I must use two browsers – it is my preferred way to avoid distractions, do not mess everything in one place and also to use the best options they offer on both computer and mobile. The frequent problem which can occur in such a situation is browser selection. Operating systems like Windows or MacOS allow us to select one default browser, so each time we click on a link, web page is opened in that default browser. It may be annoying, especially if we want to have one default browser for one app, different for others.
Real life example: Slack. I need to open all Slack links in Chrome. On the other hand, I use HeidiSQL app and want to open all links from it in Microsoft Edge. How to deal with that? Of course, it is possible to use two profiles in the same browser – both Chrome and Edge allow to do that, but I do not like this option. I already use a lot of Google services but do not like Chrome for personal items, so this is not a good option. Second drawback: in such case, browser will work “correctly” only if latest active window is from context we want to use.
An example for better explanation let’s say we have personal and work profiles in Chrome. Both opened in separate windows. Go to personal window, do something, then go to Slack and click link – link will be opened in your personal context window, not work one. Similar: I’ve just used work Chrome profile, then opened HeidiSQL, clicked link and… Yes, it will be opened in work Chrome context. Messy situations cause us to always have to remember the context or reopen the link in the appropriate window. If we must do that manually, it is not a good option. If we have more browsers, the problem is even more complicated.
Fortunately, there is a solution for that – BrokenURL for Windows. This small, free app is something like browser selection. After installation we should set it as our default browser and… it’s all. When we click the link, it will open screen with all installed browsers and more options, because it simplifies link copying or sharing with others. It can detect browsers and even allow us to open links in incognito mode. We can save our choice, so within just a few minutes we can create templates for all important apps we use – and after that just forget about any issues related to browser selection. App is small, fast, does not include any ads or telemetry, does not monitor links, supports a lot of Windows versions and many browsers. I have used it for a few months and really recommend it.
What about other operating systems? I cannot recommend anything for Linux because I do not use it daily. Similar in MacOS, but I know there is an app called Velja available on Mac App Store with similar description and should handle the same cases. If you know more about it, let me and other readers know in the comments.