Keep work and personal browsing apart on your Mac

Junction is a free, open-source macOS app that becomes your default browser and routes each link by your rules. A few rules are enough to keep work in a work browser or profile — signed in to work accounts, with work extensions — and everything else in your personal one.

How do I keep work and personal browsing separate on a Mac?

Pick one place for each: say, a work Chrome profile and personal Safari. Then make personal the fallback and add rules that send work links to the work profile. Any link no rule claims stays personal.

{
  "fallback": { "app": "com.apple.Safari" }
}

{
  "name": "Work tools → work profile",
  "match": { "patterns": ["*.atlassian.net/*", "app.clickup.com/*", "docs.google.com/*"] },
  "action": { "app": "com.google.Chrome", "profile": "Profile 1" }
}

$ junction test "https://acme.atlassian.net/browse/ENG-42"
input:       https://acme.atlassian.net/browse/ENG-42
rule:        [1] Work tools → work profile
action:      open in com.google.Chrome profile "Profile 1"
url:         https://acme.atlassian.net/browse/ENG-42

Which is better, a separate browser or a separate profile?

Either works; Junction handles both the same way.

Profile details are in Chrome profiles and Firefox profiles.

Can every link from work apps open in the work browser?

Yes. Match the app the link was clicked in with sourceApps, and links from Slack — whatever site they point to — open in the work profile.

{
  "name": "From Slack → work profile",
  "match": { "sourceApps": ["com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap"] },
  "action": { "app": "com.google.Chrome", "profile": "Profile 1" }
}

$ junction test "https://example.com/quarterly-report" --source com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap
input:       https://example.com/quarterly-report
source:      com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap
rule:        [1] From Slack → work profile
action:      open in com.google.Chrome profile "Profile 1"
url:         https://example.com/quarterly-report

Keep app rules near the top: rules run top to bottom and the first match wins. More in routing links by app.

What about sites I use for both work and personal?

Let them ask. A rule with the prompt action shows the picker for those sites, so you choose at click time.

{
  "name": "Google Drive → ask",
  "match": { "patterns": ["drive.google.com/*"] },
  "action": { "prompt": true }
}

For one-off exceptions, hold ⌥ Option while you click any link to pick the browser yourself. More in choosing a browser per link.

Can I pause the work rules after hours?

Yes. Turn a rule off in the menu bar’s Rules list and its links fall through to your personal fallback until you turn it back on — see menu-bar rule toggles.

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.