--- title: "How to use the browser extension" date: "2025-01-10T15:07:00+00:00" summary: "Discover how to use the Acquia Web Governance Browser Extension for quick website issue detection and repair." image: type: "page" url: "/web-governance/how-use-browser-extension" id: "8b3b0872-9b5e-431d-98ce-67ea4b9d6af6" --- Table of contents will be added Introduction ------------ The Acquia Web Governance Browser Extension allows non-admin users to quickly view and repair website issues. Many of the same sections from the Web Governance application are available, including SEO, statistics, accessibility, quality assurance, policies, heatmaps, and more. It can also be used to view certain things about external websites. This article provides instructions on how to manage a website with the Web Governance Browser Extension. Instructions ------------ This section provides instructions on how to navigate and use the browser extension.  Note If this is the first time that a scan is done on the website, there might not be much data to compare with. ### Content Issues (insect icon) Click to view potential issues with error content, as identified by the most recent scan. The information that is displayed is: * **Scan Information**: Click the arrow to expand the field. The field shows the date that the page was last crawled, and buttons to **Start new scan** and **Show scanned source** for the current page. * **Start new scan**: Click to start a scan on the current page. The system displays a rotating icon and the text: _Scan in progress_ until the scan is complete. * **Show Scanned Source**: Click to view the HTML source code on the current page. Search the HTML source code for a text string, or click X to close the HTML source code and return to the previous view. For more information about the scan, visit [Configure the scan](/node/58536). * **Quality Assurance**: Click the arrow to expand the field. The field shows a quick overview of the number of broken links, broken images, misspellings, and potential misspellings on the current page. If there are any errors, the **See Issues** button is visible. Click **See Issues** to open a window and view the errors in more detail. * **Mark as fixed**: Marks the issue as fixed. It will be included in subsequent scans and if the error returns, it will appear again in the broken links list. Select this option when the error is actually fixed by the web team on the HTML code of the webpage. * **Mark as ignored**: Ignore the issue. Use this option if you know the issue is, in fact, OK. Ignored issues are not included in subsequent scans and will not show up as broken. Notes * The difference between **Fixed** and **Ignore** is that issues marked as _Fixed_ are still included in future scans and can be flagged again if the error persists. Issues that are set to _Ignore_ are permanently omitted from future scans and compliance scores. * Ignored links will appear on the scan again if the status of the link changes. For example, a link that was marked broken as 404 and ignored will reset if the same link gets a new Ok status of, for example, 200. If in the future that link starts returning a 404 error again, it will reappear on the broken links report. * Click **HTML** (a __ icon) to open the HTML code and locate the error in the code. _Tip_: For non-HTML users, this is a great place to take a screenshot to send to the web developer for a permanent fix. * Click **Highlight** (a magnifying glass icon) to highlight the error on the webpage. Note Select **HTML** (a `__` icon) instead if you see this message: ​_Highlighting currently unavailable. The element isn't visually highlightable or the source code might have been changed by the time the page has loaded._ * **Accessibility**: Click the arrow to expand the field. Snippets from the HTML page are listed. Each issue gives the options to: * **Mark as Reviewed**: Click to indicate that the issue has been reviewed.  for instructions on when it is ok to mark an issue as _reviewed_, visit [How to review an accessibility issue](/node/59486). * Note In the case of alt text snippets, be sure that the alt text is correctly repaired in the HTML code before you click _Mark as Reviewed_. This button indicates that the issue is resolved and it will not show up on subsequent scans. If it has not been actually fixed correctly, the compliance score gives a false result. * **HTML** (Less than/Greater than icon): Shows where in the code that this snippet is located. * **Highlight** (Magnifying glass icon): Highlights the issue on the webpage. * Notes * Select **HTML**, a __ icon, if you see this message: ​_Highlighting currently unavailable. The element isn't visually highlightable or the source code might have been changed by the time the page has loaded._ * In some cases, obvious issues are not highlighted by the extension. This can happen when the elements are updated during page loading and/or scrolling, and is in many cases due to slowly-loading pages. This causes the listed issue element and the element that is rendered on the actual page to differ, which results in a discrepancy. If elements do not load immediately as the page renders, the extension cannot highlight them. * **Policies**: Shows the _Policies Score_ and _Policy violations_ for the current page. If there are any errors, the **See Issues** button redirects to the _Statistics_ page, where the errors can be fixed. For more information, visit [Policies](/node/59341). * **SEO** (Search Engine Optimization): Shows the _SEO Score_ and _SEO Issues_ for the current page. If there are any errors, the **See Issues** button redirects to the _Statistics_ page, where the errors can be fixed. For more information, visit [Search Engine Optimization](/node/58841). * **Performance**: Shows any current performance errors. If there are any errors, the **Show in** **Web Governance** button redirects to the _Performance_ page, where you can view all of the performance statistics for the page. For