Prior to April 2025, this tool was named Webview.

The Preview tool allows you to view the output of your web application and debug it.

By default, when your Replit App exposes an HTTP server, Preview automatically opens. If you don’t want this intrusive behavior, there is a setting to turn it off.

Developer tools

Click on the Wrench icon to open the developer tools in Preview. The developer tools will allow you to see console logs, inspect elements, view network requests, and more.

FAQs

Why can’t I access my running web application?

If you are seeing “Blocked Request”, “not reachable” or similar content in your Preview pane, your app is likely not reachable from your browser locally. Your development apps are hosted on replit.dev domains, with the repl.co domain as an alternative. To troubleshoot this, verify your application is currently running in the Console pane (you should see a green status icon), then try the following common troubleshooting steps:

  1. Your internet service provider is blocking requests to the replit.dev domain
    • this can be due to regional restrictions, provider settings, or network rules (such as a school WiFi firewall).
    • consider switching to a different network, or contact your provider to unblock replit.dev domain.
  2. Your router is blocking replit.dev domain
    • your router (home or public) may have certain firewall or blacklist restrictions that blocks your app’s development domain.
    • add *.replit.dev (all subdomains of replit.dev) to your router whitelist, or contact your network administrator for assistance.
  3. Interference from your browser extensions
    • your browser extensions may be causing the reachability issue. Try disabling them one by one to verify if one is the culprit.
  4. Your browser cache needs clearing
    • your browser cache may need to be cleared.

Why can’t I edit the URL in Preview?

The URL shown in Preview is read-only and points to the root route of your Replit App’s web output through the <iframe> HTML element. To test a different route, click the button on the far right to open your project’s web output in a new browser tab.

What’s the difference between the Preview and an Extension?

The Preview is a normal iframe whereas an Extension establishes a special handshake with the Replit workspace. Read more in the Extensions FAQ.