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Microlink Extensions are free Chrome side-panel extensions that put Microlink’s web-rendering APIs in the browser. The current set includes Web Page Screenshots, Website to PDF, and Sharing Debugger. You can use them without an account for the advertised free allowance, then move to Microlink’s APIs when you need code, automation, or larger batches.

What Microlink Extensions do

Microlink calls these tools “native side-panel extensions.” They open beside the page you are viewing rather than creating another tab, and each is a thin client over a corresponding Microlink API endpoint. The browser interface is therefore a convenient front end, not a separate rendering system: screenshots use the Screenshot API, PDF conversion uses the PDF endpoint, and sharing checks use the Metadata API.

The Extensions page advertises free installation, no account, and 25 requests per day. The extensions are intended for Chrome and are installed from the Chrome Web Store. They are software in the browser’s side panel, not hardware or a browser replacement.

The three extensions at a glance

Extension Primary job Batch capacity Output History or allowance
Web Page Screenshots Capture, annotate and download webpages Up to 50 URLs Image files, including social-ready frames 24-hour capture history
Website to PDF Convert multiple webpages to PDFs Up to 100 URLs PDF files downloaded together as a ZIP 24-hour history; Chrome Web Store listing says 25 PDFs per day free
Sharing Debugger Inspect social-sharing and SEO metadata Not stated Scores, platform previews, fix tags and an LLM fix prompt Not stated

The 25-request figure is the general Extensions-page allowance. Website to PDF has a separate listing that describes 25 free PDFs per day, so do not assume that every action consumes exactly the same quota.

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Web Page Screenshots: capture and annotate URLs

Web Page Screenshots is the Microlink Chrome extension for images. Enter one URL or a batch of up to 50 URLs in the side panel, capture the rendered pages, add annotations where needed, and download the results. Social-ready frames are included for workflows that need a prepared image rather than a raw browser viewport.

Typical workflow

  1. Install Web Page Screenshots from the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Open the extension in Chrome’s side panel.
  3. Paste a URL, or add several URLs up to the stated 50-URL batch limit.
  4. Run the capture and review the rendered result.
  5. Annotate the image if you need callouts, then download it.

Captures remain available in the extension’s stated 24-hour history window. Treat that as short-term retrieval, not archival storage; download files you must keep.

When the screenshot extension is a good fit

  • Creating a quick visual record of a public page.
  • Preparing social images without writing code.
  • Capturing a small set of URLs manually for design or QA review.

For scheduled jobs, repeatable parameters, or a pipeline that handles many more URLs than the side panel, use an API-based workflow instead of repeatedly pasting links.

Website to PDF: bulk conversion with layout controls

Website to PDF is designed for document-style output. Paste up to 100 links, choose the paper format and orientation, set appearance and scale, define margins, and select page ranges. The extension creates the PDFs and downloads them together as a ZIP file.

Free tools Windows power users keep installed

One-click scans. No signup required.

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Settings you can choose

  • Paper format: select the page size appropriate for your document.
  • Orientation: choose portrait or landscape.
  • Appearance: control how the webpage is rendered for the PDF.
  • Scale: adjust the page content’s size.
  • Margins: set spacing around the rendered page.
  • Page ranges: export only the portions you need.

PDF workflow

  1. Install Website to PDF and open it from Chrome’s side panel.
  2. Enter the URLs manually; the listing says the extension does not read open tabs or browsing history.
  3. Set paper format, orientation, appearance, scale, margins and page ranges.
  4. Start the conversion and wait for the batch to finish.
  5. Download the ZIP containing the resulting PDFs.

The Chrome Web Store listing describes a 24-hour history and a free allowance of 25 PDFs per day. It also says you can add a Microlink API key for higher limits. The listing records version 1.0.0, an update on July 10, 2026, English (United States), and developer Joseba Legarreta; those details can change as the listing is updated.

Sharing Debugger: preview link cards before publishing

Sharing Debugger is for diagnosing how a URL unfurls when shared. It checks sharing and SEO metadata, assigns a score, and previews the link card across eight platforms. It also supplies copy-ready fix tags and an LLM fix prompt, which can turn a missing or incorrect metadata field into an actionable change for your site.

What to inspect

  • Whether the page exposes the metadata needed for a social card.
  • How the URL is likely to appear on each of the eight supported platform previews.
  • The score and the specific fields behind it.
  • Fix tags you can copy into your implementation or CMS.
  • The generated prompt when you want an LLM to help apply the fixes.

Because Sharing Debugger uses the Metadata API, it is complementary to a screenshot tool: one shows the visual result, while the other examines the data that platforms use to build a preview.

