Preview any link instantly with Ctrl+Click or Long-Press
Formerly known as Glimpse
Features • Installation • Usage • Settings • Privacy
➜ Install from Chrome Web Store
Click the link above and hit "Add to Chrome" - that's it! The extension will install automatically and be ready to use in seconds.
Perfect for trying out the latest features before they hit the store!
-
Download the Extension
git clone https://github.com/fyzanshaik/linklens-extension.git
Or download the ZIP file and extract it
-
Open Chrome Extensions Page
- Navigate to
chrome://extensions/ - Or click Menu (⋮) → More Tools → Extensions
- Navigate to
-
Enable Developer Mode
- Toggle the Developer mode switch in the top-right corner
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Load the Extension
- Click Load unpacked
- Select the
linklens-extensionfolder you just downloaded - Done! ✅ The extension icon should appear in your toolbar
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Start Using
Ctrl+ click any link, or just long-press it!
Choose your preferred way to preview:
- Quick Preview:
Ctrl+ click (orCmd+ click on Mac) - Long Press: Hold mouse button for 500ms (customizable 300-1500ms)
- Both Work Together: Use whichever feels natural!
- ✅ Works on X-Frame-Options protected sites (pkg.go.dev, docs.python.org, etc.)
- ✅ Smart Cloudflare detection - works on protected sites
- ✅ Automatic fallback for incompatible pages
- ✅ Respects security headers during verification flows
- 🎨 6 Theme Colors - Match your style
- 📐 Adjustable Window Size - 60% to 95% viewport
- 🌓 Dark Mode - Easy on the eyes
- 💨 Backdrop Blur - Optional background blur effect
- ⚡ Animation Control - Smooth or instant (your choice)
- 🚀 Zero-jitter instant previews
- 🎯 GPU-accelerated animations (when enabled)
- 🧠 Smart memory management
- 📊 60fps smooth scrolling
- 🚫 Zero data collection - Nothing leaves your device
- 🔒 Local processing only - All operations happen on your machine
- 👁️ No tracking - No analytics, no telemetry
- 🛡️ Minimal permissions - Only what's absolutely necessary
- Browse any website as normal
- Hover over a link you want to preview
- Choose your method:
- Fast: Hold
Ctrl(orCmdon Mac) and click - Easy: Long-press the link (hold for 0.5 seconds)
- Fast: Hold
- Preview appears in a beautiful floating window
- Close by clicking outside, pressing
Esc, or clicking the × button
- 🔵 Long-press active: Link highlights with subtle blue outline
- ⏱️ Timer running: Hold steady for 500ms (customizable)
- ❌ Cancelled: Move mouse >10px or release early
- ✅ Preview opens: Full-screen overlay with your content
Click the LinkLens icon in your toolbar to customize everything:
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modifier Key | Ctrl / Alt / Shift | Ctrl | Quick preview key |
| Mac Support | ON / OFF | ON | Use Cmd instead of Ctrl |
| Long Click | ON / OFF | ON | Enable long-press trigger |
| Long Click Duration | 300ms - 1500ms | 500ms | Hold time for long-press |
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theme Color | 6 presets | Purple | Accent color |
| Apply to Header | ON / OFF | OFF | Themed window header |
| Dark Mode | ON / OFF | OFF | Dark theme |
| Window Size | 60% - 95% | 80% | Preview size |
| Background Opacity | 20% - 90% | 60% | Overlay darkness |
| Backdrop Blur | ON / OFF | OFF | Background blur |
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-close Timer | 0s - 30s | Off | Close after inactivity |
| Animations | ON / OFF | OFF | Smooth transitions |
| Sound Effects | ON / OFF | OFF | Audio feedback |
LinkLens is built with privacy as a core principle:
- ❌ No data collection - We don't store or transmit any information
- ❌ No browsing history - We never track what sites you visit
- ❌ No analytics - Zero telemetry or usage statistics
- ❌ No external servers - Everything happens locally on your device
- ❌ No third-party code - No external dependencies or scripts
- ✅ Local storage only - Settings saved on your device via Chrome's sync
- ✅ Minimal permissions - Only what's needed for core functionality
- ✅ Open source - Code is public and auditable
- ✅ Transparent - All operations documented
declarativeNetRequest: Required to remove X-Frame-Options headers so websites can load in preview iframes. Only affects preview frames, never your main browsing.
storage: Saves your preferences (theme, window size, etc.) and syncs across devices where you're signed into Chrome.
<all_urls>: Allows the extension to detect Ctrl+clicks and long-presses on any page, and enables previews for any website you visit.
v1.3.4 (Latest) - Critical Bug Fixes 🐛
- Fixed: Long-press feature breaking normal clicks on complex sites (Reddit, social media)
- Removed visual feedback that was interfering with click event detection
- Simplified navigation prevention logic
- Normal clicks now work perfectly alongside long-press feature
- Fixed: Favicon and title misalignment in preview header
- Added proper vertical centering for consistent alignment across all websites
- Fixed: Dark mode not applying to backdrop
- Backdrop now turns solid black when dark mode is enabled
- Blur is automatically disabled in dark mode for clean appearance
- Dark mode settings now update immediately without reload
v1.3.3 - Long Click Support 🖱️
- Added: Long-press/long-click trigger to open previews without modifier keys
- Added: Customizable long-click duration (300ms - 1500ms, default 500ms)
- Added: Visual feedback during long-press (subtle blue highlight)
- Added: Smart cancellation if mouse moves >10px or releases early
- Enhanced: Both trigger methods work independently (Ctrl+click OR long-press)
- Improved: More accessible for touchpad users and those who prefer not using modifier keys
v1.3.2 - Performance & Compatibility Overhaul
- Re-enabled declarativeNetRequest to strip X-Frame-Options headers
- Sites like pkg.go.dev, docs.python.org now work in iframe previews
- Fixed backdrop blur showing when disabled in settings
- Fixed button size inconsistency
- Fixed animation jitter on complex pages
- Separated blur animation for 60fps performance
- Added GPU acceleration with will-change hints
- Hardware-accelerated transforms
- Memory management improvements
- Animations OFF by default
- Enhanced backdrop blur with smoother animation
- New backdrop blur toggle in settings
- Button visual consistency across all screen sizes
- Better shadows and rounded corners
- Improved responsive sizing
- Comprehensive Cloudflare domain exclusions
- Defense-in-depth with domain + path exclusions
- Smart Cloudflare detection maintained
- Safe header handling for verification
Earlier Versions
- Fixed theme color application to preview header
- Fixed animation toggle functionality
- Added background opacity control
- Improved popup design
- Complete settings interface
- Configurable modifier keys, themes, window sizes
- Auto-close timers, sound effects, dark mode
- User-friendly popup with save/reset
- Complete rebrand from Glimpse to LinkLens
- New professional icon
- Updated UI and documentation
- Works on Cloudflare-protected sites
- Disables only during active verification
- Precision challenge detection
- Basic link preview functionality
- Ctrl+click trigger
- Minimal design
We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:
- 🐛 Report bugs - Open an issue
- 💡 Suggest features - Start a discussion
- 🔧 Submit PRs - Fork, code, and submit!
- 📖 Improve docs - Help make this README even better
- ⭐ Star the repo - Show your support!
MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.
- 🌐 Chrome Web Store: Install LinkLens
- 💻 GitHub: fyzanshaik/linklens-extension
- 🐛 Issues: Report a bug
- ☕ Support: Buy me a coffee
Made with ❤️ by fyzanshaik
If LinkLens helps you browse better, consider buying me a coffee! ☕