How to Disable JavaScript on Arc

Arc is built on Chromium, which means it inherits every fine-grained JavaScript control Chrome and Brave have - the global toggle, the per-site allow-list, the address-bar shortcut, even the DevTools per-tab disable. The Arc team has not added their own privacy-focused script blocker on top, the way Brave Shields does, so the path to disabling JavaScript in Arc is essentially the Chrome flow with a different keyboard shortcut and a thicker sidebar.

Arc users tend to disable JavaScript for one of three reasons: testing how a site degrades for users without JS (web developers), defending against tracking and fingerprinting on a public network, or saving CPU and battery on an older Mac. All three are legitimate, and the toggle below covers every one of them.

Before you disable: read this

With JavaScript globally turned off in Arc, expect the following:

  • Most single-page apps (Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, Notion, X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, online banking) will not load past a blank screen or a static fallback.
  • Login forms on many sites will fail silently, because the submit button is wired up in JavaScript instead of a plain HTML form.
  • Search autocomplete, infinite scroll, video players, captchas, and "Add to cart" buttons will frequently break.
  • Many news sites and blogs work surprisingly well, because the body text is in the HTML and the JavaScript is mostly ads and analytics.

The recommended setup for most people is block by default, allow-list a few trusted sites. Steps for that allow-list workflow are below.

Disable JavaScript globally in Arc on macOS Sequoia

Step 1: Open Arc

Launch Arc from Launchpad, Spotlight, or the Dock.

Step 2: Open Settings

Press Cmd + , or choose Arc → Settings from the macOS menu bar.

Step 3: Profiles → Manage advanced settings in Chromium

Click the Profiles tab and scroll to the bottom. Click Manage advanced settings in Chromium to open the underlying Chromium settings page.

Step 4: Privacy and security → Site settings

In the Chromium settings, click Privacy and security in the sidebar, then Site settings. Scroll to the Content section.

Step 5: Open the JavaScript permission

Click JavaScript.

Step 6: Switch to "Don't allow sites to use JavaScript"

Under Default behavior, select Don't allow sites to use JavaScript. From this point on every page you load will be served without running any JavaScript.

Disable JavaScript globally in Arc on Windows 11

Step 1: Open Arc

Launch Arc from the Start menu or taskbar.

Step 2: Open Settings

Press Ctrl + , or click your avatar in the sidebar and choose Settings.

Step 3: Profiles → Manage advanced settings in Chromium

Click Profiles and then Manage advanced settings in Chromium at the bottom.

Step 4: Privacy and security → Site settings

In the Chromium settings, click Privacy and security → Site settings.

Step 5: Open the JavaScript permission

Scroll to Content and click JavaScript.

Step 6: Switch to "Don't allow sites to use JavaScript"

Select Don't allow sites to use JavaScript.

The fast path: arc://settings/content/javascript

If you do this often, skip the menu entirely. Type or paste:

arc://settings/content/javascript

Press Enter and Arc takes you straight to the JavaScript permission page. Same toggle, same allow-list, no clicking through Profiles. Bookmark it.

Allow JavaScript on a single site (allow-list workflow)

The recommended setup for most users:

  1. Make sure Default behavior on arc://settings/content/javascript is set to Don't allow sites to use JavaScript.
  2. Scroll to Customised behaviours.
  3. Click Add next to Allowed to use JavaScript.
  4. Type the site, e.g. [*.]github.com for all GitHub subdomains, or https://mail.google.com for a single host.
  5. Click Add.

The leading [*.] pattern is the wildcard for "any subdomain". Without it, the rule applies only to the exact host.

Block JavaScript on a single site (block-list workflow)

The mirror image: JavaScript on globally, but switched off for a few specific sites:

  1. Leave Default behavior on Sites can use JavaScript.
  2. Under Customised behaviours, click Add next to Not allowed to use JavaScript.
  3. Enter the site (e.g. [*.]heavynewssite.com) and click Add.

That site now loads with JavaScript blocked while the rest of the web continues to work normally.

How to verify JavaScript is now off

Settings can lie. Extensions can override them. The cleanest test:

  1. Open a new tab and visit any JavaScript-detection page.
  2. Open Arc's DevTools with Cmd + Option + I (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows).
  3. Click the Console tab.
  4. Type 1+1 and press Enter.

If the page-level test reports JavaScript is off and a JS-heavy site stays blank, the toggle is working.

Disable JavaScript only inside DevTools (per-tab testing)

For developers who want JavaScript off for one tab without changing the global setting:

  1. Open the page you want to test.
  2. Press Cmd + Option + I (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows).
  3. Open the Command Menu with Cmd + Shift + P (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows).
  4. Type Disable JavaScript and press Enter.
  5. Reload the page. JavaScript is now off for this tab only, while DevTools stays open.

Disable JavaScript on Arc Search for iPhone and iPad

The current Arc Search iOS/iPadOS app has no global JavaScript switch that this guide can verify from vendor documentation. Apple's JavaScript setting under Safari is a Safari control; this guide does not present it as an Arc Search control.

For development testing, use desktop DevTools or a browser with a documented JavaScript control. For privacy, use Arc Search's documented tracking or content protections, but do not describe those protections as equivalent to disabling all JavaScript.

What to do if a site you need is now broken

Three options, in order of how minimal the change is:

  1. Add the site to your allow-list (steps above). Most surgical.
  2. Use a separate Arc profile or Space for browsing with JavaScript on. Open the avatar menu, add a profile, keep JS enabled there, and switch when you need a JS-heavy site to work.
  3. Re-enable JavaScript globally by setting Default behavior back to Sites can use JavaScript. Use the per-site block-list for the few sites you specifically want to block.
Want to turn JavaScript back on? See: How to Enable JavaScript on Arc

F.A.Q

Does Arc have a built-in script blocker like Brave Shields?

Arc does not document a Brave Shields-style built-in script blocker in the help reviewed here. For a site-specific JavaScript permission, use the visible Chromium settings exposed by the installed Arc build and verify the result on the named site. An arc://settings/content/javascript shortcut may work in some builds, but this guide treats the exact internal URL as build-dependent rather than guaranteed.

If I disable JavaScript in Arc, does it also disable JavaScript in Arc Search on my iPhone?

No. The desktop Arc permission affects desktop Arc only and has no effect on Arc Search on a phone. Current Arc Search help reviewed here does not document a browser-specific global JavaScript switch on iOS or iPadOS. Apple documents Settings -> Apps -> Safari -> Advanced -> JavaScript as a Safari setting, so this guide does not use that path as an Arc Search control.

Why would I disable JavaScript in Arc instead of just installing uBlock Origin?

Different threat models. uBlock Origin uses curated block lists to remove ads, trackers, and known malicious scripts while letting the rest of the page run. Disabling JavaScript globally in Arc removes everything: ads, trackers, fingerprinting, but also legitimate functionality. The privacy win is bigger because you stop running every script - including ones not on any block list - but the breakage is also bigger. Most privacy-focused Arc users run both: uBlock Origin for daily browsing, plus an allow-list-style JavaScript setup for stricter privacy on a smaller set of sites.

Olumide Damilola Olumide Damilola Updated: 2026-05-05
Olumide is a longtime writer who started his career as a digital marketer before transitioning into a copywriter almost eight years ago.
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