ZetaMarker has been rebuilt

Thank you for using ZetaMarker

We know this page opened unexpectedly while you were browsing. We normally avoid interrupting your workflow, but this release introduces major changes to the extension and dashboard, and we want to help you get up to speed quickly.

Your existing highlights stay saved locally in your browser. Cloud data is preserved on our servers — you may need a one-time account update to restore sync (see the checklist below).

Built from your feedback

Most of these changes came directly from feedback from ZetaMarker users. Over the last few years, users asked for:

More reliable sync
Better PDF support
A less intrusive interface
Better organization for large research collections

We rebuilt the Chrome extension and web dashboard to deliver on those requests.

What changed

Chrome extension

The extension was rebuilt from the ground up. Here is what is different:

The floating toolbar is gone — the sidebar is now your main interface.

Many users told us the floating toolbar could be distracting and sometimes covered page content. We replaced it with a sidebar that stays out of your way until you need it.

How it works now:

First click on the extension icon → activate ZetaMarker on the page
Next clicks → toggle the sidebar open and closed

The sidebar is where you browse highlights, edit the page title, add notes, and manage everything on the current page.

Other extension improvements:

Smarter cloud sync — automatic sync with retry, conflict handling, and clear status when something needs attention
Better PDF support — online PDFs open in the extension viewer; highlight text the same way as on web pages
Local pages manager — extension menu → Local pages — search, filter by sync status, bulk actions, and storage usage
Themes and shortcuts — light, dark, or system theme; shortcuts for activate (Ctrl+Shift+K / Cmd+Shift+K), toggle sidebar (Ctrl+Shift+E), cycle theme (Ctrl+Shift+Y), and open in app (Ctrl+Shift+U)

PDF workflow changes:

Local PDF files (file://) no longer open directly in the extension. Upload them to your dashboard to highlight and sync across devices. Learn how →
Google Drive / Google Docs PDFs — download and upload via the dashboard, or open the PDF URL directly in Chrome. Learn more →

Web dashboard

The web dashboard is now a full research library, not just a sync companion:

Advanced search — search titles, URLs, notes, highlight text, and comments; filter by domain, category, starred pages, or label
Hierarchical labels — nest labels under parents and apply them in bulk
PDF upload and annotation — upload PDFs and highlight in the dashboard
Overview analytics — page counts, top domains, most-used labels, and highlight stats
Trash and bulk actions — trash recovery; bulk label, star, delete, and export
Rich exports — copy all, TXT, HTML, Markdown, and PDF from page detail

Open your dashboard →

What to do now

Everyone

Try the new sidebar — click the extension icon to activate, then click again to open the sidebar. Sidebar guide →
Refresh open tabs — if you had ZetaMarker active before the update, reload those pages and reactivate (Ctrl+Shift+K / Cmd+Shift+K). Why? →
Pin the extension if it is not already — puzzle icon → Pin.
Review keyboard shortcuts at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.

If you used cloud sync before

Complete the one-time account update — sign in, then open account migration to activate your 7-day Pro trial (no credit card). Cloud sync resumes after you finish. Details →
Click Refresh on any extension message about account status after completing dashboard steps.

If you highlighted PDFs in the old extension

Review PDF highlight migration — open a migrated PDF in the extension viewer; you may be prompted to match legacy highlights to the new text layer. Guide →

Optional — unlock the full platform

Create or sign in to your account at sign up if you have only used local highlighting.
Explore labels and search in the dashboard once your trial is active.

Learn more

Help us improve

This release was heavily shaped by feedback from ZetaMarker users.

If you encounter any issues, have suggestions, or would like to see new features, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us at support@zetamarker.com.