Litmus Extension
The Litmus Extension is a Chrome extension that easily allows you to preview, test, and personalize HTML emails on your desktop and inside your email service provider.
NOTE: The Litmus extension is available for Plus and Enterprise subscriptions.
Available ESP options
| Plus & Enterprise | Enterprise |
|---|---|
| Campaign Monitor | Salesforce Marketing Cloud |
| Klaviyo | Acoustic Campaign |
| Mailchimp | Marketo |
| Eloqua | |
| Responsys | |
| Adobe Campaign Standard |
Installing the Litmus Extension
- Find the Litmus Extension in the Chrome store
Choose Add to Chrome
Then select Add extension in the popup window
Go to the extension settings in Chrome and be sure to select On all sites under Site access, as well as Allow access to file URLs
- The Litmus Extension icon in the Chrome extensions tool area will walk you through onboarding steps
Use the Litmus Extension when viewing a local HTML file or inside your ESP by selecting the icon!
Note: Refresh the page to activate the Litmus Extension for your first use after installing.
Testing local HTML files on your desktop
The Litmus Extension works alongside any editor—Dreamweaver, Sublime Text, Atom, Coda, Brackets, etc.—because it works in the browser.
Once you have the Litmus Extension installed, open a .html file in your browser and activate the Litmus Extension. The Litmus Extension will slide out as a sidebar and automatically generate Email Previews in your default selected email clients.
You can easily resize the Litmus Extension for complete flexibility of your testing environment.
You can dive into detailed view, even at full screen, to get a clear view of your rendering. Just like the Litmus web app, you can seamlessly toggle through Email Previews by using the left/right arrow key shortcuts.
The Litmus Extension also has images off view support for email clients.
If you ever encounter an error with Email Previews properly loading or capturing, you can easily recapture all Email Previews with the refresh toggle next to the Litmus logo or a single Email Preview with the keyboard shortcut r key.
Additionally, the Litmus Extension also plays nicely with localhost and static site generators, as well as your task runner of choice, such as Grunt or Gulp. The Litmus Extension is automatically reloaded and regenerates Email Previews on every page reload with these build systems.
Testing inside your email service provider
Once you have the Litmus Extension installed, simply open your email campaign in your email service provider (ESP) and activate the Litmus Extension. You will get a full Previews & QA test for your email—first impressions, image check, link check, tracking check—living right alongside your ESP.
We currently have support for Campaign Monitor, Mailchimp, Salesforce Marketing Cloud (formerly ExactTarget), Acoustic Campaign (formerly IBM Watson Campaign Automation), Marketo, Eloqua, Responsys, Klaviyo, and Adobe Campaign Standard.
You can dive into detailed views—even at full screen—to get a clear view of your rendering. Just like the Litmus web app, you can seamlessly toggle through Email Previews by using the left/right arrow key shortcuts.
If you ever encounter an error with Checklist or Email Previews properly loading or capturing, you can easily recapture a full Checklist with the refresh toggle next to the Litmus logo or a single Preview with the keyboard shortcut ‘r’ key.
To view your Checklist inside the Litmus web app, choose the View in Litmus button at the bottom.
Access and add personalized content
Access your Litmus Personalize Quick-Start templates in a single click, wherever you build. Select the Personalize tab in the extension to quickly view your saved templates and add them to your email.
Switching Litmus accounts
To change the Litmus account you are using, select the dropdown menu at the top left and then Switch accounts. From there, you can choose a different account to use the Litmus Extension with.
Editing email client selection
To edit the email clients you wish to test in, simply select the dropdown menu at the top left and select Configure email clients. This will bring you to your Email Client Settings page in your Litmus account where you can customize the default email clients you’d like to test in. These default email clients will appear in the Litmus Extension, Builder, and Previews & QA any time you test and are personalized by the user, not account-level.
If you are testing, you can also use the Configure email clients link at the top of the Email Previews section:
Email previews usage
All Email Previews generated via the Litmus Extension (both testing local HTML files and inside ESPs) are counted as usage in the Litmus account you are logged into and are added to your total allowance. For example, let’s say you have generated 100 Previews via Builder in-app and 100 Previews via an in-app Previews & QA test for a total of 200 Previews. If you generate 100 Previews through the Litmus Extension, that will add to your usage for a total of 300 Previews for your account.
FAQs
I’m having trouble getting tests to run with the Litmus Extension. What do I do?
Don’t worry!
- Be sure that you have enabled the Allow access to file URLs option in the extension settings in Chrome.
- If this is your first time using the Litmus Extension, please refresh your local HTML file or ESP campaign page and try restarting the Litmus Extension by using the icon.
- Do you have the setting enabled to block third party cookies? Blocking third party cookies also blocks sessionStorage, which is required for the extension to work. Please turn that setting off and allow third-party cookies for the extension to work.
- If you are still having problems, please email our friendly support team at hello@litmus.com.
Is the Litmus Extension available in other browsers besides Chrome?
No, currently the Litmus Extension is only available in Chrome.
Can I use the Litmus Extension with a WYSIWYG email editor?
We currently have support for WYSIWYG editors in Mailchimp, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Marketo, and Campaign Monitor. The Litmus Extension will not work with Eloqua's WYSIWYG editor (Design Editor).
Can I use the Litmus Extension with my email service provider?
We currently have support for Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Pardot, Acoustic Campaign (formerly IBM Watson Campaign Automation), Marketo, Eloqua, Responsys, and Adobe Campaign Standard for testing inside ESPs with the Litmus Extension.
Are my email reviews or Previews & QA tests stored in my Litmus account?
Your Previews & QA tests generated inside your ESP via the extension are stored in your Litmus account, but Email Previews generated when testing local HTML files are not (deleted after your Litmus Extension session is over). Any edits and refreshes to Previews & QA tests are saved as new versions inside the Litmus web app.
Are email previews generated via the Litmus Extension counted against my total allowance?
Yes, all Email Previews generated via the Litmus Extension (both testing local HTML files and inside ESPs) are counted as usage in the Litmus account you are logged into and are added to your total allowance.
Can I use multiple Litmus accounts with the Litmus Extension?
Yes, you can use as many Litmus accounts as you would like with the Litmus Extension. To switch an account, simply use the account dropdown menu in the top left.
Can I share email previews or Previews & QA tests generated via the Litmus Extension?
Yes, Previews & QA tests generated via the Litmus Extension can be shared by using the Open in Litmus button to view the full email in Litmus which includes sharing options.
Previews generated from testing local HTML are not shareable currently.
Does the Litmus Extension work with dynamic content?
Yes, read more about how to test dynamic content with the Litmus Extension.