What Open Graph data controls
Open Graph tags are small pieces of information in a page's head, with names like og:title, og:description and og:image. When someone shares a link on a social network or in a messaging app, the service reads them to draw a card: an image on top, a site name, a bold title and a short description.
If the tags are missing, the service guesses from the page, which often gives a poor title or no picture. Setting them deliberately means the shared link looks the way you intended. To write the tags themselves, use the Open Graph Generator, and for the X version see the Twitter Card Generator.
When a preview is worth checking
A card is judged in a second, so it should be clear at a glance. Long titles are cut, descriptions may vanish on smaller layouts, and a missing or badly cropped image makes a link look unfinished. Looking at a mock-up before publishing a post or launching a page helps you notice such problems early.
This is also a handy way to show a client or teammate how a link will look without having to publish anything. Change the words, compare two headlines and pick the one that reads best.
How to use the Open Graph preview
- Enter a Title and a Domain. Sample text is already in the fields.
- Write a Description in the larger box.
- Optionally paste an Image URL, which must be a direct web address of an image.
- Look at the Facebook / LinkedIn preview card underneath. It updates as you type.
If you leave the image field empty, the picture area shows "No image set". If the address cannot be loaded as an image, the area is hidden and the grey box remains.
How close the preview is to real shares
This is a generic mock-up, not an exact copy of any one platform. It shows a single card style, the domain in capital letters, and a title and description each cut to one line with an ellipsis. Real platforms differ in layout, in how many lines they show and in image cropping, so use it to judge wording and image choice rather than precise appearance.
The tool does not read your actual page or its tags, and it does not generate any HTML. You type the values yourself. One thing to know about privacy: if you enter an image URL, your browser loads that image from the address you gave, so that host will receive an ordinary request for it. Your title and description text stay in your browser.
Remember that platforms keep their own copy of a link's card, so after changing your tags you may need to ask the platform to refresh it. A wide image with the subject in the middle usually survives cropping best.