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Phi Browser offers three layout modes so you can choose how much screen space you want to dedicate to content versus browser controls.

• Performance Mode gives most room to the web page itself. It uses a vertical sidebar for tabs and bookmarks, and removes the URL bar from the content area.
• Balanced Mode keeps the vertical sidebar, but adds the URL bar above the content area. It is the middle ground between space efficiency and familiarity.
• Comfortable Mode looks more like a traditional browser. Tabs sit on top, the URL bar is visible, and the layout feels closer to Chrome, though the sidebar still exists.

• If you are coming from Chrome and want the easiest transition, start with Comfortable Mode.
• If you like the idea of a modern sidebar workflow but still want the address bar visible, start with Balanced Mode.
• If you want maximum page space and are happy to embrace Phi's design more fully, use Performance Mode.

Because most modern screens are wide, not tall.

Horizontal space is usually abundant. Vertical space is the thing you run out of first, especially when reading, writing, researching, or working inside web apps. A vertical sidebar makes better use of the shape of modern displays and leaves more room for the actual page.

This can feel unfamiliar at first if you are coming from (traditional) Chrome (side note: even Chrome has vertical sidebar these days), but it tends to make more sense once you use it for a while.

Because Phi treats bookmarks as part of your browsing workspace, not just a hidden archive.

Traditional browsers tend to separate tabs, bookmarks, and saved pages into different places. Phi is more opinionated. It tries to make saved things feel present and usable, rather than buried inside a menu you open twice a year and immediately regret.

In Comfortable Mode, bookmarks behave more like they do in Chrome.

You can show the bookmark bar by going to:

• View → Always show bookmark bar

There is also a Bookmarks menu you are able to access from the menu bar.

In Balanced Mode and Performance Mode, there is no traditional bookmark bar.

Instead, bookmarks are created by dragging tabs into the sidebar. The sidebar becomes the main place where you organize pages you want to keep.

This is more visual, more direct, and more in line with a workspace-style browser model.

Because they are closely related.

A tab is something you are using now. A bookmark is something you want to keep around. In practice, people constantly move between those two states. Phi treats them as part of the same workspace rather than two completely separate systems hidden in different corners of the interface.

This is closer to the workflow popularized by Arc-style browsers, where browsing is treated more like organizing a working space than juggling disposable tabs.

They serve different purposes.

Pinned Tabs live at the top of the sidebar. These are persistent tabs you want to keep readily available, like favorite tools, dashboards, inboxes, or regularly used apps.

Bookmarks live below pinned tabs. These are saved pages you want to keep for later, but not necessarily keep open as part of your active browsing setup.

A simple way to think about it:

• Pinned Tabs are pages you live in.
• Bookmarks are pages you want to keep.

In some ways, yes.

If you have used Arc before, the sidebar-based model will feel more familiar. Phi is not trying to duplicate Arc, but it does share the idea that a browser can be structured more like a workspace and less like a pile of tabs slowly catching fire.

Yes.

Phi Browser ships with AI features enabled by default, because they are a core part of the product rather than an optional add-on awkwardly glued to the side.

Yes.

You can disable all AI features in:

• Settings → Phi AI

Important: disabling AI will permanently wipe all memory and AI-related data stored by Phi. This action is not reversible.

Phi's AI features are built around 4 main components:

• Memory
• AI Assistant
• Agentic Capabilities
• Skills

Each one does something different, and it helps to think of them separately rather than as one vague blob called "AI".

Phi Memory is the system that builds context from your browsing behavior over time.

It works automatically in the background and does not require you to manually "teach" it things. As you browse, Phi gradually builds a picture of what matters to you, what you return to, and what kinds of tasks or topics keep showing up.

No.

Memory is automatic. Phi observes relevant browsing behavior and builds context for you. The point is to reduce friction, not to make you do unpaid data entry for your own browser.

Phi Memory is stored locally on your device.

This is a core design principle. Your browsing-derived memory is meant to stay with you, under your control.

Yes.

You can view, manage, and delete memory data inside Phi. This is not meant to be a black box where the browser quietly decides who you are and you just hope for the best.

No. Memory data stays local.

Large language models from providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google may be used for processing tasks, but Phi does not use your personal memory data for training, and your memory itself is not treated as a cloud-owned asset.

No.

Phi does not use your memory data, browsing context, or AI interactions to train models.

The Phi AI Assistant is the assistant you interact with directly inside the browser.

