Many of us have a preferred browser — the one we immediately install on any new computer we set up. For me, it's Chrome. While it doesn't have all the features I'd like to see in a perfect browser, I've grown accustomed to using it daily. But are there benefits to using multiple browsers?

When it comes to browser compartmentalization, using multiple browsers can introduce several productivity and security benefits, depending on how far you're willing to go with it.

What is browser compartmentalization?

A helpful way to approach browser usage

Browser compartmentalization refers to using separate browsers for different online activities — for example, using Chrome for work and Firefox for entertainment. The extent of compartmentalization will depend on why you're using each browser. For example, someone might want to use Firefox due to its support for older ad-blockers that have been discontinued on Chrome. In this case, accounts may overlap across the browsers.

However, if someone wants to keep their work accounts and personal accounts completely separate, they may use two different privacy-focused browsers with minimal overlap. When using browser compartmentalization as a privacy safeguard, users should only log into certain accounts on certain browsers. For example, you can use Google Chrome for all Google-related websites, use Firefox for your Facebook-related accounts, and use Opera for all your general browsing and online shopping.

You can also simulate browser compartmentalization in a single browser, depending on its features. For example, a Firefox extension to improve your privacy is Multi-Account Containers, which groups tabs into separate containers that are considered segregated browsers. You can also set up separate profiles in Chrome, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend this if your focus is on online privacy.

How browser compartmentalization can benefit you

It has privacy and productivity benefits

The benefits of browser compartmentalization will depend on how you use your separate browsers. For many people, the main benefit is productivity. You can keep your online work life and online entertainment separate, reducing the chance of being distracted by social media sites and notifications. This can be more effective than just switching between browser profiles as you need to open a completely separate browser to access certain sites.

For example, when I set up Chrome to focus on productivity, I made sure I didn't have bookmarks or login information for my social media accounts. This can sometimes be tricky because I do use social media occasionally for work, but more often than not it's actually a distraction.

My work bookmarks on Chrome include bookmark folders for news sources, a Slack bookmark for work communications, bookmarks for certain email accounts, and shortcuts on the home screen for the sites I use for work.

The other major benefit of browser compartmentalization is to improve online privacy. The idea is that by keeping certain activities separate, you can minimize browser fingerprinting. While a lot of focus is put on cookies, browser fingerprinting is a more advanced form of online tracking that can't simply be turned off in most browsers.

So that's where browser compartmentalization for online privacy comes in. Rather than consolidating your digital footprint in a single browser, it's spread out between different browsers and reduces the likelihood that your browser fingerprint can be linked to certain online accounts like Facebook and Google.

Currently, my Firefox and Chrome browsers overlap significantly, as I mainly use Firefox to watch YouTube, with Chrome dedicated to most other online browsing. But when I use Opera, I don't sign in to my online accounts so that I receive less targeted search results.

Browser compartmentalization is only as effective as you make it

You need a bit of discipline

If you're using browser compartmentalization as a way to increase your productivity, you will need to keep your work and personal browsers separate. This includes only saving passwords and login information for the sites that you use in each browser. You'll also need to adjust your bookmarks to make sure that only the sites you plan to use on each browser are saved.

If you're using browser compartmentalization for online privacy, you need even more discipline. Since Facebook and Google can link your browser fingerprint to your accounts on these platforms, you'll need to make sure you don't sign in to these accounts on certain browsers.

For many people, their current browser setup includes a lot of identifying information. So if you'd like to improve your privacy, you may need to start from scratch using browsers that are dedicated to privacy. You'll also need to think about which extensions you install, as extensions can also compromise your online privacy.

Importing your information and cookies between browsers will undermine any productivity or privacy gains you could get from browser compartmentalization, unless you're only using the trick for a limited use case (like watching streaming services on a separate browser). So to truly reap the benefits, you need to stay dedicated to keeping your browsers separate.

You'll also need to do your research on which browsers actually allow you to disable trackers and reduce browser fingerprinting. You can test how effective your protection against browser fingerprinting is using the Cover Your Tracks website from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). When I tested it across browsers, only one of my browsers (which doesn't include any of my accounts or logins) showed partial protection against tracking.

Use browser compartmentalization to your benefit

Browser compartmentalization takes a bit of time to set up, but there are some compelling reasons to try it out. While I only casually separate my browsers, the extent of online tracking, as well as the effect certain websites have on my productivity, are motivating me to take a closer look at how I use my browsers. Of course, if you're using browser compartmentalization for its privacy benefits, make sure you also incorporate other online privacy best practices to make sure you don't compromise your security in other ways.