Overview

Open saved URL templates from selected text.

QuickOWL helps when the same copy, switch tab, paste, and search workflow repeats all day. Save URL templates once, then send selected text into the target page or app from the QuickOWL menu.

  1. 1Select text on a page or message.
  2. 2Open QuickOWL from the available client action.
  3. 3Choose the saved target URL.

Problem And Solution

Problem Statement

Regular work often involves copying text from one page and pasting it in another page to search or open a target record. When that happens many times a day, too much time gets spent on tab switching and paste steps.

Solution

QuickOWL passes selected text to favorite web pages through saved URL templates. In browsers, the flow is: select text → right-click → choose QuickOWL → choose the target page.

Demos

QuickOWL Chrome extension demo thumbnail

Chrome Extension Demo

Watch the browser context-menu workflow on YouTube.
QuickOWL Safari extension demo thumbnail

Safari Extension Demo

Watch the Safari setup and usage flow on YouTube.

Screenshots

QuickOWL screenshot 1
QuickOWL screenshot 2
QuickOWL screenshot 3
QuickOWL screenshot 4
QuickOWL screenshot 5

Sample Data

Sample data used in the screenshots can be downloaded from this Google Doc link. Once downloaded, select the sample_urls.txt file from the Import URLs option.

Supported Clients

Client Navigation Instructions
Google Chrome Window → Extensions → Find more add-ons The extension link should be opened in Google Chrome, Brave, or Opera. Opera may warn that the source is another store, but the Chrome extension works in Opera.
Mozilla Firefox Tools → Add-ons and themes → Find more add-ons The extension link should be opened in Firefox.
Apple Safari Safari → Preferences → Extensions The extension link can be opened from any browser in macOS.
Microsoft Edge Window → Extensions → Find more add-ons The extension link should be opened in Microsoft Edge.
Thunderbird Tools → Add-ons and themes → Find more add-ons → quickowl Reach the add-on through Thunderbird to see the Add to Thunderbird button.
Microsoft Outlook Sideload custom add-in manifest The Outlook add-in opens a QuickOWL side pane from the message-read ribbon. Use copy and paste for selected message text, then choose a saved URL.

Which URLs Work With QuickOWL?

Any work site, web page, or app deep link that accepts text in a URL can be used with QuickOWL.

URL Name URL Before Selected Text URL After Selected Text Selected Text Type
Search in Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q= String
Ask ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com/?q= String
Open Google Meet https://meet.google.com/ String
Ask Codex codex://new?prompt= String

To know more about URL parameters, refer to MDN's URL guide.

Implementation Details

Core APIs

  1. storage: stores user-defined URLs locally.
  2. context menu: creates QuickOWL entries for newly added or modified URLs.

Additional Privileges

  1. unlimitedStorage: allows the extension to store more than 5 MB locally.
  2. downloads: lets users export saved URLs to a .txt backup file.

Privacy Policy

QuickOWL does not collect, sell, or send personal information to QuickOWL servers.

Last updated: June 6, 2026

Browser Clients

  1. Saved URL templates are stored locally in the browser extension storage used by Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Brave, and Thunderbird.
  2. QuickOWL does not read browsing history, page content, cookies, passwords, or form data.
  3. Selected text is used only when the user chooses a saved QuickOWL URL from the context menu.
  4. Import and export actions read or write the user's local QuickOWL URL list file only when the user starts that action.

Email Clients

  1. QuickOWL does not upload email content, mailbox data, sender details, recipients, attachments, or message metadata to QuickOWL servers.
  2. The Outlook add-in requests Restricted permission and does not read the message body, sender, recipients, attachments, or mailbox data.
  3. In Outlook, copied or pasted text stays in the visible QuickOWL text box and in memory. It is not saved to local storage.
  4. Email-client URL templates use the same local QuickOWL data format as the browser extensions.

When Text Leaves QuickOWL

  1. When the user clicks a saved URL, QuickOWL builds the destination URL from the user's template and the selected, copied, or pasted text.
  2. The opened target website or app may receive that text as part of the URL. Users control which URL templates are saved and which target is opened.
  3. QuickOWL does not add background analytics, tracking pixels, telemetry uploads, or hidden network requests around this workflow.

Work In Progress

Client Status Workaround
Slack Not started Slack can be opened in any browser where the QuickOWL browser extension is supported.

Thanks

Special thanks to wOxxOm, who helped resolve blocking issues while developing the Chrome and Firefox extensions.

Support

Feedback And Enhancement Requests

  1. Request: Support for adding separators. Response: Implemented.
  2. Issue: URLs getting duplicated while adding entries in Safari. Response: Could not reproduce the issue.
  3. Request: Support for adding the context menu as a generic Windows right-click menu. Response: Will explore the possibility.
  4. Issue: & getting converted to &. Response: Currently looking into this.