During onboarding, you choose its name and avatar, so the assistant has a more personalized identity rather than feeling like a generic chatbot with all the charm of airport carpeting.

There are several ways to interact with it.

You can use the floating chat button, or you can right-click on a page, a link, or selected text and ask the assistant about it directly.

This makes it easier to use AI in context, rather than constantly copying things into a separate chat window like it is still 2023.

The assistant can answer questions, summarize content, explain pages, and help with tasks using context from:

• the current tab
• your existing Phi Memory
• your external data connector

That means it is not only reacting to your latest prompt. It can also draw on what the browser already knows about your current context and usage patterns.

It means the AI can do more than just answer questions.

Phi can take action inside the browser, perform tasks on your behalf, and in some cases continue doing so over time.

There are two main modes: on-demand actions and scheduled tasks.

On-demand actions are tasks the AI performs when you ask for them.

For example, the AI can navigate pages, interact with websites, and help carry out browser-based tasks rather than just describing what you should do yourself.

Scheduled tasks are recurring automations that run based on a schedule you define.

For example, Phi can monitor a product price every few hours, check for changes on a page, or repeat another browser-based task automatically.

This is where Phi starts behaving less like a browser with AI features and more like a persistent system that can keep working even when you are not staring at it.

Phi Sentinel is the background AI orchestrator for Phi Browser. It runs as a separate process from the main browser and lives in the macOS menu bar.

Phi Sentinel is responsible for:

• executing scheduled tasks
• maintaining AI task history
• allowing automation to continue when the browser is closed

In short, it keeps the agentic part of Phi alive in the background.

Because scheduled tasks and persistent AI workflows need to continue even when the browser window is closed.

Phi Sentinel allows Phi's automation and task system to keep running independently, without forcing the browser itself to remain open all the time.

Because the browser should remain lightweight, while the automation layer should remain persistent.

Keeping those concerns separate makes the overall system more practical. Your browser stays a browser. Your background AI system stays available. Everyone gets to keep their dignity.

Phi Link connects Phi Browser to Telegram so you can interact with your assistant from your phone and receive updates outside the browser.

It is meant to extend Phi beyond the desktop, so your workflows do not vanish the moment you step away from your Mac.

There are two options.

• Option 1: Use the official Phi Link bot

  This is the easiest way. You scan a QR code, complete setup in one click, and start using Phi Link without any extra configuration. This is the simplest choice if you just want it to work.

• Option 2: Create your own Telegram bot

  If you want more control, you can create your own bot through Telegram BotFather, generate a token, and paste that token into Phi settings. This option allows more customization, especially around the bot's name and avatar.

Phi Link lets you:

• chat with your AI assistant from your phone
• receive notifications when tasks succeed
• receive notifications when tasks fail
• continue workflows when you are away from your browser

Yes.

The same assistant identity can be reused, so the experience stays consistent across browser and mobile messaging.

If you use your own custom bot, you also gain more control over how that assistant appears, including name and avatar.

Yes, for now.

Phi Browser is currently free to use, and AI usage is included, meaning token costs are currently covered.

Probably not in exactly the same form.

Pricing may be introduced in the future, especially for more advanced or more expensive AI usage. The exact model may evolve as the product evolves.

For now, though, Phi is free to try and use.

Phi Browser is built around a local-first architecture.

That means memory stays local, and personal browsing-derived context is not treated as cloud-owned training material.

Phi will never collect the following:

• memory data
• AI interactions
• browsing context

Your personal context is not used to train models.

Yes.

Browser memory is stored locally on your machine, and you can view, manage, and delete it.

No.

Phi does not use your browsing-derived memory or AI interactions to train models, and the product is designed around the idea that this kind of data should remain yours.

Start with Comfortable Mode if you want the easiest transition.

Once you are familiar with the basics, try Balanced Mode to experience more of Phi's intended workflow. If you end up liking the sidebar and want maximum page space, move to Performance Mode.

Yes.

If you are coming from Chrome or another traditional browser, Phi may feel unusual at first. That does not necessarily mean it is worse. It usually means the product is organized around different assumptions.

Give it a little time before deciding whether the structure works for you.

Use it as a browser first.

Do not try to understand every AI feature on day one. Browse normally. Open tabs. Pin things. Bookmark a few pages. Try the assistant on a page you are already reading. Use cmd+tab to cycle through recent tabs.

Phi makes more sense through use than through abstract explanation.