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How-ToAll Ways to Open Links

All ways to open links

Open links from the sidebar, Command Panel, pinned tabs, or context menus - with full control over which browser handles them.

Click actions

ActionWhat happens
Single clickOpens the link using your preferred browser setting
Cmd clickOpens a web preview (floating mini-browser). Configurable in Preferences → General to open in preferred, frontmost, or default browser instead
Cmd Opt clickReplaces the active browser tab with this link instead of opening a new tab (Beta). Falls back to a normal open if the browser can’t replace the active tab (Firefox family, Orion, Zen)
Opt clickShows a browser and profile picker popover so you can choose which browser or profile to open in
Click a pinned tab iconOpens with smart browser detection, which picks the browser closest to the sidebar

Keyboard shortcuts

ShortcutAction
ReturnOpen the currently selected link
Opt ReturnShow browser picker for the selected link
Cmd Opt 1 through Cmd Opt 9Open pinned links by position
Cmd Ctrl BOpen the current browser tab in a different browser (opens Command Panel in browser-selection mode)

Command Panel

Open the Command Panel with Cmd Ctrl K, then:

  • Type and press Return to open a saved link from search results
  • Press Opt Return on a result to switch to browser-selection mode and pick a specific browser or profile
  • Select a live browser tab to activate it directly instead of opening a duplicate
  • Type a URL and press Return to open it, or type a search query to run a web search

Context menu

Right-click any link to access these options:

OptionWhat happens
OpenOpens in your frontmost or preferred browser
Open WithShows a submenu with all installed browsers and their profiles to choose from
Open PreviewOpens the floating mini-browser preview window

Right-click a folder for additional options:

OptionWhat happens
Open AllOpens every link inside the folder at once
Open All WithShows a submenu to choose which browser to open all links in

Web preview window

When you open a link in the web preview (Cmd click or context menu), the preview window has its own controls:

  • “Open in Browser” button - opens the previewed link in your default browser
  • Browser picker dropdown (chevron next to the button) - opens in a specific browser

The preview shares cookies with Safari, so login-protected pages display correctly if you’re signed in through Safari. See Link Preview for details on security, cookie handling, and how it compares to a regular browser.

Smart features

Tab reuse

Before opening a new tab, SupaSidebar checks if the URL is already open in any running browser. If a match is found, it activates the existing tab instead of creating a duplicate.

Air Traffic Control

URL pattern rules that automatically route specific domains to specific browsers. For example, you can send all github.com links to Chrome and all figma.com links to Arc. Set up rules in Preferences → Air Traffic Control.

A saved link’s explicit Preferred Browser takes precedence over automatic routing. A one-time Open With choice takes precedence over that saved preference.

Browser selection priority

  1. One-time Open With choice (Opt click or Opt Return)
  2. The saved link’s Preferred Browser
  3. Air Traffic Control Open routes, including the linked-space default, in their displayed order
  4. Global link opening behavior
  5. System default browser

See the browser selection guide for details on each level.

Set a preferred app for a file or folder

Saved files and folders can each remember which app should open them. For example, a project folder can open directly in Visual Studio Code.

  1. Save the file or folder to SupaSidebar, such as by dragging it from Finder.
  2. Right-click the saved item and open Preferred App.
  3. Choose an app, or Other… to select an installed application.
  4. Click the saved item to open it with that app.

The preference applies to that saved asset. It does not change the macOS default for other files. Choose Preferred App → None to return to the system default. If the chosen app is unavailable or cannot open the item, SupaSidebar keeps the preference and offers recovery options.

For a saved website, use Preferred Browser in the same right-click menu. See Browser Selection for how this interacts with routing rules.

Tips

  • Use Cmd click to preview a link without leaving your current browser context
  • Assign frequently used links to pinned positions and open them instantly with Cmd Opt 1 through Cmd Opt 9
  • Set up Air Traffic Control rules to stop manually picking browsers for work vs personal links
  • Use the Command Panel to search and open links without scrolling through the sidebar

Learn more

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How-To GuidesAll Ways to Save Links