Installation, permissions and privacy

Installing the extensions

  1. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for the Microlink extension you need.
  2. Select the official listing and choose Add to Chrome.
  3. Confirm the permission dialog, then open the tool from Chrome’s side-panel controls.
  4. Keep the extension visible while you enter URLs and start a job.

The Extensions page describes all three as free to install and usable without an account. Quotas still apply, and Website to PDF documents a separate daily PDF allowance.

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What Website to PDF says it can access

The Chrome Web Store listing identifies Side Panel, Downloads, Storage and microlink.io access as the extension’s permissions. It says URLs are added manually and that the extension never reads open tabs or browsing history. In practical terms, you provide the input URL yourself; the listing does not claim that the extension can inspect your browsing history.

Permissions and listing details are specific to the Website to PDF listing. Check the permission prompt for the particular extension you install, especially after an update.

Extension or API? Choose by workflow

Need Better starting point Why
One-off capture while researching in Chrome Web Page Screenshots No code; side-panel capture and annotation
Several documents with print controls Website to PDF Up to 100 URLs, layout settings and ZIP download
Check a link card before a campaign Sharing Debugger Scores and eight platform previews
Scheduled or repeatable processing Microlink API Code can supply URLs and parameters automatically
Developer screenshot API with clean billing and an MCP server ScreenshotNeo Clean shots, only clean shots billed, and the lowest paid plan

Microlink’s browser tools and APIs are designed as the same infrastructure in different interfaces. The extension is fastest for manual work; an API is easier to put in CI, a content system, or a recurring job.

Or skip the browser setup: ScreenshotNeo

If your goal is a programmable screenshot rather than a Chrome side panel, ScreenshotNeo is the first alternative to try. It is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. Before capture, it accepts cookie or consent banners like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and the response reports the result in X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.

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The API supports PNG, JPEG, WebP and PDF output. Its options include full-page capture with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, 12 device presets or a custom viewport, retina scale, PDF paper size and margins, custom CSS and JavaScript, clicks before capture, hidden selectors, waits for a selector, delay or network idle, request and resource blocking, custom headers, cookies, user agent and Authorization, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, image resizing, chosen cache TTLs, signed links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work.

One-call examples

See the complete parameter reference in the ScreenshotNeo documentation. The simplest cURL request is:

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python:

import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
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}`);

ScreenshotNeo has a free plan with 1,000 screenshots per month and no card. Paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots; every feature is on every plan. Its MCP server exposes take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, so an AI agent can request captures directly.

Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free 1,000-shot plan without adding a card.

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Troubleshooting Microlink Extensions

The side panel does not appear

Confirm that you installed the Chrome Web Store listing and that Chrome’s side-panel control is enabled. Remove and reinstall the extension if the control remains unavailable, then restart Chrome.

A batch does not start

Check the relevant limit: Web Page Screenshots accepts up to 50 URLs, while Website to PDF accepts up to 100. Split larger input into separate batches and verify that every entry is a complete URL.

You reached the free allowance

The Extensions page advertises 25 requests per day, while Website to PDF separately lists 25 free PDFs per day. Wait for the allowance to reset or add a Microlink API key where the PDF listing supports it.

The PDF layout is wrong

Re-run the job with a different paper format, orientation, scale or margin. Use page ranges to isolate the section that is overflowing instead of exporting the entire page.

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A social preview is missing data

Run the URL through Sharing Debugger, inspect the score and platform previews, then apply the supplied fix tags. Recheck the URL after your metadata changes are live.

You cannot find an older result

Both screenshot and PDF workflows describe a 24-hour history. Download important files immediately rather than relying on the history view.

What to remember

  • Microlink Extensions are Chrome side-panel clients for Microlink’s screenshot, PDF and metadata APIs.
  • Web Page Screenshots handles up to 50 URLs; Website to PDF handles up to 100 and returns a ZIP of PDFs.
  • Sharing Debugger focuses on metadata quality and eight sharing-platform previews.
  • The advertised general allowance is 25 requests per day, with a separately stated 25-PDF daily allowance for Website to PDF.
  • The PDF listing says URLs are entered manually and browsing history is not read.
  • Use an API when you need repeatability, automation or integration into your own software.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Microlink account to install the extensions?

The Extensions page advertises installation without an account. An API key is an optional route to higher limits for Website to PDF, according to its Chrome Web Store listing.

Can I use Website to PDF on pages already open in Chrome?

The listing says you add every URL manually and that the extension does not read open tabs or browsing history.

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Are Microlink Extensions available for browsers other than Chrome?

The documented products are Chrome side-panel extensions distributed through the Chrome Web Store; availability in other browsers is not stated.

Can the extensions replace an automated screenshot pipeline?

They are suited to manual side-panel work. For scheduled jobs or application integration, use the corresponding API or another programmable screenshot service.

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