How to Preview Multiple Links Simultaneously in Chrome

Imagine you're doing research and need to quickly browse through a dozen related webpages. The traditional method involves opening a bunch of tabs and switching back and forth between them. But there's a better way—previewing multiple links at once on the same page.

This article will guide you step-by-step on how to achieve this functionality.

Before diving into the tutorial, let’s discuss why this feature is so useful:

  • Saves Time: No need to switch between tabs
  • Maintains Focus: You won’t lose your current reading progress
  • Convenient Comparison: View multiple contents simultaneously
  • Reduces Memory Usage: More resource-efficient compared to opening several tabs

Step 1: Install the NoTab Extension

  1. Open the Chrome browser
  2. Visit the NoTab homepage and search for "NoTab"
  3. Click "Add to Chrome"
  4. Confirm the installation

Step 2: Basic Preview Functionality

Once installed, previewing links is straightforward:

  1. Drag Preview: Hold the left mouse button and drag any link
  2. Hover Preview: Hover over a link (you’ll need to enable this in settings)

Step 3: Multi-Window Preview

This is NoTab's killer feature:

  1. Drag the first link to open a preview window
  2. Continue dragging other links to open new preview windows
  3. Each window can be resized and positioned independently

Step 4: Window Management Tips

Resize Windows:

  • Drag the edges or corners of the window

Move Window Position:

  • Drag the window's title bar
  • Arrange in a grid for easier comparison

Close Windows:

  • Click the X button in the top right corner of the window
  • Press the ESC key to close the currently active window

Method 2: Combining Chrome's Native Features

While Chrome doesn’t have a direct multi-link preview feature, you can achieve similar results with a combination of actions:

Using Split Screen

  1. Hold down Ctrl and click multiple links (to open them in new tabs)
  2. Right-click on the tab bar, then select "Move tab to new window"
  3. Use Windows shortcuts Win + Left/Right Arrow to create a split screen
  4. Repeat to create multiple split-screen windows

Limitations

  • Complicated setup with cumbersome operations
  • Low screen space utilization
  • Frequent window switching, leading to inefficiency

Practical Application Scenarios

Scenario 1: Academic Research

Task: Read the main paper while viewing 3 referenced papers

Steps:

  1. Open the main paper's page
  2. Drag the first cited paper link to open a preview window
  3. Continue dragging links for other papers
  4. Adjust window layout for easy comparison

Outcome: Allows for quick shifts in focus between the main paper and citations, leading to deeper understanding.

Scenario 2: Product Comparison

Task: Compare the features of 5 competing products

Steps:

  1. On the product listing page
  2. Drag each product link one by one
  3. Arrange the preview windows in a grid layout
  4. Compare the features of each product side-by-side

Outcome: A clear comparative view that aids decision-making.

Scenario 3: News Browsing

Task: Quickly understand various reports on a trending event

Steps:

  1. On a news aggregation page
  2. Drag interesting news headlines
  3. Quickly browse different media outlets' perspectives
  4. Select valuable content for in-depth reading

Outcome: Quickly get a comprehensive view of the event, avoiding a filter bubble.

Advanced Usage Tips

1. Custom Settings

In the NoTab settings page, you can adjust:

  • Default window size
  • Trigger methods (dragging/hovering/hotkeys)
  • Whitelist/blacklist sites

2. Performance Optimization

  • Avoid opening too many preview windows at once (recommended 3-5)
  • Close unnecessary windows promptly

3. Combine with Other Tools

  • Note-taking apps: Like Notion
  • Read-later apps: Such as Pocket, Instapaper
  • Annotation tools: Like Hypothesis, Liner

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What should I do if the preview window loads slowly?

A: Check your network connection and try refreshing the page.

Q: Why can’t I preview certain websites?

A: Some sites have anti-embedding mechanisms; try opening them in a new tab.

Q: Are there conflicts between the extension and other tools?

A: Contact the developer for support.

Best Practice Recommendations

  1. Control Window Number: Don’t preview more than 4 windows simultaneously
  2. Organize Layouts: Position windows according to screen size
  3. Clean Up Promptly: Close windows immediately after use to keep things tidy
  4. Categorize Previews: Process links in batches based on topic or importance
  5. Combine with Notes: Record important information in note-taking software as you go

Conclusion

Once you’ve mastered the multi-link preview technique, you’ll see a significant boost in your browsing and research efficiency. NoTab makes this process simple and intuitive; whether for academic research, professional inquiries, or daily information gathering, it allows you to work smarter, not harder.

Start trying NoTab, and once you get used to this way of browsing, you won’t want to go back to traditional tab switching.