Moving from Arc to Zen

Zen is the closest thing to Arc's sidebar-and-Spaces layout (Zen overview). But Zen does not have a built-in Arc importer (Zen discussion #8967), so you either use a community tool or go through bookmarks.

How Arc maps onto Zen

• Spaces → Zen Spaces (Workspaces)
• Favorites → Essentials
• Pinned tabs and folders → pinned tabs/folders in each Space
• Profiles → a container per Space
• Peek → Glance

Source: Zen docs.

Option 1: a free community migration tool

Several small open-source projects read Arc's StorableSidebar.json and write Zen's sidebar directly: arc2zen, arc-to-zen-guide, arc-to-zen. Their READMEs say they handle Spaces, pinned tabs and nested folders. We have not tested them, so their results are unverified. Quit Zen, back up your Zen profile and Arc's sidebar file, and read the code first.

Option 2: bookmarks (works for everyone)

1. Back up first. Copy StorableSidebar.json somewhere safe (where it lives).
2. Run Arc's Export Data. Mac: Arc > Settings > Advanced > Export Data. Windows: Ctrl+, then Advanced > Export Spaces and tabs > Export Data. You get Arc Data Export.md, a list of links per Space.
3. Turn the sidebar into a bookmarks HTML file with an open-source converter such as arc-export (unofficial; read it before running), or with the kit's script.

4. In Zen: Bookmarks > Manage Bookmarks > Import and Backup > Import Bookmarks from HTML (same as Firefox).
5. Create one Zen Space per Arc Space and drag the folder's links in as pinned tabs.

What won't come over

Passwords (export them from Arc's password manager as CSV (Chromium's arc://password-manager/settings > Export passwords; unverified on every Arc version), then import in Zen's password manager), Easels and Boosts (what to do instead). Chrome extensions need Firefox equivalents. Zen can't play DRM video like Netflix on Windows/macOS (Zen FAQ).

FAQ

Related: compare alternatives · quiz · export guide · all guides