Google makes it easier to share links to text on a web page

Google Chrome
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

It's easy to send URLs to people when you want to share a website with them, but this isn't always especially helpful if you want to direct attention to a particular section of text.

Now Google has a solution. Having previously released an extension for Chrome called Link to Text Fragment, the company is no in the process of integrating this useful deep-linking feature directly into the browser itself.

The Link to Text Fragment extension made it possible to create a hyperlink that points to a specific word, sentence or phrase on a page, and now this same option has been based into the Canary build of Chrome.

If you  want to highlight a particular snippet of text with a friend, colleague or family member, this new feature provides a great way to send someone directly to what you want them to see, saving them the hassle of trying to track it down on their own.

Easy linking

If you'd like to try out the feature, you'll have to be running Chrome Canary, which you can install alongside the release build. You will than have to enable an optional Chrome Flag to activate the 'Copy link to text' option.

  1. Pay a visit to chrome://flags
  2. Search for Copy link to text
  3. Select Enabled from the drop-down menu
  4. Restart Chrome

You can then highlight a word or phrase on a page, right-click and select the 'Copy link to text' option.

Check out our guide to the best browsers of 2020

Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson
Freelance writer

Sofia is a tech journalist who's been writing about software, hardware and the web for nearly 25 years – but still looks as youthful as ever! After years writing for magazines, her life moved online and remains fueled by technology, music and nature.

Having written for websites and magazines since 2000, producing a wide range of reviews, guides, tutorials, brochures, newsletters and more, she continues to write for diverse audiences, from computing newbies to advanced users and business clients. Always willing to try something new, she loves sharing new discoveries with others.

Sofia lives and breathes Windows, Android, iOS, macOS and just about anything with a power button, but her particular areas of interest include security, tweaking and privacy. Her other loves include walking, music, her two Malamutes and, of course, her wife and daughter.

You can find her on Twitter and Mastodon.

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