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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →A link preview is the card that appears when you paste a URL into a chat, social network, or messaging app. The receiving service requests the page, reads metadata such as its title, description, and image, may download the referenced media, and then renders a card according to its own rules. The same URL can therefore produce different previews in Slack, Messages, and other destinations.
To control the result, put preview metadata in the server-rendered HTML, serve reachable media over HTTPS, and test the exact URL in every platform where it will be shared.
The link-preview pipeline
A preview is assembled before the recipient necessarily clicks the link. The receiving service, rather than the browser of the person viewing the message, performs most of the work.
- A URL is shared. The application detects a fully qualified URL. In Slack, a registered domain can generate a
link_sharedevent so an app can provide a custom unfurl. - A crawler fetches the page. The service requests the URL and looks for metadata in the response. Slack says its robot fetches as little of the page as possible, using HTTP Range headers to extract meta tags.
- Metadata and media are parsed. The crawler reads Open Graph, Twitter Card, oEmbed, the document title, and the meta description. It can also retrieve a referenced image, video, or audio file to verify it and obtain additional information.
- The platform renders a card. Each destination decides the layout, text truncation, image crop, authentication behavior, media playback, and available interactions.
- The result may be cached. A later edit to your page can remain invisible until that platform fetches the URL again. There is no universal cache duration or refresh guarantee.
This explains why a preview can be missing, stale, or different from the one shown by another service even when the page itself is working.
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Which metadata controls the card?
Use specialized tags as the primary description, but retain ordinary HTML fallbacks for platforms that ignore a particular vocabulary.
| Metadata | Purpose | Recommended implementation |
|---|---|---|
og:title |
Headline displayed in the card | Write a concise, page-specific title. |
og:description |
Supporting summary | Describe the destination accurately without hidden claims. |
og:image |
Preview image | Use an absolute, public HTTPS URL to a stable image. |
og:site_name |
Site or brand label | Use the name readers will recognize. |
twitter:card |
Card format on destinations that support Twitter Card metadata | Choose summary or summary_large_image. |
<title> |
General HTML fallback | Keep it useful if Open Graph is ignored. |
| Meta description | General summary fallback | Provide a readable description in the initial HTML. |
| oEmbed | Structured description for supported rich media | Publish valid oEmbed data when your content type benefits from it. |
Minimal server-rendered example
<head>
<title>How to audit an API response | Example site</title>
<meta name="description" content="A practical guide to checking an API response.">
<meta property="og:title" content="How to audit an API response">
<meta property="og:description" content="A practical guide to checking an API response.">
<meta property="og:site_name" content="Example site">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/api-audit.jpg">
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
</head>Replace the example values with your own canonical URL and assets. The important detail is timing: these tags must be present in the HTML returned for the URL, not added later by a client-side script.
Why a preview is missing or wrong
Metadata is absent or incomplete
If the initial response has no usable title, description, or image, a platform may show a plain URL or invent a less useful fallback. Add the relevant tags to every shareable page, not only to the home page.
JavaScript inserts the tags
Some preview fetchers do not run JavaScript. Apple’s link-preview guidance specifically says metadata must be available directly on the linked page. Render the tags on the server or at the edge so a simple HTTP request receives them.
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A meta redirect is involved
Server-side HTTP redirects are followed by Apple’s preview system, but HTML meta redirects are not. Redirect the URL with an HTTP status such as 301 or 302 and make the final page contain the metadata.
The image or payload is unsuitable
Apple’s 2024 guidance gives practical limits: square icons should be at least 108 pixels per side, preview images should be at least 900 pixels wide, the main resource should be no larger than 1 MB, and associated resources should total no more than 10 MB. Apple describes these as guidelines that may change, so verify the current requirements of your destination.
The platform interprets fields differently
Slack, Messages, and social applications do not expose identical controls. One may prefer Open Graph while another emphasizes Twitter Card or oEmbed data. Compare the exact fields each destination documents instead of assuming a single universal renderer.
A cached result is being displayed
Platforms can retain an earlier fetch. Because cache duration and invalidation are platform-specific, changing the HTML does not guarantee an immediate update. Confirm that the live response is correct, then use the destination’s documented refresh or re-fetch mechanism when one exists.
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How to make reliable previews
- Render tags in the first response. Inspect the raw HTML returned by the URL, not only the DOM after scripts execute.
