The Google AdSense preview tool is an addition to the right-click menu for Windows Internet Explorer 6.x, allowing you to preview the ads that may show on any webpage. With just a few clicks, you can see what ads may appear on your new webpages, or make an educated decision on whether to add AdSense to your existing site pages.

Other features include:

Check the destination of ads that are on your page : ads displayed in the preview tool are in a test state, so you don't have to worry about accidentally clicking on an ad. Clicks and impressions are not counted against the ads that display within the preview tool.

View sample ad formats and colors : create previews of formats and color combinations within the preview tool. Choose from 2 different preview formats, plus a 12 ad spread that allows you to view more available ads at once.

Preview colors on your page : the 'Preview' feature of the Color Options menu allows you to see what new color combinations would look like on existing AdSense standard ad units, right on the page. By simply selecting new border, background, or text colors from the preview tool, and clicking "Preview," the new colors will be temporarily applied to the standard ad unit currently on your page.

Geo-targeted locations : select the geo-targeted location from which to view ads, allowing you to see what users in Canada will see, even if you live in Japan.

How do I install/uninstall the preview tool?

The preview tool is available in all active AdSense languages. Installing the tool is easy, and only takes a few minutes. To install it, you'll need to add a registry file to your Windows system, by following the instructions below. By installing and/or using the AdSense Preview Tool, you agree to abide by the Google Toolbar Terms of Use (which can be found at http://toolbar.google.com/terms) as if such terms applied to the AdSense Preview Tool and Google's advertising services. Notwithstanding the Terms of Use, you agree to use the AdSense Preview Tool solely to manage your AdSense account or as part of a good faith evaluation of the AdSense program to help you determine whether to enroll as an AdSense publisher. You may not use the AdSense Preview Tool in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair any Google services.

To install: Right-click the link below and select Save Target As... Save the registry file (.reg) to your desktop.

AdSense Preview Tool

Double-click the file from your desktop. A confirmation window will appear - click Yes to continue. The registry update will self-install. Restart Internet Explorer by closing all open IE windows.

That's it! Clicking the right mouse button from any webpage will open your context menu - select Google AdSense Preview Tool from the menu to launch the preview tool. Please do not click from within the ad format itself, or relevant ads will not appear within the preview tool.

To uninstall: Right-click the link below and select Save Target As... Save the registry file (.reg) to your desktop

AdSense Preview Tool Uninstaller

Double-click the file from your desktop. A confirmation window will appear - click Yes to continue. All preview tool files will be deleted from your system. Restart Internet Explorer by closing all open IE windows. You can delete the downloaded .reg file from your desktop. If you'd prefer to manually uninstall the preview tool from your system, it's as simple as deleting the preview tool entry from your registry:

From your Start menu, select Run...

Type regedit into the text field and click OK. The Registry Editor window will open.

Browse to the following folder: \HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\MenuExt\ Within the MenuExt folder, right-click the Google AdSense Preview Tool folder and select Delete .

Click Yes to confirm. Close the Registry Editor and restart Internet Explorer by closing all open browser windows.

How do I use the preview tool?

To launch the preview tool, simply right-click on any webpage. From the menu that appears, select Google AdSense Preview Tool . The preview tool will open in a new window, and will display a sample set of ads for that page.

The Choose Options menu lets you select different ad formats and geo-targeted locations for the ads displayed within the preview tool. The Choose Colors menu allows you to preview new colors. You can view your selections within the preview tool, or click Preview to temporarily apply the color selections to any existing standard ad unit on the current webpage. These changes are only intended to give you a preview of your selections - you will need to update your ad code with the new color palette to make permanent changes to your page. Click on any ad that appears within the preview tool to visit the advertiser's site. Advertisers will not be charged for clicks on these ads, nor will impressions be counted. Likewise, you won't receive any earnings for clicks from within the preview tool. You can click on these ads without generating invalid clicks on your account. Use the checkboxes next to each ad and click the Show Selected URLs link to show the URLs in a new window. You can then easily copy and paste the URLs into your account's competitive ad filter list to block any undesired ads.