Where apps hide your files

Finding Arc's sidebar and profile data

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

Arc stores your Spaces, pins and folders in one JSON file in Application Support, and the app stops working on 22 December 2026. Here is the path, what else is in the folder and how to get your data out in time.

The folder

Arc keeps its data under Application Support:

~/Library/Application Support/Arc/

The file most people want is the sidebar, which holds your Spaces, pinned tabs and folders:

~/Library/Application Support/Arc/StorableSidebar.json

The Browser Company does not document its file names. This path comes from third-party export guides and open-source converters, which all agree on it, so treat the layout below as reported rather than official. Two ways to confirm it on your own Mac without guessing: a user on a public forum describes Help > Troubleshooting > Reveal Arc Data as opening this folder in Finder, and because Arc is built on Chromium, typing chrome://version in its address bar should show a Profile Path line pointing at the profile folder inside it.

Arc stops working on 22 December 2026

The Browser Company's notice on arc.net says Arc for macOS and Windows stops working on 22 December 2026, that all Arc accounts are deactivated that day, and that personal data tied to an account is deleted within 30 days. If you still use Arc, the supported ways out are:

• Into Dia, the company's newer browser. Its importer brings over passwords, history, tabs, Profiles, Folders, bookmarks and extensions, and Arc's Spaces become Profiles there. Choose Arc as the source when you sign up, or later from Dia's import menu, before the deadline.
• Into any other browser. In Arc, choose Arc > Settings > Advanced > Export Data. The notice describes this as saving your tabs as a list of links.

Whichever you choose, also copy the local folder while Arc is quit. Arc Sync depends on your Arc account, so after the deadline the copy on your disk is the only one you control.

Open it

In Finder, press ⇧⌘G (Go > Go to Folder), paste ~/Library/Application Support/Arc and press Return. In Terminal:

open ~/Library/Application\ Support/Arc

The Library folder is hidden in your home folder. ⇧⌘G skips the need to reveal it, or press ⇧⌘. in a Finder window to show hidden items.

What is in there

Alongside the Arc-specific files, Arc keeps Chromium-style profile data. Guides and cleanup tools describe these pieces:

Item	What it is
StorableSidebar.json	Sidebar structure: Spaces, pinned tabs, folders
User Data/	Chromium profile folders (history, cookies, extensions, per-site data)
User Data/Default	The first profile; extra profiles are usually named Profile 1, Profile 2 and so on
Extensions inside a profile	Each extension in a folder named by its ID, then a version folder

Folders appear only once something creates them, and other apps can create them too. A password manager or assistant app that ships a browser extension may add User Data/NativeMessagingHosts even on a Mac where Arc was never set up, so a near-empty Arc folder is not a sign of lost data.

Spaces are not the same thing as Chromium profiles. A Space is a sidebar grouping stored in the sidebar file; a profile is a separate set of cookies and logins. Your Work Space's pinned tabs are in StorableSidebar.json. A logged-in session is in the profile folder.

Turning the sidebar file into bookmarks

Arc's own export gives you a list of links. If you want an importable bookmarks file that keeps your folder structure, third-party converters read StorableSidebar.json and write a bookmarks HTML file that Chrome, Firefox or Safari can import. The open-source arc-export script is one; several small apps do the same. Guides describing them say pinned tabs, folders and Spaces carry across, while open tabs, Easels, notes and Boosts do not, and they disagree about split views, so check the result.

Copy the file before you run any converter. In Finder, select StorableSidebar.json, press ⌘C, then paste a copy to your Desktop with ⌘V, and point the tool at the copy. The file lists the address of everything you have pinned, so treat it like your bookmarks and do not upload it anywhere you would not upload those.

Space and what is safe to remove

Most of the weight sits in the Chromium profile: caches, service workers and site storage, all rebuilt on demand. With Arc quit, folders named Cache, Code Cache or GPUCache inside a profile can go to the Trash. Chromium browsers usually keep a disk cache under ~/Library/Caches as well; Arc's folder there is not documented, so list the candidates rather than guess:

ls ~/Library/Caches | grep -i -E "^arc|thebrowser"

Do not trash the whole Arc folder to "reset" the browser unless you have copied StorableSidebar.json and accept losing logins, extensions and local site data. Once you have moved to another browser and checked your bookmarks there, removing the folder is a normal uninstall step.

Backing up, or moving to a new Mac

Before the deadline, the simplest route to a new Mac is to install Dia there and import, or to sign in to Arc and let it sync. As a fallback backup, copy ~/Library/Application Support/Arc while Arc is quit. Copying a profile that is in use can capture databases halfway through a write. Putting the folder back on another Mac is not a documented restore method, so rely on it only as a source for converters.

Why Spotlight comes up empty

Spotlight does not show results from ~/Library, so searching "StorableSidebar" returns nothing even when the file exists.

Finding it again without remembering the path

Everywhere searches file names, including the ones inside ~/Library that Spotlight skips. Type StorableSidebar and the live file appears, along with any copies you saved to the Desktop or Documents once Everywhere has Full Disk Access, and ⌘↵ reveals the one you want in Finder. It matches names only, not the tabs or URLs written inside the JSON, so it finds the file but will not tell you which Space holds a given link.

Common questions

Where is StorableSidebar.json on a Mac?

Third-party guides and converters place it at ~/Library/Application Support/Arc/StorableSidebar.json. A user forum post describes Arc's Help, Troubleshooting, Reveal Arc Data item as opening the same folder.

Can I export my Spaces and tabs from Arc?

Yes. Arc > Settings > Advanced > Export Data saves your tabs as a list of links, and Dia can import Arc's passwords, history, tabs, folders, bookmarks and extensions. Third-party converters can also turn a copy of StorableSidebar.json into a bookmarks file.

What happens to Arc on 22 December 2026?

According to The Browser Company's notice on arc.net, the Mac and Windows apps stop working that day, Arc accounts are deactivated, and account-related personal data is deleted within 30 days. Export or import into another browser before then, and copy the local Arc folder as well.

Is it safe to delete the Arc folder in Application Support?

Not while you still need anything in it. It holds your sidebar file, logins, extensions and site data. Quit Arc and copy the folder first, and trash only cache folders if you just want space back.