Is there a way to preview a link without opening it?

Yes. A link preview extension like Peekly opens the page in a panel on top of the one you're on when you hover or press and hold a link, so you never open a new tab.

How do I preview a page in Chrome without clicking?

Install Peekly, then rest your pointer on the link. The page opens over your current one after about half a second. It also works in Edge, Brave and Firefox.

Yes, every feature is free. If it makes your browsing better you can support it with a one-time payment, but you don't have to.

How to preview a link without opening it

Last updated October 24, 2026 · 4 min read

A live BBC page previewed on top of a search results page

The fastest way is a link preview extension. With Peekly installed, rest your pointer on any link for a moment and the real page opens in a panel over the one you’re reading. Scroll it, read it, then close it and you’re exactly where you were. Nothing opens in a new tab.

Preview a link in Chrome, Edge or Firefox

Install Peekly from the Chrome Web Store (Edge and Brave use the same store) or Firefox Add-ons.
Go to any page with links: search results, Reddit, a news site, your email.
Rest the pointer on a link. After about half a second the page opens on top.
Prefer a deliberate gesture? Press and hold the link instead. Both work, and you can change the delay in Settings.

What you see is the real page

Some tools show a screenshot or a scraped snippet. Peekly loads the actual page in your own browser, so it’s live, scrollable, and signed in wherever you’re already signed in. YouTube videos play right inside the preview.

Moving through several links

On a search results page you rarely want just one link. Use the arrows (or Alt + arrow keys) to step to the next result without closing the preview, so you can check five pages in the time it takes to open and close one tab.

Without an extension

On a phone, a long press on a link shows a small preview in most mobile browsers. On desktop, Chrome and Edge don’t preview pages on their own, and hovering only shows the address in the corner of the window. That tells you where a link goes, but not what’s on the page.

Questions people ask

Is there a way to preview a link without opening it?: Yes. A link preview extension like Peekly opens the page in a panel on top of the one you're on when you hover or press and hold a link, so you never open a new tab.
How do I preview a page in Chrome without clicking?: Install Peekly, then rest your pointer on the link. The page opens over your current one after about half a second. It also works in Edge, Brave and Firefox.
Is Peekly free?: Yes, every feature is free. If it makes your browsing better you can support it with a one-time payment, but you don't have to.