What Are Microlink Extensions? Chrome Side-Panel Tools Explained
Microlink Extensions are Chrome side-panel tools for screenshots, bulk PDFs, and sharing-debug checks, with matching APIs for code.
Microlink Extensions are free Chrome side-panel extensions that bring Microlink’s web-rendering tools into the browser. The current lineup includes Web Page Screenshots, Website to PDF, and Sharing Debugger. Each extension is a browser client for a corresponding Microlink API, so you can begin with a manual browser workflow and move to code when you need automation or scale.
What Microlink Extensions include
| Extension | Use it for | Batch or output details | Underlying API |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Page Screenshots | Capture, annotate, and download website screenshots | Single URLs or batches of up to 50; social-ready frames; 24-hour capture history | Microlink Screenshot API |
| Website to PDF | Convert webpages to PDFs in bulk | Up to 100 URLs; paper format, orientation, appearance, scale, margins, and page ranges; ZIP download | Microlink PDF API |
| Sharing Debugger | Check how a URL unfurls on social platforms | Scores sharing and SEO metadata, previews eight platforms, and provides fix tags plus an LLM fix prompt | Microlink Metadata API |
Microlink describes these as native side-panel extensions. They run as thin clients over the same API infrastructure available to developers, which means the browser interface and programmatic workflow correspond to the same product family.
How the side-panel model works
After installation, an extension opens in Chrome’s side panel rather than requiring a separate tab. You enter a URL, choose the relevant options, and start the render or diagnostic. The service performs the browser work remotely and returns the requested image, PDF, or metadata report.
This model is useful when you need an occasional result or want to inspect a page manually. An API call is a better fit when URLs come from a database, a build pipeline, a scheduled job, or an internal tool.
Web Page Screenshots
Use Web Page Screenshots when the deliverable is an image of a webpage. It supports one URL or a batch of up to 50 URLs, can create social-ready frames, and keeps capture history for 24 hours.
Typical workflow
- Install Web Page Screenshots from the Chrome Web Store.
- Open Chrome’s side panel and select the extension.
- Paste one URL or a list of URLs, up to the stated batch limit.
- Choose the available framing or annotation options.
- Start the capture and download the resulting images.
For repeatable jobs, record the exact URLs and options used. A manual side-panel capture does not provide the scheduling, retries, or application-level logging that an API integration can add.
Website to PDF
Website to PDF converts webpages in bulk and downloads the resulting documents together as a ZIP. You can enter up to 100 links and select paper format, orientation, appearance, scale, margins, and page ranges.
Typical workflow
- Open the Website to PDF extension in Chrome’s side panel.
- Enter the URLs manually, one per line or in the extension’s input format.
- Set paper size, orientation, appearance, scale, margins, and page ranges.
- Start the conversion and wait for the ZIP download.
- Open a few PDFs and check page breaks, fonts, images, and print backgrounds before distributing the batch.
The Chrome Web Store listing describes a free allowance of 25 PDFs per day. Adding a Microlink API key can provide higher limits.
Sharing Debugger
Sharing Debugger is for link previews and metadata diagnostics rather than image capture. It scores sharing and SEO metadata, previews how a URL appears across eight platforms, and supplies copy-ready fix tags plus an LLM fix prompt.
Use it before publishing a page, after changing Open Graph or Twitter metadata, or when a social platform displays an outdated or incomplete card. Treat the report as a diagnostic aid: the final preview can still depend on a platform’s cache and crawl timing.
Installation, limits, and privacy
- The Extensions page advertises free installation, no account, and 25 requests per day.
- Web Page Screenshots accepts batches of up to 50 URLs.
- Website to PDF accepts batches of up to 100 URLs and separately lists 25 free PDFs per day.
- Screenshot and PDF history is described as 24 hours where stated.
- The Website to PDF listing says URLs are entered manually and that the extension never reads open tabs or browsing history.
The PDF listing identifies Side Panel, Downloads, Storage, and microlink.io access as permissions used by that extension. Review the permissions shown in Chrome before installing and enter only the URLs required for your job.
Browser extension or API?
| Requirement | Choose the extension when… | Choose an API when… |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency | You need occasional captures or checks. | A job runs on a schedule or for every deployment. |
| Input | You can paste URLs manually. | URLs come from code, a queue, a CMS, or a database. |
| Control | Built-in options are sufficient. | You need application-controlled retries, logging, authentication, or post-processing. |
| Output handling | Downloading files is enough. | You need to store outputs, attach them to records, or trigger downstream work. |
Because each extension maps to a Microlink endpoint, the concepts transfer to code. Validate one URL in the extension first, then reproduce the workflow with the corresponding API and add your own queueing, error handling, and storage.
ScreenshotNeo as an API alternative
If you need programmable screenshots, try ScreenshotNeo first. It returns PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF from one GET request, removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture, and bills only clean shots. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and each response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.
Or skip the browser setup
Use the ScreenshotNeo API when you want the same URL-to-image workflow in a script or service. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for the complete option list.
cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get(
"https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
const data = Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer());
require('fs').writeFileSync('shot.webp', data);ScreenshotNeo includes full-page capture with lazy images loaded, CSS element capture, dark mode, device presets and custom viewports, retina scale, PDF controls, custom CSS and JavaScript, clicks, hidden selectors, selector or network-idle waits, request blocking, custom headers and cookies, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, configurable caching, signed links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API, and an OpenAPI specification. An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.
- Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot.
- Bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed.
- An MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots.
- The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.
Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to get started.
Troubleshooting
The extension is not visible
Open Chrome’s Extensions menu and pin it. If it still does not appear, confirm that the installation completed and that the browser is using a supported, up-to-date version.
A batch fails or exceeds the limit
Check the batch size: screenshots support up to 50 URLs and Website to PDF supports up to 100. Split larger jobs into multiple batches.
A PDF layout is wrong
Review paper size, orientation, scale, margins, page ranges, and appearance settings. Test a single representative URL before converting the full list.
A social preview is incomplete
Inspect the Sharing Debugger results for missing or invalid metadata, apply the suggested tags, and allow time for the platform to recrawl or refresh its cache.
You are concerned about browsing privacy
The Website to PDF listing says URLs are entered manually and the extension does not read open tabs or browsing history. Check Chrome’s permission screen and avoid entering sensitive URLs unless your organization permits their processing.
Performance, reliability, and cost notes
- For manual work, keep batches within the published limits and verify a sample of outputs.
- For automated work, add retries with backoff, persist the input URL with the output, and log response status and provider verdicts.
- Cache results when the source page has not changed; avoid repeatedly rendering the same URL during debugging.
- Track daily usage against the advertised 25-request allowance and the PDF extension’s 25-PDF allowance.
- Choose the extension for low-volume interactive work and an API for repeatable pipelines where you control scheduling and storage.
FAQ
Are Microlink Extensions desktop software?
They are Chrome extensions that run in Chrome’s side panel; they are not separate hardware or desktop applications.
Do I need a Microlink account?
The Extensions page advertises installation without an account. The Website to PDF listing says a Microlink API key can be added for higher limits.
Can one extension create both screenshots and PDFs?
The current lineup separates those jobs into Web Page Screenshots and Website to PDF.
Can I automate the workflow?
Yes. The extensions correspond to Microlink Screenshot, PDF, and Metadata APIs, which can be called from your own code.
How long are results kept?
The screenshot and PDF descriptions state a 24-hour capture or PDF history where applicable.
