How to Download a Web Page or Article to Read Offline
Whether you’re underground between subway stops, caught in a dead zone, or your internet is out, the most reliable way to catch up on your digital reading is to make sure it’s downloaded and accessible offline.
By Jason Cohen
Information overload is real. You don’t always have time to read a 5,000-word feature or juicy interview when it pops up on your Twitter feed, but a number of services let you save it for later, even if you’re without an internet connection.
Whether you’re underground between subway stops or caught in a dead zone, or your internet is out, the most reliable way to catch up on your digital reading is to make sure it’s downloaded and accessible offline.
Many apps and browsers support offline reading, no matter your device. Here’s how to download what you want and save it for later.
Download a File
The easiest way to save a web page is to download it to your computer. In Chrome, open the three-dot menu and select More Tools > Save page as. For Firefox, open the hamburger menu and choose Save Page As. On Safari, go to File > Save as or File > Export as PDF, and in Microsoft Edge, open the three-dot menu and choose More tools > Save page as.
You can also right-click anywhere on the page and select “Save as” with any web browser, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S in Windows, Command + S in macOS.
Chrome can save the complete web page, including text and media assets, or just the HTML text. Edge can do the same, but will allow you to download multiple files, all in one file, or HTML only. Firefox, meanwhile, will give you a choice between the complete package, an HTML file, and a simple text file. On Safari, you can pick between Web Archive (all text and media assets) or Page Source (source text only).
Download the file you prefer to your computer and read the page at any time. The web page will load as a local file and can work even if you have no internet connection.
Download in Chrome (Android)
When using Chrome on an Android device, save a webpage for offline reading by opening the three-dot menu icon and tapping the download icon up top, which will download a version of the page for offline viewing. View any recent downloads by selecting the menu icon again and tapping Downloads.
Add to Safari Reading List
When browsing the web using Safari on macOS or iOS, you can save web pages to your Reading List. By default, Reading List won’t automatically make saved items available offline, but you can change that on Mac by selecting Safari > Preferences > Advanced and checking the box next to “Save articles for offline reading automatically.” On iOS, head to Settings > Safari > Automatically Save Offline and toggle it to on.
Add articles to your Reading List on any Apple device by selecting the Share pane and clicking “Add to Reading List.” To view the articles you’ve saved, tap the sidebar icon on a Mac (or the book icon on mobile) and click on the glasses icon.
Add to Chrome Reading List (iOS)
In the Chrome app for iOS, you can save an article for later one of two ways. Either tap the share pane and select “Read Later,” or open the browser’s three-dot menu and choose “Read Later.”
You can then open the browser’s three-dot menu and select Reading List to view any saved pages. Long-press a saved item until a menu pops up, then tap “View Offline Version in New Tab” and you’re ready to read offline.
Add to Firefox Reading List (iOS)
In Firefox, open the three-dot menu in the search bar and select “Add to Reading List.” Once an article has been saved, tap the hamburger menu and select Your Library > Reading List. Select the article you want to open and it will be made available to you offline automatically.
Enable Firefox Offline Mode (Desktop)
As you go about your business on the web, your browsing history is preserved in a cache. Firefox lets you tap into the cache for offline reading. Open the hamburger menu and select More > Work Offline. This cuts off the browser’s internet connection, but allows you to access recently viewed pages. Just start typing the site you want in the search bar or navigate to the hamburger menu and select Library > History for a list of recent sites. It’s not a perfect solution, but it can help you out in a bind.
Save With Pocket
Pocket lets you save online articles for later, and sync them between your devices — Mac, PC, iOS and Android. It was acquired by Mozilla in 2017, so Pocket is now built into Firefox, but there are also extensions for Chrome, Safari, and Edge.
Third-Party Tools
Plenty of other third-party products also do the trick, including browser extensions, free utility software, and reading apps. The Save Page WE extension for Chrome and Firefox saves web pages to your computer with a single click; adjust the settings to determine how much information is saved.
For more high-powered solutions, turn to the utility software HTTrack (for Windows, Linux, and Android) or SiteSucker (for macOS and iOS). These programs can download entire website directories from a URL, letting you navigate an entire site while offline.
Originally published at https://www.pcmag.com.