- Use absolute media URLs. A crawler must be able to request the image, video, or audio without relying on a logged-in browser session.
- Keep assets within target limits. Start with the Apple guidance above, then check any stricter rules for each service.
- Use a stable canonical destination. Test the final URL after HTTP redirects and make sure authentication boundaries do not prevent the crawler from reaching safe public metadata.
- Test every destination. Paste the exact production URL into each chat or social platform where it will appear. Check desktop and mobile variants when they use different renderers.
- Refresh deliberately after edits. Record when the metadata changed and use a documented cache-refresh path rather than repeatedly editing tags at random.
Slack-specific previews and custom unfurls
Slack can passively expand a link from the page metadata, but an app can also supply a custom unfurl. Register the domain, subscribe to the link_shared event, and respond with the required links:write scope. Custom unfurls let an integration return its own blocks instead of relying only on Slack’s interpretation of the page.
Slack Work Objects provide another route to standardized entities and richer previews. These approaches are more extensible than a passive card, but they require an app, event handling, and appropriate permissions. Treat third-party work-object content carefully: Slack warns that some previews are not validated or endorsed by Slack and that information entered there can be processed outside Slack.
How to inspect and troubleshoot a broken preview
Check the response, not just your browser
- Request the production URL without cookies and confirm that the response is successful.
- View the raw HTML and verify that the Open Graph and fallback tags are inside the initial
<head>. - Resolve every HTTP redirect and inspect the final document.
- Request each media URL independently. Confirm HTTPS, a correct content type, a successful response, and no authentication requirement.
Match the symptom to the likely cause
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No card at all | No readable metadata, blocked crawler, or unsupported response | Expose server-rendered tags and allow the destination’s fetcher to reach the page. |
| Wrong title or description | Fallback fields are being used, or old data is cached | Correct Open Graph values and trigger the platform’s refresh process. |
| Image missing | Relative, private, invalid, oversized, or too-small media | Use a public absolute HTTPS URL and resize or recompress the asset. |
| Preview differs by app | Different metadata vocabularies or rendering rules | Implement the fields supported by each destination and test separately. |
| Preview works only after loading the page | Tags are injected by JavaScript | Move them into server-rendered HTML. |
| Old preview persists | Destination cache | Verify the new response and use the documented re-fetch control; do not assume a fixed cache period. |
Are link previews safe?
Automatic fetching creates a request before a person clicks. The request can disclose that a URL was shared, and a poorly designed URL can expose information to the fetcher or to anyone who receives the card.
- Never put passwords, API keys, session tokens, or other secrets in a URL.
- Remove sensitive query parameters from shareable links or replace them with short-lived, least-privilege tokens.
- Do not place private customer data in titles, descriptions, or preview images.
- Assume preview media URLs are externally reachable and log or rate-limit them accordingly.
- For authenticated pages, decide explicitly whether a public preview is appropriate; a crawler may not share the user’s login state.
Academic security work on link previews has documented unintended disclosure and other risks from automatic fetching. A safe design exposes only the metadata and media you would be comfortable serving to an external service.
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Or skip the browser setup
If you need to verify how a page actually renders before sharing it, ScreenshotNeo can return a clean screenshot or PDF from one request. It accepts cookie and consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks, CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the page verdict and billing status in headers. Its MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients use take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf.
cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the complete option list and request details in the ScreenshotNeo documentation.
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 supports full-page captures with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element captures, dark mode, device presets and custom viewports, retina scale, PDF paper and page options, custom CSS and JavaScript, clicks, waits, ad and tracker blocking, custom headers and cookies, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, selectable cache TTLs, signed links, asynchronous webhooks, bulk capture for 100 URLs per call, a usage API, and an OpenAPI specification. Existing parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work.
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Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a link preview mean the destination was opened by a person?
No. The receiving service may fetch the URL automatically before anyone clicks it.
Best Value
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Can I force every app to use the same preview?
No. You can provide consistent metadata, but each destination chooses which fields, limits, cache rules, and layout to apply.
Should preview images be hosted on the same domain as the page?
Not necessarily. They need to be stable, publicly reachable HTTPS resources that the destination can fetch.
Why does changing a page title not update an existing message?
The destination may be displaying a cached fetch. Confirm the new response and use that service’s refresh mechanism if available.
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