Geocache Viewer | CacheSleuth

Q: How do I use the bookmarklet?

This is the fastest and easiest way to access the tool. Open a geocache page while signed in, then click your “Geocache Viewer” bookmarklet. It opens this tool and passes the page's HTML. For install help, see the Bookmarklet button near the top.

Q: Are there browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox?

Yes. For a faster and more reliable experience, you can install the official Geocache Viewer browser extensions. Available on the Chrome Web Store for Chrome, Brave, and Edge, and on Mozilla Add-ons for Firefox (desktop and Android).

Q: Can I paste HTML instead?

Yes. Open a geocache page while signed in, then view the page's source (Ctrl + U on Windows or ⌘ + Option + U on Mac, or right-click → View Page Source) and copy all the HTML. Open Advanced → Paste HTML in this viewer, paste the HTML, and click Load HTML. The page is parsed entirely in your browser—no data is uploaded or stored beyond this session.

Q: What's in the JSON export?

The JSON export includes the parsed metadata, descriptions, attributes, images, and other extracted fields. You can re-open this data later using Advanced → Upload JSON to restore your previous session. Note: Download JSON only works after data has been loaded (e.g., from the bookmarklet, pasted HTML, or a previously imported JSON file). If no cache is displayed, there's nothing to export.

Q: What is the Tools popup?

The 🧰 Tools button in the bottom-right opens a panel with quick utilities like MultiDecoder and Text Manipulator. These let you decode ciphers, clean up text, and analyze content without leaving the viewer. If you highlight text before opening the Tools popup, it auto-loads into both tools. On mobile, it also provides a larger workspace for longer text.

Q: Can I resize the Description panels?

Yes. In the Descriptions section, you can drag the vertical divider between the Short and Long description panels to make either side larger or smaller. Click the Reset button to restore the default widths.

Geocache Viewer

📂

Drop JSON to load

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Geocache Viewer?

It's a client-side viewer that renders the geocache page you provide (via bookmarklet, browser extension, pasted HTML, or uploaded JSON). It helps you inspect descriptions, images, attributes, waypoints, links, the full source code and more all in one place.

Is my data sent anywhere?

No. The page runs locally in your browser. It uses only the HTML/JSON you provide and normal image loads already referenced in that HTML. Nothing is stored beyond this session (uses sessionStorage only).

See Privacy & Disclaimer for details.

Does this modify my geocache page?

No. It's read-only. You're viewing your local copy of the page you provided.

How do I use the bookmarklet?

This is the fastest and easiest way to use this tool: open any geocache page while signed in, then click your “Geocache Viewer” bookmarklet. It instantly opens this viewer and passes along the page's HTML for analysis.

Need help installing it? Click the Install instructions below to open the step-by-step guide.

Are there browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox?

Yes! For a faster and more reliable experience, you can install the official Geocache Viewer browser extensions.

Chrome, Brave, and Edge (Desktop): Install from the Chrome Web Store
Firefox (Desktop and Android): Install from Mozilla Add-ons

Once installed, open any Geocaching.com cache page while signed in, click the Geocache Viewer icon, and it will automatically load the page here for analysis.

Can I paste HTML instead?

Yes. If you prefer not to use the bookmarklet, open a geocache page while signed in, then view the page's source (Ctrl + U on Windows or ⌘ + Option + U on Mac or right click and select "View Page Source") and copy all the HTML. Open the Advanced panel on this page, paste it into the Paste HTML box, and click Load HTML. The page will be parsed entirely in your browser - no data is uploaded elsewhere or stored outside this browser session.

What's in the JSON export?

The parsed metadata, descriptions, attributes, images, and other fields the viewer extracts. You can re-open this data later using Advanced → Upload JSON to restore your previous session exactly as it was.

Note: The Download JSON option only works after data has been loaded into the viewer (for example, from the bookmarklet, pasted HTML, or a previously imported JSON file). If no cache is currently displayed, there's nothing to export.

What is the 🧰 Tools popup?

The 🧰 Tools button in the bottom-right corner opens a floating panel (or modal) with quick utilities like the MultiDecoder and Text Manipulator. These tools let you decode ciphers, clean up text, and analyze content without leaving the viewer.

If you have text highlighted on the page before opening the Tools popup, that text will automatically appear inside both tools for easy editing. This works on desktop and mobile.

On mobile devices, the Tools popup also provides a larger workspace - helpful when editing or decoding longer text that doesn't fit well inside the main viewer panels.

What do the Attributes numbers mean?

Each attribute matches the official list; when a title matches, the viewer shows its ID (e.g., #1 for dogs allowed / #2 for Access or parking fee, etc.). This helps when cross-referencing caches.

Why do some images or links not load?

Images/links load directly from their original hosts referenced in the HTML. If a host blocks hotlinking, requires authorization, or the URL is private, they may not show in this viewer.

Can I resize the Description panels?

Yes! In the Descriptions section, you can drag the vertical divider between the Short and Long description panels to make the section larger or smaller. This helps if one section contains long text or code and you want to try aligning things differently.

