Keeping up productivity in the age of the pandemic has been anything but easy. But tech giants have ensured that continual updates to popular everyday programs help us economize our time and get into the workflow faster.
Recently, the world’s most popular browser just received a new feature that lets you create links to highlighted text on a webpage that could then be shared with others. When others click on it, they will be directed straight to the highlighted text on the page rather than at the top. This is quite a convenient feature that can help us do away with explaining to others what to find where on a particular webpage.
Here is how you can get the ‘Copy link to text’ feature on Chrome and how to utilize it for efficient workflow.
Related: How to Get and Use Vertical Tabs on Google Chrome
How to link to your highlighted text on Chrome
First of all, you need Chrome version 90 on your PC for this. If you have Chrome 90 but the feature is still not available for you, then just wait as Google finishes the rollout for everyone — you will get it soon.
Simplicity breeds productivity and Google has followed this policy nicely to ensure that its new feature can be used with ease. Firstly, highlight the text that you want the receiver to be directed to.
Right-click on the highlighted text and select Copy link to highlight.
Doing so creates a URL ending in the hash sign (#). All that’s left to do is to share this link with others. To do this, copy the address of the page by right-clicking on it and selecting Copy.
When you share the link with others, upon clicking on it, they will be directed straight to the highlighted portion of the text. For example, we’ve linked to this page that will redirect you to the second-last section of the article.
According to Google, this feature is available for both desktop and Android devices, though it is still in the process of being rolled out. iOS users too can expect to get this feature soon.
Related: Best tips and tricks for the Google Chrome app on Android
How to get the ‘Copy link to text’ feature in Chrome
The idea behind this feature is the same as Google highlighting the search results directly on web pages (in yellow). The ‘copy link to text’ feature does exactly that but lets you highlight the text and share the link. This link will take the receiver straight to the highlighted text on the webpage. Here are all of the ways you can get this feature today:
Method #1: Update Google Chrome to version 90
The simplest way to get this feature is to update Chrome. Google is rolling out Chrome 90 that comes with a bunch of upgrades to speed up browsing. If your update is pending, you should see a green icon at the top right corner of your browser. Click on it to update Chrome to the latest version. If you don’t see this option, then you’re already using the latest Chrome version.
Another way to update Chrome to go to the three-dot menu at the top right corner.
Click on Help, then About Google Chrome.
This will open up a new page where you will be able to update your browser. If it’s updated, it will say so on the page.
Right now, Google is still in the process of rolling out Chrome 90 updates. So it’s possible that you may not get the “Copy to link text” feature even after updating. The following methods, however, will guarantee it.
Method #2: Enable ‘Copy link to text” feature from Chrome Flags on Chrome 90
You can also get the feature through Chrome Flags. Although the features here are considered ‘experimental’, you can still use them without much trouble. Here’s how you can enable the ‘Copy link to highlight’ feature.
First, make sure you have updated your Chrome browser to version 90 as given above.
Go to chrome://flags in Chrome and search for “Copy Link to Text” in the search bar.
Then, click on the drop-down menu next to the result and select Enabled.
Now restart Google Chrome to access the new feature.
Method #3: Get the ‘Link to Text Fragment’ extension by Google
If you don’t get the feature with the latest update, there’s always the option of getting it as an extension. In fact, this new feature was first launched as an extension called Link to Text Fragment in 2020. The two – the new core feature and the extension – are identical in terms of function. Here’s how you can get this extension.
Download the ‘Link to Text Fragment’ extension by Google from here (link).
On the extension’s page, click on Add to Chrome.
Then click on Add extension.
The extension is now be added to Chrome.
As an extension, when you highlight a text and right-click on it, you will see the “Copy Link to Selected Text” option with this feature.
Follow the guide at the top to get a better idea about how to get the link of highlighted text.
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