Merge pull request #60 from anshukaushik4700/docs/macos-browser-profiles

Add macOS browser profile paths documentation and update README

Author: theg1239

docs/README.md

@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ Welcome to the Open With Browser documentation. This collection of guides helps
 
 ### Platform-Specific Guides
 - **[Windows Browser Profiles](./windows-browser-profiles.md)** - Complete guide to browser profile paths on Windows for Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox
+- **[macOS Browser Profiles](./macos-browser-profiles.md)** - Complete guide to browser profile paths on macOS for Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox
 - **[Linux Browser Profiles](./linux-browser-profiles.md)** - Comprehensive guide to browser profile paths across Linux distributions, including Flatpak and Snap installations
 
 ### Planned Documentation
-- **macOS Browser Profiles** - Browser profile paths for macOS systems
 - **Browser Discovery Implementation** - Technical guide for implementing browser detection
 - **Profile Launching Guide** - How to launch browsers with specific profiles
 - **Cross-platform Browser Paths** - Unified approach to browser discovery across platforms
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ Welcome to the Open With Browser documentation. This collection of guides helps
 ![Screenshot of the Dashboard page](assets/dashboard.png)
 The main landing page gives users a quick overview of the application's real-time status and recent activity. It shows the status of any Incoming Link request and tracks Recent hand-offs made by the application.
 
-### 2. The Open With Dialog 
+### 2. The Open With Dialog 
 ![Screenshot of the open with page](assets/open-with.png)
 This is the compact, essential pop-up window that appears when a link is intercepted and no rule is matched. It prompts the user to make a manual, immediate routing decision.
 ### 3. Rules Page
@@ -42,32 +42,33 @@ This is the compact, essential pop-up window that appears when a link is interce
 The Rules page is the central control panel for automating link and file routing in the application. It allows users to define explicit logic for the app to follow, preventing the need for manual selection.
 
 The page's main function is split into two sections:
-- Domain Rules:   
+- Domain Rules:   
 Used to automatically direct web links based on the website's domain to a specific browser profile.
-- File Type Rules:    
+- File Type Rules:    
 Used to assign specific file extensions (like .pdf or .fig) to a designated browser.
 ### 4. Settings
 ![Screenshot of the settings page1](assets/settings_1.png)
 ![Screenshot of the settings page2](assets/settings_2.png)
 The Settings page is the application's control center for managing how it integrates with the operating system and how it handles links by default.
 
 The page's main function is divided into three key areas:
-- System Setup:       
+- System Setup:       
 Used to establish the application as the default browser handler on the OS and displays detected browsers.
-- General Settings:    
- Covers core user preferences such as the ability to Remember browser choice and an option to Start app at login.
-- Browser Orchestration & Diagnostics:    
- Allows users to set a mandatory Default browser for unmatched links (the fallback) to ensure all links open automatically, and provides essential Diagnostics tools for troubleshooting.      
+- General Settings:    
+ Covers core user preferences such as the ability to Remember browser choice and an option to Start app at login.
+- Browser Orchestration & Diagnostics:    
+ Allows users to set a mandatory Default browser for unmatched links (the fallback) to ensure all links open automatically, and provides essential Diagnostics tools for troubleshooting.      
 
 ## Quick Reference
 
 ### Supported Browsers
 | Browser | Windows | macOS | Linux | Profile Support |
 |---------|---------|--------|-------|-----------------|
-| Google Chrome | Documented | Planned | Documented | Documented |
-| Microsoft Edge | Documented | Planned | Documented | Documented |
-| Brave Browser | Documented | Planned | Documented | Documented |
-| Mozilla Firefox | Documented | Planned | Documented | Documented |
+| Google Chrome | Documented | Documented | Documented | Documented |
+| Microsoft Edge | Documented | Documented | Documented | Documented |
+| Brave Browser | Documented | Documented | Documented | Documented |
+| Mozilla Firefox | Documented | Documented | Documented | Documented |
+
 
