Create Web Page Shortcut to Open in Non-Default Browser

If you are at work and you don't have any access to your computer and you want to open a link that you always use, but not in your default browser, here is how you can create web page shortcut on desktop to open the URL in a non-default browser.

For example, you have a link where you want to connect at work, using only Firefox, but you have the default browser set to Chrome which you don't want it and you really can't change anything because computer administrator restricted any access to your computer settings.

View Video Tutorial

Create Web Page Shortcut to Open in Firefox

As explained above about restrictions, Windows will not restrict the access to create web page shortcut on your desktop and you have to use this advantage. In my example I am using Windows 7, but this is applied for Windows 8, XP or whatever version you have.

Simply right click on your desktop and select New - Shortcut, so that we can create web page shortcut using the URL you want.

In the window that will appear, click Browse and select the .exe file of your favorite browser (Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Internet Explorer or any other browser), usually located in C:/Program Files folder.

Once you have the shortcut on your desktop, make sure to right click on it and hit Properties. Here, in the Shortcut tab, find the Target field and at the end, just write a space and the link you want to open in that browser. Something like this:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" http://html-tuts.com/

Create Web Page Shortcut to Open in Chrome

To make a desktop link shortcut open in non-default browser, for example Chrome, do the same steps as above, but only now you need to select Chrome executable file as the main path in the target field. My path below is the one for x64 bits Windows version.

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" http://html-tuts.com/

Conclusion

You can do the same thing  to create web page shortcut on your desktop with the other browsers such as Internet Explorer (not sure why you will use this), Opera or Safari.

If your browser is already opened, when you open the shortcut, the page will be loaded in another tab. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below.

To read further about website shortcuts to desktop, here is an official article for Chrome browser and this one for Firefox (using drag and drop).