The ARC Launcher

Use the tray icon to open, update, restart, and quit ARC — and how ARC starts on its own.

Published Jun 19, 2026

On the ARC server computer, ARC runs quietly in the background. You manage it from the launcher — a small icon in the Windows system tray, plus a little status window that appears when ARC needs your attention.

You rarely need to touch it during the day. It’s there for starting up, updates, and the occasional restart.

The tray menu

Click (or right-click) the ARC tray icon to open its menu:

  • Open ARC — opens the ARC screens in your default browser.
  • Manage Account — opens the Portal, where your account, subscription, and license live.
  • Restart ARC Services — stops and restarts ARC’s background services without closing the launcher.
  • Quit ARC Software — fully stops ARC on this computer (with a confirmation first).

When an update is waiting, an extra item appears at the top — Review Update In ARC — which takes you to where you finish installing it.

Screenshot to capture The Windows system-tray menu for ARC, expanded to show Open ARC, Manage Account, Restart ARC Services, and Quit ARC Software.

ARC starts on its own

ARC is set to start automatically when you sign in to Windows. After a reboot or a power blip, the server computer signs in and ARC comes back up on its own — no one has to remember to launch it.

Good to know after a power outage

As long as the ARC server computer is set to sign in on its own, your rooms come back without anyone opening ARC manually.

Updating ARC

When a new version is available, ARC notices in the background and shows a notification — ARC Update Available — then downloads the update quietly while it works. When it’s ready, you’ll see ARC Update Ready.

You choose when to actually install it: open Review Update In ARC from the tray (or go to System → Overview in the ARC screens) and finish the update when it’s safe to restart. Installing the update briefly restarts ARC.

Updates wait for you

ARC won’t restart itself in the middle of a game to update. The download happens in the background, but the final install only happens when you choose it.

Screenshot to capture The 'ARC Update Ready' notification, and the System → Overview screen where the update is installed.

Restarting ARC

If something seems off, Restart ARC Services from the tray menu is the quickest fix — it restarts ARC’s background services while leaving the launcher running. (ARC also restarts itself automatically if it ever stops unexpectedly.)

Quitting ARC

Quit ARC Software fully stops ARC on this computer. Because that’s a big deal, ARC asks first:

Quit ARC Software? This will stop all automations, active timers, and ARC Software services on this computer.

You can Restart instead, or confirm Quit.

Quitting stops everything on this PC

Quitting ends all running games, timers, and automations on the ARC server. During open hours, you almost always want Restart ARC Services instead of Quit.

What’s next

Now that ARC is running, learn how to open ARC in a browser from any computer on your network.