Side Link Preview

Tracking since May 4, 2026.

Changelog

• Jun 3, 2026
  short_description

  Click a link → opens in Chrome's Side Panel side-by-side. Split-view reading on stock Chrome. No tracking, open source.

  Qualifying links open in Chrome's Side Panel side-by-side. Left/middle click or hover. 9 languages. No tracking, open source.

• Jun 3, 2026
  description

  Side Link Preview turns Chrome's Side Panel into a split-view reading surface. Click any link that would normally open in a new tab and it loads on the right, side-by-side with the page you came from. No new tab, no context switch, no extra browser. Independent open-source project; not affiliated with any browser vendor.
  
  WHAT IT DOES
  • Click any target="_blank" link → it opens in Chrome's Side Panel.
  • Click another link inside the panel — it refreshes the panel in place. Keep following links without piling up tabs.
  • Hold ⌘ / Ctrl / Shift / Alt while clicking to fall back to a real new tab. Each modifier maps to a distinct, predictable behavior — the panel is never used when you hold one.
  
  KEY FEATURES
  • Side Panel address bar with Back / Forward / Refresh — works exactly like a tiny browser inside the panel
  • Per-site zoom: in-panel +/− buttons remember your preferred zoom for each domain
  • Auto-retry once on transient embed failures, then a clear "open in a new tab" fallback card
  • Per-domain blacklist or whitelist with subdomain-aware matching and wildcard support
  • Smart link filtering: same-page anchors, downloads, login/OAuth pages, mixed content, localhost, and more open natively instead of in the panel
  • Right-click "Open link in Side Panel" — a one-shot bypass of every rule
  • Keyboard shortcut Alt+Shift+P to preview the current tab in the Side Panel
  • Automatic light / dark theme — follows your system
  • Works on sites that normally block iframes — via a tightly-scoped Side-Panel-only response-header rule (see Privacy below)
  • Sign-in, SSO, payment and end-to-end-encrypted messaging hosts are excluded from interception by default for security (the full host list lives in the open-source manifest)
  • Six built-in UI languages: English, 中文, Français, Español, Deutsch, Português
  
  PRIVACY
  • No analytics. No tracking. No telemetry. No remote config.
  • No data ever leaves your browser. The extension itself has no server.
  • All settings live in your Chrome sync storage and travel with your Chrome profile only.
  • Header rewriting is restricted to iframe requests initiated by the extension itself (initiatorDomains: extension ID + resourceTypes: sub_frame). Regular browsing on every other tab is untouched.
  • Full policy: https://github.com/ds009/side-link-preview/blob/main/PRIVACY.md
  
  WHO IT'S FOR
  • Anyone who wants split-view, side-by-side reading on stock Chrome
  • Researchers, students and lawyers who read a long article while opening many sub-links
  • Engineers who follow link chains across docs, pull requests and Q&A sites without piling up tabs
  • Readers who prefer their original page to stay visible while skimming a referenced source
  
  REQUIREMENTS
  Chrome 119 or later (Side Panel API). Also works on Microsoft Edge 119+.
  
  OPEN SOURCE
  MIT-licensed. Issues and PRs welcome:
  https://github.com/ds009/side-link-preview
  
  SUPPORT THE PROJECT
  If it saves you time, you can sponsor the developer on GitHub:
  https://github.com/sponsors/ds009

  Side Link Preview turns Chrome's Side Panel into a split-view reading surface. Qualifying links — same-tab clicks and new-tab links by default — open on the right, side-by-side with the page you came from. No tab explosion, no context switch, no extra browser. Independent open-source project; not affiliated with any browser vendor.
  
  WHAT IT DOES
  • Click qualifying outgoing links → they open in Chrome's Side Panel
  • Follow links inside the panel — it refreshes in place without piling up tabs
  • Hold ⌘ / Ctrl / Shift / Alt while clicking to fall back to a real new tab
  
  KEY FEATURES
  • Mini browser in the panel: address bar, Back / Forward / Refresh, Open in main tab, per-site zoom
  • Auto-retry once on embed failures, then a diagnostic card with likely causes and technical details
  • Toolbar shortcut: "Don't use side panel on this site" (blacklist mode) — no Settings required
  • Per-domain blacklist or whitelist with **separate saved lists**, path-prefix rules and wildcards
  • Link scope: all qualifying links (default) or new-tab links only
  • Open trigger: left click (default) or middle click; optional hover preview with delay (independent of click mode)
  • Smart link filtering: downloads, login/checkout paths, IP addresses, mixed content, and more stay native
  • Right-click "Open link in Side Panel" and Alt+Shift+P to preview the current tab
  • Automatic light / dark theme; UI in nine languages (follows your browser on first install)
  • Works on many iframe-blocking sites via a tightly scoped Side-Panel-only response-header rule
  
  SECURITY & PRIVACY BY DEFAULT
  • 125+ sensitive hosts excluded from script injection: sign-in, SSO, banking, webmail, video calls, streaming, cloud consoles, crypto, government TLDs, and more (see manifest)
  • Also skips IP addresses, localhost, and corporate `.local` / `.internal` / `.corp` domains
  • Checkout, payment, and OAuth paths are never routed through the panel
  • No analytics, no tracking, no telemetry, no remote config — settings sync via Chrome only
  • Header rewriting applies only to iframe requests initiated by this extension's Side Panel
  • Full policy: https://github.com/ds009/side-link-preview/blob/main/PRIVACY.md
  
  WHO IT'S FOR
  • Anyone who wants split-view, side-by-side reading on stock Chrome
  • Researchers, students and lawyers who read a long article while opening many sub-links
  • Engineers who follow link chains across docs, pull requests and Q&A sites without piling up tabs
  • Readers who prefer their original page to stay visible while skimming a referenced source
  
  REQUIREMENTS
  Chrome 119 or later (Side Panel API). Also works on Microsoft Edge 119+.
  
  OPEN SOURCE
  MIT-licensed. Issues and PRs welcome:
  https://github.com/ds009/side-link-preview
  
  SUPPORT THE PROJECT
  If it saves you time, you can sponsor the developer on GitHub:
  https://github.com/sponsors/ds009

Permissions & access

Permissions

sidePanelstoragetabsdeclarativeNetRequestcontextMenus

Host access

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Screenshots