One browser. Two lives. A practical guide to profiles.

Give each context a recognizable profile

Work and personal browsing often use the same websites with different accounts. Separate browser profiles help you recognize which context is active before you open a link. Create a profile in your browser’s profile menu, give it a descriptive name, and choose a distinct avatar or color where the browser supports it.

Names such as “Work — Acme” and “Personal” are more useful than “Profile 1” and “Profile 2.” Consultants may also keep a profile for each client. Use your organization’s approved browser and account practices when working with managed accounts.

Check the session before you follow a link

Open each profile and sign in to the accounts that belong there. Check the avatar or account menu on the actual website: the browser’s profile name alone does not prove that a particular site is signed in to the intended account.

Profiles typically keep cookies, saved sessions and preferences separate. They do not prevent you from signing in to the wrong account, replace an organization’s security controls, or isolate every kind of device data. Treat them as a useful way to organize browsing.

For browser-specific instructions, see Google’s Chrome profile guide or Microsoft’s Edge profile guide.

Make the destination an explicit decision

A work link from a chat app might need your Work profile. A booking link from a personal email might need Personal. The source of a link is a useful clue, but it cannot guarantee the correct account.

The manual approach is reliable and straightforward: copy the link, switch to the intended profile, then paste it. If this becomes repetitive, a browser chooser can make destination selection easier.

Browter’s workflow is to open the wheel, select a labeled browser/profile entry and click the link while that selection is armed. The choice belongs to you. Browter v1 does not automatically route domains to profiles.

Keep an everyday fallback

Pick a fallback browser/profile for links that do not need a special destination. In Browter, ordinary links handed to the app use this fallback when no alternative is armed.

A sensible fallback reduces decisions without hiding the ability to make an exception. Choose the profile that best matches most links from your other applications, then select another entry when needed.

Keep expectations practical

The chooser cannot control a link that never reaches the Windows default handler. Browser-internal links, embedded web views and apps with their own link settings can behave differently. Review how Windows link selection works and the compatibility notes.

Create profiles in your browser first, then rescan in Settings → Browsers to add discovered profiles as separate Browter entries. Enable the entries you want on the wheel and test each one to confirm its launch arguments open the intended profile. Browter does not manage passwords or website sign-ins. The website illustration uses synthetic addresses; it does not inspect your computer or open a real browser.