External Application Launcher

Run any external application with custom arguments from the browser toolbar or context menu to send links, text and more

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External Application Launcher - Run Applications from Browser

External Application Launcher is a Chrome extension that enables you to define a toolbar button or create several context menu items to execute external applications with custom arguments directly from your browser. It extracts arguments from the current webpage and passes them along to the external application. Primarily used to send links, selected text, download links, image URLs, or link patterns to external applications such as browsers, text editors, email clients, download managers, or photo editors.

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Extension stats

By: yokris.dev

Users: 6,000+

Rating: 4.26

(42)

Version: 0.5.9 (Last updated: 2025-02-05)

Creation date: 2020-06-02

Permissions:

activeTab
storage
contextMenus
nativeMessaging
downloads
notifications
declarativeNetRequestWithHostAccess
scripting

Size: 167.94K

Email: yo*****@gmail.com

URLs: Privacy policy

Full description: See detailed description

Ranking

# 11,796 ▲ 42

Other rankings

#803 in Workflow & Planning ▲ 3

#8 in application keyword 37 ▼ 3

#92 in choice keyword 15 ▼ 14

#99 in app keyword 55 ▼ 23

#151 in command keyword 11 ▼ 16

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Other platforms

Not available on Android

External Application Button (WebExtension) (v0.5.9)

704 4.45

(47)

External Application Launcher (v0.5.9)

1,377+ 4.50

(2)

User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Chrome Web Store does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.

Pros

Works great for opening external applications like VLC and MPV
User-friendly and flexible extension
Easy installation process for Chrome/Windows
Useful for opening websites in specific profiles or browsers
Saves users time and headache with direct connections

Cons

Limited to displaying only a few added applications in the menu
Group menu items implementation is a bad idea
Unfriendly installation process for the native client
Issues with certain features not working as expected (e.g., context menu options)

Most mentioned

Works great
Limited application display
Installation process difficulties
User interface concerns
Need for multiple application configurations

User reviews

wow amazing, unlocks so much potential by directly connecting browser info to your local pc (like client to server) I just made a .bat file that downloads a YouTube video, generates subtitles and automatically opens the video with matchings subtitles in VLC player

Riaz Ali, 2024-07-04

I have added 10 apps - only 6 of them is shown in menu also no way to reorder apps?

Deja Vu, 2023-08-28

Works great, And it's a fabulous idea btw!

Mohd Waseem, 2023-08-22

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Extension safety

Risk impact

External Application Launcher requires very minimum permissions.

Risk impact analysis details

Medium Facilitates communication between extensions and native applications, usually low risk if managed correctly.
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Risk likelihood

We don't have sufficient data to confidently determine the risk likelihood of External Application Launcher. Use it at your own risk.

Risk likelihood analysis details

High This extension has low user count. Unpopular extensions may not be stable or safe.
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