This study investigates the role of the ARID1A/B subunits of the cBAF complex using in vitro and cell-based models. Specifically, we find that the N-terminal disordered region of ARID1A/B and the DNA binding ARID domain are required for condensation and proper orientation on chromatin respectively. Overall design: Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag) for BAF subunits ARID1A (HA-tagged), SMARCA4, SMARCC1, ARID1B (HA-tagged) as well as the histone modification H3K27ac in AN3CA cells.