Choose a browser every time you click a link

Junction is a free, open-source macOS app that becomes your default browser and routes each link by your rules. Its picker asks where a link should open — for every link, for the links your rules don’t cover, or only when you hold ⌥ Option.

How do I choose a browser each time I click a link?

Set Junction’s fallback to the picker. Your rules still route the links they match, and every other link shows the picker.

{
  "fallback": { "app": "picker" }
}

$ junction test "https://example.com/"
input:       https://example.com/
rule:        none
action:      show picker
url:         https://example.com/

You can also choose the picker as the fallback in Junction’s Settings.

Can I skip my rules for one link?

Yes. Hold ⌥ Option while you click a link and Junction shows the picker, whatever your rules say.

Can only some links ask?

Yes. Give a rule the prompt action and the links it matches always ask. Short links are a good fit, since you can’t see where they go:

{
  "name": "Short links → ask",
  "match": { "patterns": ["bit.ly/*", "t.co/*", "lnkd.in/*", "tinyurl.com/*"] },
  "action": { "prompt": true }
}

What happens when several links arrive at once?

They collect in one picker — more in opening several links at once. Links sent to the picker while it’s open join one list:

• Choose a browser to open them all there.
• Copy them, one per line.
• Esc, or clicking away, cancels the whole list.

How do I change how the picker looks?

Go to Settings → Browsers → Picker appearance. You can lay the picker out as a list or a row, with or without names, at any icon size. The same settings live in the config file:

{
  "picker": { "layout": "horizontal", "labels": "none", "iconSize": 40 }
}

In the horizontal layout, ←/→ move between choices and ↑/↓ jump a row. Settings → Browsers also sets which browsers and profiles appear in the picker.

Can the picker choose a browser profile?

Yes — profiles appear in the picker alongside browsers. To send links to a profile automatically instead, see Chrome profiles. For links you’d rather not open at all, see link privacy.

Get Junction

Junction is free and MIT-licensed, for macOS 13 or later on Apple silicon and Intel. Install it with Homebrew or the DMG, then follow the first-launch steps.