To restore the layout to its default widths, click the Reset button at the top of the section - it instantly returns that panel to its original size.

How can I search or view the source code?

You can search the full geocache HTML from the Source tab. When you type into the search box there, the viewer highlights each match and shows your current position (e.g., “1 of N”) so you can navigate between them using the ◀︎ and ▶︎ controls or keyboard shortcuts.

If you only need to quickly see the short or long description sections, open the Descriptions tab instead and choose View HTML. That view displays just the relevant part of the page source for easier reading and troubleshooting without scrolling through the entire HTML file. Any hidden comments or color tags will also be visible in their own tabs.

Which browsers are supported?

Geocache Viewer works in all modern browsers — including Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. On mobile devices, if the layout looks cramped, try rotating to landscape.

How do I report an issue or request a feature?

Send feedback via my contact page. Screenshots and the contents of the JSON export help reproduce issues quickly.

Have another question? Please feel free to reach out.

Install Options

You can use Geocache Viewer in two ways: a Browser Extension (recommended for most users) or a Bookmarklet (works on desktop browsers and iOS Safari). Both run entirely in your browser - no data is sent anywhere.

Browser Extensions

For the best experience, install the Geocache Viewer extension for your browser. It automatically captures any Geocaching.com page you view and opens it here.

Chrome, Brave, and Edge: Install from Chrome Web Store
Firefox (Desktop + Android): Install from Mozilla Add-ons

How to Add to Desktop

Install the extension for your browser above.
Open any Geocaching.com cache page while signed in.
Click the Geocache Viewer icon in your toolbar.
The page's HTML will load automatically into this viewer.
If you encounter any issues, please check that you have permissions in the extension turned on to access both Geocaching.com and Cachesleuth.com.

How to Add to Android

First, be sure to install the Firefox for Android browser.
Next, install the Geocache Viewer addon extension. You may need to search for it in the Firefox Add-ons store (Menu → Extensions → Find more extensions and search for "Geocache Viewer").
Open any geocaching page in Firefox while signed in.
To open the viewer, click Menu → Extensions → Geocache Viewer.
The addon opens this viewer and sends the page's HTML automatically.
If you encounter any issues, please check that you have permissions in the extension turned on to access both Geocaching.com and Cachesleuth.com.

- Why not Chrome on Android? Chrome on Android does not support browser extensions. There is limited support for Chrome extensions on the Edge browser on Android though, which you may find more information here.

Use the Bookmarklet

A bookmarklet is a browser bookmark that runs a small piece of JavaScript on the current page. Click it while viewing a geocache page and it will open this viewer, sending only that page's HTML (nothing else). It's fast, safe, and works entirely in your browser.

Drag to Bookmarks Bar → Geocache Viewer

How to Add to Desktop - Chrome / Brave / Edge / Firefox / Safari

Ensure your Bookmarks Bar is visible (View → Always Show Bookmarks Bar).
Drag the Geocache Viewer button above into your bookmarks bar.
Open a geocache page on Geocaching.com (while signed in).
Click the bookmarklet - it opens this viewer and sends the page HTML.

How to Add to iPhone / iPad - Safari

Tap Copy Bookmarklet above to copy the code.
Open any page in Safari and tap the Share button.
Choose Add Bookmark. Save it anywhere (e.g., Favorites).
Open the Bookmarks list, find the new bookmark, and tap Edit.
Replace the bookmark's Address (URL) with the copied code (paste the full javascript:(function(){...})()).
Open a geocache page on Geocaching.com, then click the bookmark from your Bookmarks/Favorites.
It opens this viewer and sends the page HTML.

Tip: If iOS refuses to paste the code into Address, paste into the Title first, then copy from there and paste into Address.

Android Alternative (View Source)

Note: Chrome for Android does not support bookmarklets directly. This method uses the Firefox for Android browser (Free, private).

First, be sure to install the Firefox for Android browser.
Open the geocaching page in Firefox while signed in.
Tap the address bar and add view-source: in front of the URL.
Example: view-source:https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC12345
Long-press anywhere → Select All → Copy.
Open Geocache Viewer → Advanced → paste into the box → Load.

- Why not Chrome for Android? While you can do the view-source: trick there too, Chrome on Android does not support the Select All → Copy command, making it very difficult to copy the full HTML.
- Why not use the bookmarklet on Android? Due to changes that limit running javascript from a bookmark, bookmarklet support is extremely limited on Android browsers.

Privacy & What It Does

Sends only the page you are currently viewing (HTML + URL) to this viewer in a new tab/window.
No extra requests are made to Geocaching.com beyond normal image loads already present in the page.
Nothing is stored beyond this browser session (sessionStorage only).

Welcome to Geocache Viewer

Welcome - to get started, load a Geocache page in your browser. You can either click the bookmarklet or browser extension while signed in, paste the page's HTML into the Advanced box, or upload a previously saved JSON file. This tool only uses data in your current browser session and does not store it. For more info, check out the FAQ or open the Privacy & Disclaimer section below.

Tip: On a Geocache page, run your bookmarklet or browser extension to send the page here automatically. You can also drop a .json file anywhere on this page to load saved data.