Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about Phi Browser, grouped by topic. For the bigger picture and the "why" behind how Phi is built, read the Guide. New to Phi Browser? See Getting Started.
Layouts & Navigation
What are the three layout modes?
Phi has three modes that trade screen space for familiarity. Performance gives the most room to the page and uses the vertical sidebar for tabs and bookmarks. Balanced keeps the sidebar but adds a URL bar above the content. Comfortable looks closest to a traditional browser, with tabs on top and a visible URL bar. You pick one during onboarding and can change it anytime.
Which layout should I start with?
If you are switching from Chrome or Safari, start with Comfortable for the easiest transition. If you want a modern sidebar browser with a visible address bar, try Balanced. If you want maximum page space, use Performance. See Switching to Phi for the fuller migration guide.
Why a vertical sidebar?
Most modern screens are wide, not tall. Vertical space is what you run out of first when reading, writing, or researching, so a vertical sidebar makes better use of the shape of modern displays and leaves more room for the actual page.
Spaces & Profiles
What is the difference between a Space and a Profile?
A Space is a workspace in the sidebar with its own name, icon, color, and bookmarks. A Profile is the isolation layer underneath it: each Profile has its own cookies, history, logins, and extensions. Spaces organize how things look and feel; Profiles decide what is kept separate. For the full picture, see Spaces & Profiles in the Guide.
Can one Profile have several Spaces?
Yes. Each Space belongs to exactly one Profile, but a Profile can back several Spaces. Spaces that share a Profile share the same logins. Whether they share pinned tabs depends on the pinned tab scope you choose. To keep two Spaces fully separated, cookies and signed-in accounts included, give them different Profiles.
How do I create a Space?
Create a Space from the Spaces strip in the sidebar. Give it a name and choose which Profile it belongs to, or create a New Profile there if the Space should be fully separate.
What happens when I switch Spaces?
The sidebar's tabs, bookmarks, and theme change to match the Space, and Phi brings up the Space's window (opening one if needed). Pinned tabs change or stay visible according to the Space, Profile, or App scope selected in Settings → Spaces.
Does each Space have its own bookmarks and theme?
Yes. Every Space has an independent set of bookmarks and can use its own color theme or Follow Global. You can also rename a Space and change its icon from its menu.
What are URL Rules?
URL Rules open matching sites in a Space you assign, no matter where you click or type the link. You can match by domain suffix, exact domain, "domain contains," or a host plus path prefix. Set a rule to Ask every time to get an Open in which Space? prompt instead of routing silently. When several rules match, the most specific one wins.
What happens if I delete a Space?
Deleting a Space also removes the bookmarks and URL Rules that belong to it. This cannot be undone. Space-scoped pinned tabs belonging to that Space are removed too; Profile-scoped and App-scoped pinned tabs stay. The Profile with its cookies, history, and logins is not deleted by removing a Space.
How is this different from Arc and Dia?
Phi keeps Spaces as the visible workspace layer and Profiles as the isolation layer underneath. That is close to Arc's two-layer model, while Dia uses Profiles more directly as workspaces in separate windows. For the full comparison, see Switching to Phi.
Incognito Spaces
What is an Incognito Space?
A private Space in the sidebar. It appears in the Spaces strip like any other Space, but an in-memory session backs it and nothing about it is written to disk. Open one with File → New Incognito Space; a single one is named Incognito, and several open at once are numbered Incognito 1, Incognito 2, and so on. For the full picture, see Incognito Spaces in the Guide.
Do Incognito Spaces share a session with each other?
Yes. All open Incognito Spaces share one private session, so sign in to a site in one and you are signed in to it in the others. That session is separate from your regular Profiles and also from the classic New Incognito Window, whose session never mixes with it.
What is unavailable in an Incognito Space?
Bookmarks and pinned tabs are not shown and cannot be created, the assistant chat and the Memory button are unavailable, importing browser data is blocked, and only extensions you have allowed to run in incognito are active. The theme is fixed to Phi's dark Incognito look; the icon can be changed, but the choice dies with the Space.
What happens when I close an Incognito Space?
Phi asks "This will also close this Incognito Space, are you sure?" (check Do not ask again to skip it from then on), closes the Space's windows, and removes it from the strip. When the last Incognito Space window closes, or Phi quits, the shared private session is destroyed. Files you downloaded stay on your Mac.
Can URL Rules send a site to an Incognito Space?
Yes. The URL Rules editor offers one generic Incognito target alongside your regular Spaces. A rule never points at a specific Incognito Space, since those exist only while open. When such a rule matches, Phi uses a live Incognito Space or opens a new one on demand. Routing is one-way: rules never pull a navigation out of a private session back into a regular Space.
Do extensions work in an Incognito Space?
Not unless you allow them individually, as in any Chromium-based browser. The private session is always built on your default Profile, so only that Profile's extensions can run there. In a window on the default Profile, choose Manage Extensions from the Extensions menu (or type phi://extensions), open the extension's Details, and turn on Allow in Incognito. Extensions installed on other Profiles never appear in an Incognito Space, and new extensions cannot be installed from inside a private session.
Are Incognito Spaces included in Time Machine Backups?
