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Why Do I See a Broken Preview or “Refused to Connect” for a Hyperlink or Embedded Website?

When you add a hyperlink or embed a website in Storydoc, you might see a broken preview or the message “refused to connect.”

Jack avatar
Written by Jack
Updated over 3 weeks ago

This happens for two common reasons:

  • There’s a typo in the URL – even a small mistake will cause the preview to fail.

  • The website blocks iframe embedding – some sites prevent their content from opening in a popup or inline frame.

How to Fix It

  1. Check the link

    • Carefully retype the URL in the Hyperlink or Embed field.

    • Make sure the domain and path are correct.

  2. Switch to open in a new tab

    • If the site does not allow embedding, turn off Open in popup.

    • The link will then open in a new browser tab, which always works.

  3. If you own the website

    • You can whitelist Storydoc’s domain to allow iframe embedding.

Where This Can Occur

  • Hyperlinks set to Open in popup on buttons or text.

  • Websites added as iframes inside your story.

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