How can I use multiple browsers more efficiently?

September 8, 2010 11:27 AM

Any tools/tricks/plugins for surfing the internet with more than one browser at a time? I use Firefox, Opera, and Chrome all at the same time and want some way to get links and data from one to the other without continually copying and pasting.

For as long as I can remember, I've ran more than one browser on all my computers - sometimes for compatibility, but mostly because no browser offers all the features I want. I use Opera in a hyper-stripped down mode, with images, cookies, javascript, and plugins disabled, to browse most sites. It's really fast and I know all the keyboard shortcuts. I use Firefox for other things that require Flash and cookies. Now I've started using Chrome just for my Google Mail, Documents, and Reader, presumably because it's optimized for those applications.

However, I wish there was some way to switch links and data from one browser to the other quickly. For example, I'll open up a link in Opera, to see a blank screen or the "Please Install Adobe Flash" text. This requires me to copy and paste the URL from Opera to Firefox. I've gotten pretty good at it (F8, Ctrl-C, Alt-tab, Alt-D, Ctrl-V) but I wish there was some way to just right click on the page or link and have it open up in Firefox. The same occurs when I use Firefox and the page loads up several annoying plugins or images. I have to do this for everything in Chrome since I don't want to use it for anything other than Google sites (and Chrome has less features than the other two).

Are there browser plugins for any of the browsers that can make this quicker? Possibly Windows or Mac right-click handlers at the operating system level? AutoHotKey or AppleScript tools?

posted by meowzilla to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

There are firefox extentions that will do this for both IE and, Chrome.
posted by squeak at 11:48 AM on September 8, 2010

something like this seems easily scriptable

inCurrentWindow press cmd-l, cmd-a, cmd-c;

switchToApplication ("Opera");
press cmd-L, cmd-v;
press Enter;
posted by Brent Parker at 11:54 AM on September 8, 2010

Take a look at xmarks. It will sync your bookmarks across all browsers and one way to share info would be to save a bookmark and open it in the other browser.
posted by london302 at 11:56 AM on September 8, 2010

Best answer: For my version of Opera, on mac - I have a right click context menu that will open the current document in all installed browsers. Looking at the change log, it's been fixed (repopulating fix) with 10.10.
posted by Brent Parker at 12:06 PM on September 8, 2010

Best answer: This requires me to copy and paste the URL from Opera to Firefox.

I don't know about Opera, but URLs can be highlighted at dragged between Chrome and Firefox, no extensions needed.
posted by coolguymichael at 12:36 PM on September 8, 2010

Best answer: You can drag a link from a page or from the address bar onto the tab bar or window body in either direction between Firefox and Safari. I would expect the other browsers could do this too.
posted by TruncatedTiller at 4:16 PM on September 8, 2010

Maybe instapaper.com as a quick and dirty way of transferring links between browsers? Add the bookmarklets with key-shortcuts and a key shortcut to open instapaper.
posted by brorfred at 5:06 PM on September 8, 2010