# hooverZoom

> Display a linked image in a fullsize overlay on mouse hover.

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/hooverzoom](https://chrome-stats.com/d/hooverzoom)

## Overview

- **ID:** `hooverzoom`
- **Platform:** Firefox
- **Type:** Firefox add-on
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** arjuna
- **Category:** appearance,photos-music-videos
- **Daily users:** 688
- **Weekly downloads:** 14
- **Rating:** 2.79 / 5 (29 ratings)
- **Version:** 2.140.7.5
- **Last updated:** 2026-02-18
- **First published:** 2015-04-02
- **Size:** 22 KB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-10
- **Store listing:** [Firefox Add-ons Store](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/hooverzoom/)
- **Website:** [https://github.com/unarj/hooverZoom/issues](https://github.com/unarj/hooverZoom/issues)

## Description

hooverZoom is a lightweight Chrome extension that enhances your browsing experience by displaying full-size images or videos in an overlay when you hover over a link. This powerful tool saves you clicks and is especially useful on media-rich but shallow content sites like Reddit.

Key features include dynamic loading of image content with site-specific handlers, photo album navigation via mouse wheel and arrow keys, and the ability to load MP4 videos in place of animated GIFs for faster loading. The extension also supports optional history linking with popups and maintains a minimal footprint.

With hooverZoom, enjoy seamless previews of media content, making your browsing faster and more efficient.

## Rankings

- #4,126 — Overall
- #23 — hover
- #41 — cover
- #41 — zoom
- #62 — scraping
- #63 — room

## Permissions and access

### Permissions

- `<all_urls>`
- `history`
- `storage`

### Content script matches

- `*`

## Safety

- **Risk impact:** High risk impact
- **Risk likelihood:** High risk likelihood

### Analysis details

- Allows access to all websites, posing a significant security risk as it can monitor and modify data from any visited site.
- This extension has low user count. Unpopular extensions may not be stable or safe.

> Some risk analysis details are omitted from this free response. [Upgrade to view the full analysis](https://chrome-stats.com/pricing).

## Review summary

User reviews show the add-on performs well on tricky sites and offers good customization and file-type recognition. However, reliability is inconsistent, with many reports of it not working on various sites or environments. Site compatibility often requires whitelisting or tweaks, and some sizing quirks or setup hurdles are common. When functional, it delivers centered, larger images and serves as a solid replacement for older zoom tools.

### Pros

- Works on tricky sites and galleries where other zoom tools fail (e.g., XenForo with broken lightbox).
- Strong file type recognition and broader functionality, including handling webm formats and allowing saving through the hovered image.
- Highly customizable and considered a good replacement for older zoom add-ons; offers more features.
- When it works, it delivers centered, larger images and performs its intended zoom behavior.

### Cons

- Inconsistent and unreliable performance; multiple reviews report it doesn’t work on many sites or in some Firefox environments.
- Site-specific compatibility issues; often requires whitelisting or tweaks to function.
- Some images do not appear at the expected size; occasional sizing inconsistencies.
- Setup can be non-intuitive and may require specific configuration (e.g., popup size) to function.

## Similar extensions and apps

- [Zoomimg](https://chrome-stats.com/d/zoomimg) — 9 users
- [Ultra Zoom](https://chrome-stats.com/d/ultra-zoom) — 138 users, 3.43 / 5
- [Image Zoomer](https://chrome-stats.com/d/image-zoomervvv)
- [Hover Zoom+ for Firefox](https://chrome-stats.com/d/hover-zoom-for-firefox) — 8,529 users, 3.75 / 5
- [Zoomit](https://chrome-stats.com/d/zoomit) — 4 users
- [ImagePreviewer](https://chrome-stats.com/d/imagepreviewer) — 75 users, 3.30 / 5
- [Image Zoomer](https://chrome-stats.com/d/image-zoomerrrr) — 1 users
- [Hover Zoom+ (Official)](https://chrome-stats.com/d/hover-zoom-plus) — 13,190 users, 3.85 / 5
- [Hover Zoom Plus V2](https://chrome-stats.com/d/hover-zoom-plus-v2) — 6 users
- [Linkover – preview link info on hover](https://chrome-stats.com/d/linkover) — 89 users, 5.00 / 5
- [Image Link Previewer](https://chrome-stats.com/d/image-link-previewer) — 26 users
- [Hover Image Downloader](https://chrome-stats.com/d/hover-image-downloader) — 6 users

---

Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/hooverzoom)