No. Snapshots exclude them entirely, because their sessions are meant to die with their windows, so restoring a backup never brings an Incognito Space back.
Bookmarks & tabs
Why do bookmarks feel different in Phi?
Phi treats bookmarks as part of your active browsing workspace, not a hidden archive you open twice a year. Saved pages stay visible and accessible in the sidebar rather than buried in a menu.
How do bookmarks work in Comfortable Mode?
Comfortable Mode behaves much like Chrome. Show the bookmark bar with View → Always Show Bookmark Bar. There is also a Bookmarks menu in the menu bar, available in every layout mode.
How do bookmarks work in Balanced and Performance Mode?
There is no traditional bookmark bar in these modes. Instead, drag a tab into the sidebar to bookmark it. The sidebar becomes the main place you organize pages.
Why are tabs and bookmarks in the same sidebar?
They are two ends of the same thing: the pages you care about. Tabs are what you are using now; bookmarks are what you have saved. Keeping them together reflects how you constantly move between those states.
What is the difference between pinned tabs and bookmarks?
Pinned tabs sit at the top of the sidebar for pages you live in, like favorite tools or dashboards. Bookmarks sit below them and store pages you want to keep for later without keeping them active.
What happens when I click a bookmark?
It opens in place, so the bookmark's sidebar entry becomes its live tab instead of spawning a throwaway tab. If the bookmark is already open, clicking it just activates that tab rather than making a second copy. Close the page and the bookmark stays in the sidebar, ready to reopen.
Are bookmarks and pinned tabs per Space?
Bookmarks are always per Space, and each Space keeps its own set. Pinned tabs can be scoped to one Space, shared by Spaces using the same Profile, or shared across the App. Choose the scope in Settings → Spaces. Profile is the default. See Bookmarks & Pinned Tabs.
How do I pin or unpin a tab?
Right-click a tab and choose Pin, or drag it into the pinned grid at the top of the sidebar. Unpin returns it to the tab list. You can reorder pinned tabs by dragging, and use Pin Split to keep a two-pane setup as one pinned item.
How do I return a pinned tab or bookmark to its original page?
Double-click the pinned tab, or click the favicon of a bookmark that is open as a tab. To keep the current page, hold Command (⌘) while you double-click the pinned tab or click the bookmark's favicon. The current page moves to the tab list as a separate tab, and the pinned tab or bookmark returns to its original URL.
Is this similar to Arc or Dia?
Yes. Phi uses the same broad living-sidebar idea, where saved pages stay visible and pinned pages sit at the top, while keeping its own bookmark tree and behaviour. See Switching to Phi for the migration comparison and Bookmarks & Pinned Tabs for the feature details.
Split View & Tab Groups
How should I think about Tabs, Split View, and Tab Groups?
Tabs are your current pages. Split View places two pages side by side. Tab Groups collect related pages together by project or topic.
What is Split View?
Split View lets you place two pages next to each other inside the same Phi window, which is useful for reading and writing at once, comparing two pages, or keeping documentation next to a web app.
How do I create a Split View?
Right-click a tab, bookmark, or pinned tab and choose Open as Split, or drag a tab onto the current page. You can also hold Option (⌥) and click a pinned tab, bookmark, or link on a webpage. Phi opens it beside the current tab in Split View.
What are Tab Groups?
Tab Groups let you collect related tabs into one named group, handy for a project, trip, research topic, or shopping session.
How do Split View and Tab Groups work together?
They are designed to work together: you can use Split View inside a group and move split tabs into or out of a group, keeping related work organized instead of floating as loose tabs.
Can the assistant understand a Split View or a whole Tab Group?
Yes. When you chat from a Split View, Phi can use context from both pages; from a Tab Group, it can use context from the whole group, so you can ask across related pages without explaining your setup.
Are Tab Groups the same as bookmarks?
No. Tab Groups organize pages you are actively working with; bookmarks store pages for later use.
AI features
Is AI on by default?
Yes. Phi ships with AI features enabled by default, because they are a core part of the product. You can turn them off if you prefer a plain browser.
Can I turn all AI features off?
Yes, in Settings → Phi AI. Turning AI off closes your AI conversations and disconnects any External Data Connectors. Your Memory stays on your device; to erase it as well, use the clear option on the Memory page, and that deletion is permanent.
What are the main AI components?
Four parts, each with a distinct job: Memory, the Assistant, Agentic capabilities, and Browser Skills.
What is Phi Memory?
Phi Memory is the system that builds context from your browsing behavior over time, automatically and without manual setup.
Do I need to save memories manually?
No. Memory is automatic. Phi observes relevant browsing behaviour and builds context for you in the background.
Where is Phi Memory stored?
Locally on your device. Local-first storage is a core design principle.
Can I see or manage what Phi remembers?
Yes. You can view, manage, and delete your memory data directly inside Phi.
Does Phi send my memory to its servers?
No. Memory data stays local. Language models may process tasks, but your personal memory is not sent off to be stored or used for training.
Does Phi use my data to train AI models?
No. Phi does not use your memory data, browsing context, or AI interactions to train models.
What is the assistant?
