diff --git a/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncher.kt b/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncher.kt
index 203b0a9863d6..4fb6efe7a7f5 100644
--- a/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncher.kt
+++ b/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncher.kt
@@ -31,7 +31,9 @@ abstract class BrowserLauncher {
 
   abstract fun open(url: String)
 
-  abstract fun browse(uri: URI)
+  fun browse(uri: URI) = browse(uri, null)
+
+  abstract fun browse(uri: URI, project: Project?)
 
   abstract fun browse(file: File)
 
@@ -39,7 +41,7 @@ abstract class BrowserLauncher {
     browse(url, browser, null)
   }
 
-  abstract fun browse(url: String, browser: WebBrowser?, project: Project?)
+  abstract fun browse(url: String, browser: WebBrowser? = null, project: Project? = null)
 
   abstract fun browseUsingPath(url: String?,
                                browserPath: String? = null,
diff --git a/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncherAppless.kt b/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncherAppless.kt
index 3e6696642a4b..09966e8f1a6a 100644
--- a/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncherAppless.kt
+++ b/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncherAppless.kt
@@ -28,9 +28,11 @@ import com.intellij.openapi.diagnostic.Logger
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.SystemInfo
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.text.StringUtil
+import com.intellij.openapi.vfs.StandardFileSystems
 import com.intellij.openapi.vfs.VfsUtil
 import com.intellij.util.ArrayUtil
 import com.intellij.util.PathUtil
+import com.intellij.util.io.URLUtil
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Contract
 import java.awt.Desktop
 import java.io.File
@@ -104,11 +106,15 @@ open class BrowserLauncherAppless : BrowserLauncher() {
 
   override fun open(url: String) = openOrBrowse(url, false, null)
 
-  override fun browse(file: File) = browse(VfsUtil.toUri(file))
+  override fun browse(file: File) {
+    var path = file.absolutePath
+    if (SystemInfo.isWindows && path[0] != '/') {
+      path = '/' + path
+    }
+    browse("${StandardFileSystems.FILE_PROTOCOL_PREFIX}$path")
+  }
 
-  override fun browse(uri: URI) = browse(uri, null)
-
-  fun browse(uri: URI, project: Project?) {
+  override fun browse(uri: URI, project: Project?) {
     LOG.debug("Launch browser: [$uri]")
 
     val settings = generalSettings
@@ -179,11 +185,13 @@ open class BrowserLauncherAppless : BrowserLauncher() {
   }
 
   override fun browse(url: String, browser: WebBrowser?, project: Project?) {
-    if (browser == null) {
+    val effectiveBrowser = getEffectiveBrowser(browser)
+    // if browser is not passed, UrlOpener should be not used for non-http(s) urls
+    if (effectiveBrowser == null || (browser == null && !url.startsWith(URLUtil.HTTP_PROTOCOL))) {
       openOrBrowse(url, true, project)
     }
     else {
-      UrlOpener.EP_NAME.extensions.any { it.openUrl(browser, url, project) }
+      UrlOpener.EP_NAME.extensions.any { it.openUrl(effectiveBrowser, url, project) }
     }
   }
 
@@ -250,4 +258,6 @@ open class BrowserLauncherAppless : BrowserLauncher() {
     // Not started yet. Not able to show message up. (Could happen in License panel under Linux).
     LOG.warn(error)
   }
+
+  open protected fun getEffectiveBrowser(browser: WebBrowser?): WebBrowser? = browser
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/xml/impl/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncherImpl.kt b/xml/impl/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncherImpl.kt
index d53aace92b34..3863404e000d 100644
--- a/xml/impl/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncherImpl.kt
+++ b/xml/impl/src/com/intellij/ide/browsers/BrowserLauncherImpl.kt
@@ -36,10 +36,25 @@ import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
 
 class BrowserLauncherImpl : BrowserLauncherAppless() {
   override fun browse(url: String, browser: WebBrowser?, project: Project?) {
+    super.browse(signUrl(url), browser, project)
+  }
+
+  override fun getEffectiveBrowser(browser: WebBrowser?): WebBrowser? {
+    var effectiveBrowser = browser
+    if (browser == null) {
+      // https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/WEB-26547
+      val browserManager = WebBrowserManager.getInstance()
+      if (browserManager.getDefaultBrowserPolicy() == DefaultBrowserPolicy.FIRST) {
+        effectiveBrowser = browserManager.firstActiveBrowser
+      }
+    }
+    return effectiveBrowser
+  }
+
+  private fun signUrl(url: String): String {
     @Suppress("NAME_SHADOWING")
     var url = url
     @Suppress("NAME_SHADOWING")
-    var browser = browser
     val serverManager = BuiltInServerManager.getInstance()
     val parsedUrl = Urls.parse(url, false)
     if (parsedUrl != null && serverManager.isOnBuiltInWebServer(parsedUrl)) {
@@ -49,16 +64,7 @@ class BrowserLauncherImpl : BrowserLauncherAppless() {
 
       url = serverManager.addAuthToken(parsedUrl).toExternalForm()
     }
-
-    if (browser == null) {
-      // https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/WEB-26547
-      val browserManager = WebBrowserManager.getInstance()
-      if (browserManager.getDefaultBrowserPolicy() == DefaultBrowserPolicy.FIRST) {
-        browser = browserManager.firstActiveBrowser
-      }
-    }
-
-    super.browse(url, browser, project)
+    return url
   }
 
   override fun browseUsingNotSystemDefaultBrowserPolicy(uri: URI, settings: GeneralSettings, project: Project?) {