more information, visit [Performance](/node/61511). **Statistics** (pie chart icon) ------------------------------- Click to expand the window and view page statistics such as total visits. Here you can view: * Page statistics * Total visits * Page views * Average time on page * Bounce rate * Traffic sources * Search engines * Direct visits * Referring visits * Campaign visits * Social media visits For more information about the data shown in these fields, visit [Statistics](/node/58861). Heatmaps (flame icon) --------------------- Click to open the heatmap for the page. The heatmap is based on a sample of your total visitors. Note This button is only available in the Browser Extension if you have installed Web Governance Heatmaps. * **Scale**: Cold (blue) to Warm (dark red). The heatmap visualizes the most and least popular areas of the page on a scale from warm (red) to cold (blue) with shades in between. * **Display heatmap**: Click to turn the heatmap display **On** or **Off**. * **Device type**: Choose a device to show heatmap data for. * Desktop and laptop devices * Tablet devices * Mobile devices * **Heatmap type**: Choose the type of user behavior that you want to track: * **Move**: The _move map_ shows you where the users moved and paused their cursor across your site. Research suggests that there is a connection between the mouse movement and the location of viewer attention. This kind of heat map indicates the parts of the page that the user might be looking at and where their attention span is. This map is only available for desktop devices. * **Click**: The click map indicates where on your page that visitors click or tap on their devices. This kind of heat map shows the most frequently clicked areas, which can give some idea of what your visitors are trying to interact with. * **Scroll:** The scroll map shows how far the users scroll on the page. Dark red indicates the areas where most visitors scroll. This type of heat map can be used to see what information reaches the majority of your visitors, and is useful also for determining what data on the page is ignored or missed. * **Heatmap type:** This button only appears in the Browser Extension if the Heatmaps module is installed. Choose the browser that you want to track: * All (selects all browsers) * Firefox * Chrome * Safari * Microsoft Edge * Internet Explorer * Opera * Snapshot time: Click the drop-down arrow to select the timeframe for the heatmap: * Last week * Last month * Last quarter For more information, visit [Heatmaps](/node/58926). ### Page Info (info icon) Click to view the webpage structure that is included in the scan. This section provides an overview of the webpage structure that the scan shows. * **Page Information**: Expand the section to view the URL address and the number of characters, and the page title with the number of characters. * **Headings**: Expand the section to view the page headings and the number of characters. * **Metadata**: Expand to view the page metadata with the number of characters. ### Single Page Scan (rotation icon) Click to do a scan on a single page. This option is available with or without a user subscription. Notes * It is not possible to do a scan on a password-protected page with Single Page Scan. For more information, visit: [Scan password-protected and internal pages](/node/58566). * Acquia does not track or collect data on pages that are not covered by the subscription, the scan only shows the results at the moment of the scan. * After issues are reviewed, it can take some time for the system to recognize them as reviewed. If you do a single-page scan immediately after you mark issues as _Reviewed_, the scan may not reflect the reviewed issues correctly. * If you turn off the option to _Scan for broken links and images_ for a single page rescan, do not mark broken links and images as _Reviewed_ because the system is instructed to ignore them and the changes will not save. For more information, visit [Single-page scan](/node/58586). ### Quick scan (lightning bolt icon) Provides the option to do a quick scan on a page using a different method from the single-page scan that is available from within the platform. This feature is ideal when you want to check compliance before you publish a web page, or if you need a quick analysis of a page that is already published. For more information, visit [Quick scan](/node/59731). ### View Options (eye icon) Click for details about the viewing resolution and adjust the view for the current page. * **Screen Resolution**: Expand the section to adjust the following: * Choose device type for best viewing: * Desktop and laptop device * Tablet device * Mobile device * **Create custom screen resolutions** * Width: Click in the field and use the arrows to navigate up and down through the resolution choices. * Height**:** Click in the field and use the arrows to navigate up and down through the resolution choices. * Reset screen: Reset the resolution to the default value. * **Most Visitors Resolutions**: Expand the section to view the resolution settings used by the majority of visitors to the site. * **View Options**: Expand the section to view the options available: * Enable CSS: Click to turn this option **OFF** or **ON** to enable CSS. * Display HTML code: Click to turn this option **OFF** or **ON** to enable HTML code. * Vision Deficiencies: Click the drop-down arrow to select a vision deficiency. The page view adjusts accordingly. * None * Blurred Vision * Achromatopsia * Deuteranopia * Protanopia * Tritanopia ### Toolkit (tools icon) Click to view highlighting tools that provide information about the website structure and properties, as they relate to accessibility issues.  