The companion you interact with directly inside the browser. You give it a name during onboarding, it generates a matching avatar for itself, and you call it by that name from then on, so it has its own identity rather than feeling like a generic chatbot.
How do I talk to the assistant?
Click the Chat button, which sits at the bottom of the sidebar in Performance mode and in the top-right of the page header in Balanced and Comfortable. Or select text on a page, right-click, and choose Ask [your assistant] about… to ask about it in context.
What can the assistant do?
It can answer questions, summarize content, explain pages, and help with tasks, drawing on context from the current tab, your Phi Memory, and your connected external data.
What does "agentic" mean?
It means the AI can do more than answer questions. It can take action inside the browser and perform tasks for you, from one-off actions to recurring automations.
What are on-demand actions?
Tasks the assistant performs when you ask, such as navigating pages or interacting with websites on your behalf.
What are scheduled tasks?
Recurring automations that run on a schedule you define, for example monitoring a product price or watching a page for changes.
Phi Sentinel
What is Phi Sentinel?
Phi Sentinel is the background AI orchestrator for Phi Browser. It executes scheduled tasks and keeps your AI task history, running from the macOS menu bar.
Why is Phi Sentinel separate from the browser?
So scheduled tasks and persistent AI workflows can keep running even when the browser window is closed.
Why was it designed this way?
Keeping the browser lightweight while maintaining a persistent automation layer makes the whole system more practical.
Phi Link
What is Phi Link?
Phi Link connects Phi Browser to Telegram so you can use your assistant from your phone and receive task updates when you are away from your Mac.
How do I set up Phi Link?
Two ways: use the official Phi Link bot, which is the easiest path since you scan a QR code and finish in one click, or create your own Telegram bot through BotFather and paste its token into Phi's settings.
What can Phi Link do?
Chat with your assistant, get notified when tasks succeed or fail, and continue workflows away from the browser.
Does Phi Link use the same assistant identity?
Yes. The same assistant identity carries over for a consistent experience across desktop and phone, with optional customization if you use your own bot.
Pricing & availability
Is Phi free?
Yes, for now. Phi Browser is currently free to use, and AI usage is included.
Will Phi stay free forever?
Probably not in exactly the same form. Pricing may be introduced for advanced features in the future.
Privacy & data
What is Phi's privacy model?
Phi Browser is built around a local-first architecture: what Phi remembers stays on your device and is not used for training.
What does Phi definitely not collect?
Phi never collects your memory data, your AI interactions, or your browsing context, and it does not use them for training.
Phi does send a small always-on anonymous count (how many installations set Phi as default, use Spaces, use Profiles, and that a crash happened), and, only if you switch it on, detailed usage statistics and crash reports. See what Phi does send.
Are my memories stored locally?
Yes. Your memory data lives on your device, and you can view, manage, and delete it.
Does Phi sell or train on my browsing history?
No. Phi does not use your browsing-derived memory or AI interactions to train models, and it does not sell your browsing-derived data.
Does Phi collect usage statistics?
Yes. Phi sends anonymous usage statistics to Phinomenon only while the Help improve Phi's features and performance switch is on, and the switch ships enabled. The statistics are about the browser itself: which features get used and how the app performs. They never include the pages you visit, your Memory, or your AI conversations. Reports carry a random installation identifier that has nothing to do with your Phi account. See Privacy & Your Data.
How do I turn usage statistics off?
Open phi://settings and turn off Help improve Phi's features and performance in the You and Phi section, then click the Relaunch button that appears so the change takes effect. Turning the switch off also deletes the random identifier attached to your earlier reports; if you turn it back on later, Phi creates a new one.
Time Machine Backups
What is Phi's Time Machine?
It is a version rollback safety net. Before certain major updates, Phi automatically saves a snapshot of the current version and your data, so you can return to it if a new release does not work for you. For the full picture, see Time Machine Backups in the Guide.
Is this Apple's Time Machine?
No. It does not back up your Mac and is unrelated to the macOS feature of the same name. It only rolls Phi back to a previous version.
Does it back up my browsing all the time?
No. It is not a continuous or scheduled backup. A snapshot is created automatically and only occasionally, right before an update that carries more risk than usual, and only once per such update. If you want a backup you control, use Export User Data instead.
What does a snapshot include?
The Phi data that belongs to the previous version, meaning bookmarks, Spaces, pinned tabs, settings, Memory, and browsing state, plus a record of which app version to restore. The app itself is downloaded during the restore, so a rollback returns a consistent setup.
Where are snapshots stored?
Locally on your Mac. They are not uploaded to the cloud, not tied to your account, and cannot be moved to another Mac.
How do I roll back?
Open the Help menu, choose Time Machine Backups, and pick a snapshot (listed by version, build, and date, like Phi 1.6 (590) on 2026.6.11). Confirm Restore; Phi downloads the previous version, replaces the current app and matching data, and relaunches. You need an internet connection while restoring. If there are no snapshots, the menu shows No Backups Available.
How is this different from exporting my data?
Time Machine handles update rollbacks automatically. To create and keep your own backup, for moving to a new Mac or keeping a personal copy, use Manage User Data in the Help menu (Export User Data… and Import User Data…).