Arc for Mac
Your AI screen assistant, built for macOS. Summarize, read aloud, chat, and automate any window with a single shortcut.
The quiet return of local-first software
For fifteen years the default answer was the server. Your documents lived somewhere else, your edits were round trips, and an aeroplane was enough to make the tool useless.
Local-first inverts that. The device holds the real copy; the network is a synchroniser, not a landlord. Conflict-free replicated data types made the merge tractable, and cheap local storage made the rest obvious.
AI Summary
inkandatoms.comFor fifteen years software defaulted to the server — documents lived remotely and every edit was a round trip.
Local-first inverts the relationship: the device holds the authoritative copy and the network merely synchronises it.
CRDTs made conflict-free merging practical, while cheap local storage removed the last reason to centralise.
The tradeoff moves to sync infrastructure: teams own the merge semantics they used to rent from a database.
The pattern pays off where offline use is a real requirement, not an aesthetic one.
Up and running in a minute.
Arc is a notarized Mac app you install by dragging it to Applications.
Open the downloaded .dmg and drag Arc into your Applications folder, then launch it.
Arc asks for Accessibility permission so it can read the window you're working in. Screen Recording is only needed for screenshot-based actions.
Hit Control + Space anywhere in macOS to open the Arc menu and run any action on whatever is on screen. You can change the shortcut in Settings.
Powerful AI, right on your Mac.
Arc on macOS brings the same privacy-first screen assistant to your desktop.
Any Screen, Summarized
Instantly summarize Safari pages, PDFs, emails, or any app window without switching context.
Read Aloud
Listen to articles, documents, or messages with Mac’s natural text-to-speech voices.
Chat About Anything
Ask follow-up questions about any window, document, or conversation on your screen.
Custom Shortcuts
Build one-tap AI actions and assign them to global hotkeys for the workflows you repeat.
AI Writer
Rewrite, reply, translate, or polish text in any Mac app without copy-pasting.
Smart Extract
Pull out key points, dates, contacts, and action items from any screen or document instantly.
500+ Community Actions
Browse and install ready-made AI actions shared by the Arc community for work, study, and productivity.
Syncs with Android
Sign in and your saved summaries, custom actions, and subscription carry across from Arc on Android.
Also available on Android
Use Arc on your phone too — one account, the same saved content and subscription on both.
About Arc for Mac
Arc for Mac brings the same AI screen assistant experience that Android users love to macOS. Whether you’re reading a long article in Safari, reviewing a PDF in Preview, or composing an email in Mail, Arc helps you summarize, listen, write, and automate — without switching apps.
What makes Arc different on macOS
On desktop, most AI tools require you to copy-paste text into a separate window or switch to a browser tab. Arc works directly on what’s already visible on your screen. On macOS it uses the system’s accessibility APIs to read on-screen content and provide AI-powered assistance in any application — only ever when you invoke an action yourself.
Arc for Mac supports global hotkeys, a menu bar item, and a Spotlight-style floating panel that appears over whatever you’re working on — always available, never in the way. Whether you’re a student, researcher, developer, or professional, Arc fits into your existing Mac workflow without disrupting it.
Features on macOS
- AI Summary: Instantly summarize Safari pages, PDFs, emails, or any app window without context switching
- AI Text Reader: Listen to articles, documents, or messages with Mac’s natural text-to-speech voices
- AI Chat: Ask follow-up questions about any window, document, or conversation on your screen
- AI Writer: Rewrite, reply, translate, or polish text in any Mac app without copy-pasting
- Custom AI Actions: Build one-tap AI actions and assign them to global hotkeys for repeated workflows
- Community Actions: Browse and install 500+ AI actions shared by the Arc community
- Smart Extract: Pull out key points, dates, contacts, and action items from any screen or document
- Google Drive Backup: Optionally back up your saved content and restore it on another Mac or on Android
- 10 Languages: English, Spanish, German, Portuguese (Brazil & Portugal), French, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, and Arabic
System requirements
Arc for Mac requires macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later and runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs as a universal binary. The app is code-signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it installs without security warnings.
Why isn’t Arc on the Mac App Store?
Arc reads on-screen content through macOS accessibility APIs, which Apple’s App Sandbox prohibits. Since sandboxing is mandatory for Mac App Store apps, Arc is distributed directly from this site instead — notarized by Apple and updated automatically through a signed update feed, so you still get the same security guarantees.
Is Arc for Mac free?
Yes. Arc follows the same freemium model as the Android app — 7 free requests per week on basic features, with a premium subscription for unlimited access. Your subscription works across both platforms with the same account.
Privacy on macOS
Arc only reads your screen when you invoke an action — never in the background, and never as a keylogger. Screenshots are taken only for actions that need them, and processed content is never stored on our servers. Password managers are skipped automatically. See the Privacy Policy for the full list of macOS permissions and exactly when each is used.
Apply your invite code.
Once Arc is installed, open it with your code attached — you'll both get Arc Pro free when you subscribe.
Code . You can also enter it by hand in Settings → Refer a friend.