# Browser Source: https://metadock.app/docs/browser # Browser Every panel in MetaDock is a fully isolated browser powered by the Microsoft Edge Chromium engine. Here's how to get the most out of it. ## Navigation Browser navigation works just like Chrome or Edge — same shortcuts you already know: Action Shortcut Go back Alt+Left Go forward Alt+Right Reload page Ctrl+R Stop loading Esc Focus URL bar Ctrl+L Close tab Ctrl+W Duplicate browser into a new panel Ctrl+Shift+K Duplicate browser into the current tab stack Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K Tip **Example:** You're comparing two versions of a page. Press **Ctrl+Shift+K** to duplicate the current browser into a new panel, then navigate one of them to the new version. Both are visible side-by-side in your layout. ## Zoom Zoom controls work per-browser, so you can have a zoomed-in chart next to a normal-sized page: Action Shortcut Zoom in Ctrl+\= Zoom out Ctrl+\- Reset to 100% Ctrl+0 Zoom level is saved per-browser and restored when you reload your workspace. You can also set a default zoom for all new browsers in **Settings → Browser → Default Zoom**. ## Tab Selection Each browser panel can have multiple tabs, just like a regular browser. Jump between them instantly: Action Shortcut Switch to tabs 1-8 Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+8 Switch to the 9th tab Ctrl+9 Tip **Example:** You have a browser panel with TradingView on tab 1 and Yahoo Finance on tab 2. Press **Ctrl+1** or **Ctrl+2** to flip between them instantly without taking your hands off the keyboard. ## Developer Tools Every browser panel has full Chrome DevTools — inspect elements, debug JavaScript, monitor network requests: Action Shortcut Open DevTools F12 Toggle scripts Ctrl+Shift+J DevTools opens attached to the browser panel. This is especially useful when you're developing or debugging web apps — you can have your app in one panel and DevTools right next to it, both visible at the same time. ## Screenshots & PDF Capture what's on screen for documentation, bug reports, or record-keeping: Action Shortcut Take screenshot (PNG) Ctrl+Shift+S Print to PDF Ctrl+P ### When to use each #### Screenshots Captures the full page — the entire scrollable height, not just the visible viewport — as a PNG image. Great for bug reports, sharing chart snapshots, or visual documentation. #### PDF export Renders the full page as a PDF document. Ideal for saving articles, invoices, or research pages for offline reading. Tip **Automation tip:** Screenshots and PDFs are also available via the REST API. Set up a script to take periodic screenshots of a dashboard for monitoring — see the [REST API docs](https://metadock.app/api-docs). ## Extensions MetaDock supports both **Chrome** and **Edge** extensions. Install your favorite ad blockers, password managers, or productivity tools just like in a regular browser. ### How to install 1. Press **Ctrl+Shift+E** to open the extensions dialog 2. Add an extension from a directory path or the Chrome Web Store 3. The extension loads immediately — no restart needed ### Good to know - •Profile-isolated — each profile has its own set of extensions, so your work profile can have different extensions than your personal one - •Individual toggle — enable/disable extensions without uninstalling them - •Persistent — extensions survive app restarts and workspace switches Note **Example setup:** Install uBlock Origin for ad blocking, Bitwarden for passwords, and React DevTools for development. Each profile can have a different combination — your trading profile might skip React DevTools, while your dev profile skips the ad blocker for testing. ## Scripting Browsers MetaDock can run arbitrary JavaScript or CSS against your live browsers — either across the whole fleet at once, or against a specific browser via the automation API. ### Two entry points 1. **Bulk action** — run a script against every open browser in one click. Useful when you want to apply the same change to a fleet of profiles. 2. **Automation API** — drive a specific browser from the outside via REST, MCP, CDP, or WebDriver. Inject JavaScript or CSS, read the result back, and chain it into your workflow. ### Example use cases #### Auto-dismiss cookie banners Hit every open browser with a one-liner that clicks “Accept” on whatever consent popup is on screen. #### Custom styling Inject CSS to make a site dark-mode, increase font sizes, or hide distracting elements on news sites. #### Data extraction Scrape prices, headlines, or stats from a page via MCP or REST and pipe the results into your tool of choice. ## Browsing Data Manage your browsing history, downloads, and cached data: Action Shortcut Clear browsing data Ctrl+Shift+Delete View browsing history Ctrl+H View download history Ctrl+J Browsing data is profile-specific. Clearing data in one profile doesn't affect other profiles — so you can clear your “Testing” profile without touching your “Work” profile. ## Other Features MetaDock's browser goes beyond basic browsing. Here are the power features you might not discover on your own: #### Bookmarks — Ctrl+D Toggle a bookmark for the current page. Bookmarks are per-profile — each profile keeps its own library, with hierarchical categories and tags. An All Profiles view lets you search across them. #### Mute browser — Ctrl+M Instantly mute/unmute audio in a specific browser panel. No more hunting for the tab that's playing sound. #### Stealth mode — F8 Instantly hides and mutes the current browser. The panel becomes invisible. Press F8 again to reveal it — or, if you've set a reveal password in Settings, enter that. #### Device emulation Emulate mobile devices (iPhone, Pixel, etc.) or pin a custom viewport width and height. Perfect for testing responsive designs at a target dimension. #### Offline mode Simulate an offline state per browser to test how your web app handles network failures. ## Link Preview Hold **Alt** and hover over any link to see a small screenshot preview of where it leads, floating next to your cursor. It is a quick way to check a destination before committing to the click. - •Off by default — turn on Link Preview on Alt+Hover under Settings → Browser - •Alt is the gate — plain hovering never triggers it, so previews only appear when you ask for them - •Light on resources — it reuses a single hidden background browser for every preview and caches links you've already seen, so a repeat hover is instant ## Auto-Refresh Any browser can reload itself on a timer, which is handy for dashboards, ticket queues, live scoreboards, and build pipelines you want kept fresh without touching them. Open the auto-refresh popup from its toolbar button, set the interval in seconds, and start or stop it with a live countdown to the next reload. Tip The refresh runs invisibly, and the interval persists across restarts and saves with the workspace, so a dashboard browser comes back already refreshing. ## Site Permissions Sites that ask for sensitive capabilities, like location, camera, microphone, notifications, or clipboard, trigger an in-browser prompt. Allow or deny once and the decision is remembered for that domain. Clearing a site's data resets its permissions, so the next visit asks again. ## Headless Mode Browsers can be opened invisibly: no window, no rendering surface, nothing to click, but all the same capabilities programmatically, including navigation, scripts, screenshots, cookies, and automation. It is useful for scraping, scheduled jobs, and tests that run hundreds of profiles at once without flooding the screen. Note Headless browsing is available in the higher editions. Drive it through the [automation API](https://metadock.app/api-docs) the same way you would a visible browser.