Supported Browsers

While chrlauncher's built-in background updater and API logic are tailored exclusively for the Chromium API endpoints (via Woolyss), the launcher aspect of the application is completely agnostic. It can be used as an exceptionally fast, portable profile manager for almost any Windows web browser.

Executable Auto-Detection

If the specific executable defined in chrlauncher.ini under the ChromiumBinary setting is missing or misconfigured, chrlauncher features a robust fallback detection mechanism.

It will scan the ChromiumDirectory (default .\bin) looking for known browser executables in the following specific priority order:

  1. brave.exe (Brave Browser)
  2. firefox.exe (Mozilla Firefox)
  3. basilisk.exe (Basilisk)
  4. palemoon.exe (Pale Moon)
  5. waterfox.exe (Waterfox)
  6. dragon.exe (Comodo Dragon)
  7. iridium.exe (Iridium)
  8. iron.exe (SRWare Iron)
  9. opera.exe (Opera)
  10. slimjet.exe (Slimjet)
  11. vivaldi.exe (Vivaldi)
  12. chromium.exe (Chromium)
  13. chrome.exe (Google Chrome - Default fallback)

This means you can often just drop a different browser's files into the bin folder, and chrlauncher will intelligently find and launch it without requiring manual INI tweaks.

Using chrlauncher with Firefox-based Browsers

Because Firefox utilizes a completely different profile architecture and command-line structure than Chromium, using chrlauncher to manage a portable Firefox instance requires a slightly different workflow.

Important Note: chrlauncher cannot auto-update Firefox. Firefox has its own robust, built-in background updater which works perfectly in portable scenarios.

Example Workflow: Portable Firefox Setup

To configure chrlauncher purely as a fast, isolated launcher for Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Prepare Binaries: Download the standard Firefox binaries (.zip format) or extract them from an installer. Place all Firefox program files (including firefox.exe) directly inside the .\bin folder.
  2. Disable Updater: Open chrlauncher.ini and set ChromiumCheckPeriod=0. This completely disables the Chromium API update checks, preventing chrlauncher from attempting to overwrite Firefox with Chromium binaries.

  3. Modify Arguments: Firefox does not understand Chromium's --user-data-dir argument. You must change the ChromiumCommandLine in the INI file to use Firefox's profile flag: 

    ChromiumCommandLine=-profile "..\profile" -no-remote
    (Note: -no-remote allows multiple portable Firefox instances to run simultaneously without interfering with your system-installed Firefox).

  4. Launch: Run chrlauncher.exe. It will immediately detect firefox.exe, bypass the update check, and launch Firefox using the isolated profile folder.

Troubleshooting Browser Detection

  • Launch failures: If chrlauncher fails to launch a third-party browser, ensure that you haven't left Chromium-specific arguments (like --flag-switches-begin) in the ChromiumCommandLine setting. These flags will cause browsers like Pale Moon or Waterfox to crash on startup.