Note Select **HTML** (a __ icon) instead if you see this message: ​_Highlighting currently unavailable. The element isn't visually highlightable or the source code might have been changed by the time the page has loaded._ * **Headings**: Click to turn this option **ON** to investigate the header structure on the page. * **Links**: Click to turn this option **ON** to examine the links on the webpage. Note In some cases the highlight tool may not show a broken link. This can occur in the following instances: * The link is only present in the HTML * The link shows up in a minimized section * Click on a link in the list to see the location on the website. * Hover the cursor over a link on the page for more information about it. * Link Text * Link Title * Link URL * Aria-label * Link Length * Link Target * Click on a link on the page to see the link behavior as a user experiences it. ### Open in Web Governance: (box with an arrow-out icon) Click to redirect to the statistics view for the current page in the application.  ### Settings (gear icon) This option shows settings for users, extensions, cache, and general information for the current page. * **User Settings**: Click to view the user settings: * **Account**: The name of the account. * **Domains matching this URL**: The domain name that matches the current URL. * **Logout**: Log out the user. * **Extension Settings**: * **Left vs. Right-aligned extension**: Click to toggle this option **Left** or **Right**. This determines the side of the page that the extension toolbar is on. * **Prevent highlighting elements with issues inside content-editable div element**: Click to toggle this option **OFF** or **ON**. * **Automatically disable site's CSS if selected issue's element is hidden**: Click to toggle this option **OFF** or **ON**. * **Cache Settings**: Click to expand this section. * **Clear Cache**: Click to clear the cache for the current page. Note This clears the HTML source code cache for the page, not the overlay from the Web Governance Browser Extension on the page. * **Clear extension cache**: click to clear the extension cache. When you clear the cache, a popup message indicates that the action was successful. * **Information**: Click to expand this section. * **Version**: The current version of the Web Governance Browser Extension. * **Logged in as**: The username for the user that is currently logged in. * **Page**: The URL for the current page. * **Domain**: The Domain name for the current page. * **Create Support Log**: Click to create a support log. The log saves to the _Downloaded Files_ folder on the current device. Use this file if you encounter an issue with Web Governance and need to attach it to a support ticket. ### Close (X icon) Click to close the toolbar. Document tracking ----------------- The file extensions need to be entered, to match the files that will be scanned. If the file extension is not in the pre-loaded list, click the **+** button and add it to the new row. * Do not add a **.** (period) before the file extension * Delete any file extensions that are not used. Use the browser extension on external websites ---------------------------------------------- When you have the Web Governance Browser Extension installed, you can use the basic functionality on any external webpage. All options are not available. These are the basic functions that are available for anyone to use if they have the extension installed: ### Not found This message indicates that the page is not a part of the user's paid domain package. ### Single page scan Click to start a single page scan on any external page that is not covered by the your subscription. Note The extension shows the results of the scan, it does not perform the scan. For more information, visit [Single-page scan](/node/58586). ### View options (eye icon) This button shows the viewing resolution and offers options to adjust the view for the current page. ### Toolkit (tools icon) Click to open the toolkit. This option lets you investigate page header structure and easily locate links on the current page. ### Settings (gear icon)  Click to view user settings, manage extensions, clear the cache, and get general information about the current page. Note When you clear the cache, a popup message indicates that the action was successful. ### Close (X icon) Click to close the extension. Troubleshooting --------------- ### Page Not Found error  You should be able to open the extension directly from a page. If this error appears, it is possible that you are not logged in to the extension. Click the tools icon on the bottom of the extension toolbar and enter the user login credentials. Note The web browser extension does not yet support CSS selectors and therefore does not consider any user-defined CSS selectors when it highlights matches. ### Disable the extension on external pages To disable the extension, click the web browser extension icon (two blue square frames) on the browser toolbar. ![The appearance of the web browser extension icon on the browser toolbar. It is the Optimize icon, two blue offset square outlines.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/96d7160d-a208-43ee-8c28-c9b1eb06a18d/web/Mon_Opt_WebBrowserExtension-IconOnToolbar.png) Alternatively, click **Close**, the X icon, on the extension toolbar. Note For the extension to launch on an external page, for example a page that is not covered by your Web Governance account, you must manually click the Browser Extension icon on the browser toolbar. Once the extension has been enabled with this method, it launches every time you access a page on that domain. To turn it off, click the same icon again in the browser toolbar while on the domain.  It is not enough to click the X icon on the extension itself. That action only closes the extension for the current session, it will launch again the next time you access the page on that site. Limited Access program ---------------------- New features are released to a small audience before general release. To upgrade to a Limited Access account, contact your customer service representative. ### Remediation Companion The Remediation Companion is now available on request, for more information visit [Remediation Companion](/node/95016).