Guava being highly chilling sensitive fruit exhibits limited storability. In two separate studies, guava cv. Sandhuri fruit treated with L-arginine (0, 1, 2, or 3 mM) were kept at either 10 ± 1°C with 90 ± 5% RH (Study-1) and 5 ± 1°C with 90 ± 5% RH (Study-2). Results indicated that application of 1 mM arginine was effective for maintaining higher firmness (16.17 N), total soluble solids (4.9°Brix), carotenoids (3.01 mg 100 ml−1 FW) at 10°C. However, no signs of chilling injury (CI) were observed in guava when stored at 10°C. During study-2, application of 1 mM arginine to guava fruit significantly retained higher fruit firmness (29 N), marketability (58.3%), anthocyanins (0.13 ∆A g−1 FW), phenolic contents (647 mg GAE 100 g−1 FW) with reduced CI during storage at 5°C than control. Conclusively, the application of 1 mM arginine enhanced chilling tolerance and maintained the quality of guava fruit kept at 5°C for 24 days. Practical applications The major constraint of guava industry is short postharvest life which limits long-term storage and distant marketing. Cold storage of guava at low temperature causes chilling injury and reduces fruit quality. Present work identified that pre-storage application of L-arginine (1 mM) helpful for mitigating chilling injury and maintaining fruit quality at low storage temperature (5°C). The technology can be implemented in the guava industry for long storage and transport to distant markets.