How to Enable JavaScript on Arc

Arc is The Browser Company's reimagined Chromium browser, available on macOS, Windows, and iOS (the iPhone version, called Arc Search, is a thinner companion app rather than a full Arc port). On every platform JavaScript is enabled by default. If a site is showing a blank page or a "Please enable JavaScript" message in Arc, the toggle has been changed somewhere in your settings - typically by an extension, a profile import from Chrome, or a privacy preset.

This guide covers every Arc scenario: enabling JavaScript globally on macOS and Windows, allowing it for a single site, the arc://settings shortcut, the iOS flow, and how to verify JavaScript is running. All steps reflect Arc's current interface as of 2026.

Enable JavaScript globally in Arc on macOS Sequoia

Arc started life as a Mac-only browser, and macOS is still where most Arc users are. The Settings page lives behind the standard Cmd + , shortcut.

Step 1: Open Arc

Launch Arc from Launchpad, Spotlight, or the Dock.

Step 2: Open Settings

Press Cmd + ,. Or click Arc → Settings in the macOS menu bar.

Step 3: Open the Profiles tab

In the Settings window, click the Profiles tab. Arc keeps per-profile settings here, including site permissions inherited from Chromium.

Step 4: Open Advanced → Site Settings

Scroll to the bottom of the profile and click Manage advanced settings in Chromium. Arc opens its underlying Chromium settings page in a new tab. From there, click Privacy and security → Site settings.

Step 5: Open the JavaScript permission

Scroll to the Content section and click JavaScript.

Step 6: Set "Sites can use JavaScript"

Under Default behavior, select Sites can use JavaScript. The change is instant. Reload any open tab.

Enable JavaScript globally in Arc on Windows 11

The Windows version of Arc reached general availability in 2024 and has feature parity with the Mac version for everything related to web rendering. The path to the JavaScript toggle is identical except for the keyboard shortcut.

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: Open the Profiles tab and Advanced settings

Click Profiles, scroll to the bottom, and click Manage advanced settings in Chromium.

Step 4: Privacy and security → Site settings

In the Chromium settings page click Privacy and security in the sidebar, then Site settings.

Step 5: Open the JavaScript permission

Scroll to Content and click JavaScript.

Step 6: Set "Sites can use JavaScript"

Select Sites can use JavaScript. The change applies immediately.

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

The Chromium settings page Arc opens internally responds to the same address-bar shortcut Chrome and Brave use. 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 and Advanced. Bookmark it.

Other useful Arc shortcuts:

  • arc://settings/content - the full Site settings page (all permissions).
  • arc://settings/privacy - the broader Privacy and security panel.
  • arc://flags - experimental flags (advanced users only).

Allow JavaScript on a single site in Arc

If you have JavaScript blocked globally, you can still allow it on individual sites:

  1. Open arc://settings/content/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.

You can also do this from a tab that is already open: click the small lock or tune icon to the left of the URL, choose Site settings, find JavaScript, and switch it from Block (default) to Allow.

Enable JavaScript on Arc Search for iPhone and iPad

Arc Search on iOS is a different app from desktop Arc. It is a search-first launcher built on top of Apple's WebKit, so its JavaScript handling is controlled entirely by iOS itself. Apple requires every browser on iOS and iPadOS to use the system WebKit engine, which means there is no JavaScript toggle inside the Arc Search iOS app. The setting that controls JavaScript for Arc Search lives in iOS Settings, and it applies to every browser on the device at the same time.

Step 1: Open the iOS Settings app

Tap the gray gear icon on your home screen or App Library.

Step 2: Tap Apps

Scroll down and tap Apps.

Step 3: Tap Safari

Inside Apps, tap Safari.

Step 4: Open Advanced

Scroll to the bottom of Safari's settings and tap Advanced.

Step 5: Enable JavaScript

Toggle JavaScript on (green). The change applies immediately to Arc Search, Safari, Chrome, Brave, and every other browser on the device.

How to verify JavaScript is now on in Arc

The clearest test:

  1. Open a new tab and visit any JavaScript-detection page.
  2. If the page reports JavaScript is enabled, the toggle is doing its job.

You can also confirm via DevTools:

  1. Press Cmd + Option + I (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows) to open DevTools.
  2. Click the Console tab.
  3. Type 1+1 and press Enter. If the console returns 2, JavaScript is running.

How to disable JavaScript on Arc

If you need the opposite, see our guide: How to Disable JavaScript on Arc. It covers the global block, the per-site allow-list, and the privacy and performance reasons people choose to turn it off.

Need to disable JavaScript instead? See: How to Disable JavaScript on Arc

Instructions for Web Developers

You may want to consider linking to this site, to educate any script-disabled users on how to enable JavaScript in six most commonly used browsers. You are free to use the code below and modify it according to your needs.

<noscript>
For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript.
Here are the <a href="https://www.enablejavascript.io/">
instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser</a>.
</noscript>

On enablejavascript.io we optimize the script-disabled user experience as much as we can:

  • The instructions for your browser are put at the top of the page
  • All the images are inlined, full-size, for easy perusing

We want your visitors to have JavaScript enabled just as much as you do!

F.A.Q

Why does Arc make me click into Profiles to find JavaScript settings?

Arc keeps its own UI minimal and only surfaces the settings most users actually change - sidebar layout, themes, profile import. Anything that lives in the underlying Chromium engine is intentionally tucked away behind 'Manage advanced settings in Chromium' to avoid duplicating Chrome's overwhelming Settings page. JavaScript, cookies, and other site permissions all live in that advanced view. Once you know the arc://settings/content/javascript shortcut, you never have to navigate Profiles for it again.

Is Arc Search on iPhone the same as Arc on Mac?

No, they are different products. Arc Search is a lightweight search-and-browse companion built around Apple's WebKit, designed for one-handed phone use. The full Arc browser, with sidebar, spaces, and all the desktop features, is only on macOS and Windows - there is no iOS port of full Arc as of 2026. JavaScript settings on Arc Search are controlled by iOS itself (Settings -> Apps -> Safari -> Advanced) because Apple requires every iOS browser to use the system WebKit engine.

Will my Chrome profile import to Arc keep JavaScript settings?

Yes. When you import from Chrome, Arc copies your bookmarks, history, passwords, extensions, and site permissions including the per-site allow and block lists for JavaScript. If you had JavaScript globally on in Chrome, Arc inherits that. If you had specific sites blocked or allowed, those rules import too. You can review the imported list at arc://settings/content/javascript -> Customised behaviours.

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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