Free Tools / Free Chrome extension
LinkSweep
Copy multiple links in one drag.
Collecting links for research, a content review or a spreadsheet? LinkSweep lets you draw a box around the links you want and copy them together. No more opening each link or copying addresses one at a time.
No account or subscription needed. For personal use, you can install LinkSweep directly from the ZIP without uploading it to the Chrome Web Store or building any code. Extract the ZIP first, then follow the installation steps below.
How it works
- Hold the right mouse button and drag a box around the links on a webpage.
- Release to copy. LinkSweep highlights the links and shows how many you have selected.
- Paste where you need them. Press Ctrl + V in a document, spreadsheet, message or notes app.
Links follow their order in the page’s markup, and duplicates are removed by default. Press Escape to cancel a selection. If your box contains no links, your clipboard stays as it was.
Choose your format
- Plain URLs: one address per line.
- Titles and URLs: tab-separated text for spreadsheet columns.
- Markdown: named links ready for Markdown documents.
Choose the format in the extension popup. You can also keep duplicate links if you need them.
Work your way
Using a trackpad? Open LinkSweep and choose Select links with a left drag, then drag on the page.
You can enable or disable LinkSweep, or require Alt or Shift while selecting. Normal right-clicking still opens your browser’s context menu, and right-clicking inside text fields is left alone.
Install LinkSweep in Chrome
- Download the LinkSweep ZIP and extract it to a folder you will keep on your computer.
- Type
chrome://extensionsinto Chrome’s address bar and open it. - Turn on Developer mode using the switch on that page.
- Click Load unpacked and select the extracted folder containing
manifest.json. Select the folder, not the ZIP file. - Refresh any webpages that were already open. You can pin LinkSweep from Chrome’s Extensions menu to make its settings easier to reach.
Keep the extracted folder in place while you use the extension. These are Chrome’s standard steps for loading an unpacked extension; you can also read Google’s installation guidance.
Try the included practice page
The download includes practice.html, so you can get familiar with selecting and copying links after installation.
- Open
chrome://extensionsand choose Details for LinkSweep. - Turn on Allow access to file URLs.
- Open
practice.htmlfrom the extracted folder in Chrome, then refresh it if it was already open.
File access is optional and is only needed for local files such as the practice page. You do not need to enable it to use LinkSweep on ordinary websites.
Your links stay on your device
LinkSweep 1.0.0 processes selections locally. It does not send your links to a server, use analytics, require an account or save a history of copied links. Only your preferences are stored locally. Selected links are temporarily passed to an extension-owned clipboard page, which closes after copying.
Chrome permissions allow it to:
- Read and change webpages so it can identify links, draw the selection box and highlight your selection.
- Write to your clipboard so it can copy the selected links. It does not request permission to read your clipboard.
- Store settings locally and use a temporary background document to complete the copy operation.
Useful things to know
Which systems has LinkSweep been tested on?
Windows is the tested target. On other systems, Shift-right-click may behave differently because of the browser’s native context menu. Choose No key or Alt in LinkSweep’s settings if needed.
Why does it not work on every page?
Chrome prevents extensions from running on its internal pages, the Chrome Web Store and some built-in viewers, including PDF pages. LinkSweep is designed for ordinary webpages. Refresh the page after installing, updating or reloading the extension. Sites with unusual layouts, overlays or their own mouse gestures may interfere with selection.
Can I select links inside an embedded frame?
Start the selection inside the frame containing the links. Each selection works within one document, so a single box cannot collect links across separate frames.
Can I scroll while selecting?
The main page scrolls when you drag near its top or bottom edge. Separate scrollable panels within a page may need manual scrolling.
Does it copy every clickable item?
It collects links with usable destinations, including website, file, FTP, email, telephone and meaningful in-page links. Hidden links, placeholder # links and script-only actions are skipped. Links inside open shadow roots are supported; closed shadow roots and text drawn on a canvas are not.
Questions or feedback?
I built LinkSweep to make an everyday job easier. If you have a question, find a problem or have an idea for an improvement, email me with the Chrome version and a description of what happened.