Link previews

A preview can add a page title and image after you save a link. The link itself saves first. You can always set your own title in Edit link, and a later preview won’t replace it.

Where previews come from

• Browser extension: reads the open tab when you save it. This happens in your browser.
• iPhone and Android apps: fetch pages on the device. The default Link previews setting covers links saved there. Choose All links to cover synced and imported links as they come into view; Generate all then works through the remaining pending links.
• Web app: browsers block one site from fetching another. On Plus, you can turn on server previews in Settings → Link previews. New saves, imported links, and links from other devices can fill in as you browse; Generate all covers the rest.

Server previews send the link’s address to our preview service. The service has no account key, but it receives the URL and your IP address for the request; its rate limiter briefly holds the IP address. The setting is optional.

When a preview is missing

Settings → Link previews distinguishes work still pending from attempts that failed. Pages behind a login or paywall, PDFs, sites that refuse automated requests, and pages built after load by JavaScript may give no usable title or image. You can edit the title yourself; changing plans doesn’t make those pages reveal one.