 **Legend**: Documented | Planned | Not supported
 

docs/macos-browser-profiles.md

@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+# macOS Browser Profile Paths
+
+This document lists the common macOS paths where major browsers store their profile data. This information is essential for the Open With Browser application to automatically discover and launch browser profiles.
+
+## Table of Contents
+- [Chrome (Google Chrome)](#chrome-google-chrome)
+- [Edge (Microsoft Edge)](#edge-microsoft-edge)
+- [Brave Browser](#brave-browser)
+- [Firefox (Mozilla Firefox)](#firefox-mozilla-firefox)
+- [Profile Discovery Notes](#profile-discovery-notes)
+- [Command Line Arguments](#command-line-arguments)
+
+---
+
+## Chrome (Google Chrome)
+
+### Default Profile Location
+~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default
+
+### Named Profiles
+~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Profile 1
+~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Profile 2
+~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Profile 3
+...
+
+
+### Custom Named Profiles
+Chrome supports custom profile directories with descriptive names:
+~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Profile Work
+~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Profile Personal
+
+
+**Note**: The names shown in Chrome’s UI (e.g., “Work Profile”, “Personal Profile”) are for display only. Folder names remain in the `Profile X` format.
+
+### Profile Configuration
+- **Preferences file**: `~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/[Profile]/Preferences`
+- **Local State file**: `~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Local State`
+
+### Expanded Paths (Examples)
+/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default
+/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Profile 1
+
+
+---
+
+## Edge (Microsoft Edge)
+
+### Default Profile Location
+~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge/Default
+
+
+### Named Profiles
+~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge/Profile 1
+~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge/Profile 2
+...
+
+
+### Work/School Profiles
+~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge/Profile [ProfileName]
+
+
+**Note**: Edge on macOS uses the same Chromium-based structure as Chrome.
+
+### Profile Configuration
+- **Preferences file**: `~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge/[Profile]/Preferences`
+- **Local State file**: `~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge/Local State`
+
+### Expanded Paths (Examples)
+/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge/Default
+/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge/Profile 1
+
+
+---
+
+## Brave Browser
+
+### Default Profile Location
+~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default
+
+
+### Named Profiles
+~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Profile 1
+~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Profile 2
+...
+
+
+### Profile Configuration
+- **Preferences file**: `~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/[Profile]/Preferences`
+- **Local State file**: `~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Local State`
+
+### Expanded Paths (Examples)
+/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default
+/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Profile 1
+
+
+---
+
+## Firefox (Mozilla Firefox)
+
+### Profile Root Directory
+~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles
+
+
+### Profile Naming Convention
+Firefox uses a unique identifier format:
+
+~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/[8-character-hash].default-release
+~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/[8-character-hash].default
+~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/[8-character-hash].[custom-name]
+
+
+### Profile Configuration
+- **profiles.ini file**: `~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/profiles.ini`
+- **installs.ini file**: `~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/installs.ini`
+
+### Profile Directory Examples
+/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/abc12345.default-release
+/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/def67890.work
+
+### Firefox Profile Discovery
+To discover Firefox profiles programmatically, read the `profiles.ini` file:
+
+```ini
+[Profile0]
+Name=default-release
+IsRelative=1
+Path=Profiles/abc12345.default-release
+Default=1
+
+[Profile1]
+Name=work
+IsRelative=1
+Path=Profiles/def67890.work
+```
+
+## Profile Discovery Notes
+
+For Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave):
+- Profiles are stored under `~/Library/Application Support/<Browser>/`.
+- Each profile has its own `Preferences` file.
+- The `Local State` file lists available profiles under `profile.info_cache`.
+
+For Firefox:
+- Profiles are stored under `~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles`.
+- Profile names and paths can be discovered by parsing the `profiles.ini` file.
+
+---
+
+## Command Line Arguments
+
+You can launch browsers with a specific profile on macOS using:
+
+```bash
+# Chrome
+"/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome" --profile-directory="Profile 1"
+
+# Edge
+"/Applications/Microsoft Edge.app/Contents/MacOS/Microsoft Edge" --profile-directory="Default"
+
+# Brave
+"/Applications/Brave Browser.app/Contents/MacOS/Brave Browser" --profile-directory="Profile 2"
+
+# Firefox
+/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -P "work"
+
+```
+
+## Last Updated
+October 2025