Space?

Not directly. Arc uses a single “New Tab” page per profile. If you want different starting pages, use a different profile per Space and set the homepage in that profile’s settings.

What happens to my tabs if I close a Space?

Closing a Space (not deleting) just hides it from the sidebar. Your tabs remain intact, and you can reopen the Space from the Space list. Deleting a Space removes its tabs permanently unless you have sync enabled, in which case you might recover them from another device.

Can I share a Space with someone else?

Arc doesn’t have a direct “share Space” feature. You can share individual tabs or use Arc’s “Share” menu to send a link. For collaboration, you might use a shared folder of links instead.

Is there a limit to how many Spaces I can create?

Arc doesn’t document a strict limit, but performance may degrade with an extremely large number. In practice, dozens of Spaces work fine. If you run into issues, consolidate older Spaces.

Related

• Default Linux Shell: What It Is and Why
• iPhone Stuck in DFU Mode? How to Fix It
• PS2 Games on PC: Full Setup Guide