Sometimes, you might want to save a webpage for offline use. Your internet connection might be flaky, or perhaps you're intentionally trying to curb the time that you spend idly on the web. You might want to save a webpage before it's taken down; maybe you've come across something you just can't help but save for later.

To download a webpage, you can use any of the following methods. In this article, we discuss how to download a webpage in Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and more.

1. How to Save a Webpage in Firefox

All major browsers will let you download a webpage. It's a simple, single-click job. Here's how it's done.

In Firefox, click on the Menu button and select Save Page. The Save As dialog window will open.

Let's talk about how to download a webpage in Firefox.

In the Save As dialog window, type in a name for the page that you want to save and choose a location. From the Format drop-down, choose the type of file that you want to save the page as:

  • Web Page, complete
  • Web Page, HTML only
  • Text files
  • All files

Choose Web Page, complete when you want to save the whole webpage along with any images and files included. This keeps the visual look intact, but it may not keep the HTML link structure of the original page or any server-side elements in order.

Firefox creates a new directory where the page is saved to save pictures and other files necessary to show the whole webpage.

​​2. How to Save Webpages in Chrome

Chrome also has a Save As option similar to the one in Firefox.

Downloading a webpage in Chrome will be a similar process.

You can access it from Menu > More Tools > Save Page As. To speed things up, you can also use the keyboard shortcuts Command + S on Mac and Control + S on Windows. Just like Firefox, it will download a saved version of the website in whichever option you pick.

Related: Chrome Tips That Boost Productivity

3. How to Use the Save Page WE Extension

You can download a webpage using one of many apps.

You can make this process simpler using an extension. Save Page WE works on both Google Chrome and Firefox. Once installed, just click on the extension icon from the toolbar to instantly download a webpage to a single HTML file (along with all assets included, like images, ads, and formatting).

If you want more control over the process of how to download a page, right-click on the extension icon to explore alternative download options. These alternatives include options like Save Basic Items, Save Standard Items, and Save Custom Items.

Download: Save Page WE for Google Chrome | Firefox

4. How to Download a Web Page With the Safari Reading List on Mac

While Safari's Reading List feature is perfect for offline reading, it can be a bit confusing to use at first. By default, you need internet access to load articles saved to your Reading List.

To get around this, open Preferences, go to the Advanced tab, and turn on the Save Articles for Offline Reading Automatically feature to make sure that all of the articles in the Reading List are available for offline use.

You can optimize your Safari settings to download a webpage for offline reading.

To download a webpage to the Reading List, click on the + icon next to the URL field.

To read from the Reading List, click the Sidebar button, followed by the icon for the Reading List which resembles a pair of spectacles. To hide the list, click the Sidebar button again.

You can also download a webpage to your Reading List.

Safari uses iCloud to keep your Reading List the same on all of your Mac computers and iOS devices. This means that your Reading list will sync between your Mac and iPhone.

Related: How to Organize and Manage Web Content on Your iPad

5. How to Download a Page With the Safari Reading List on iPhone

You'll find the Reading List feature in the bottom toolbar of the Safari app. To add an article to the Reading List, open it, tap on the Share button, and select Add to Reading List.

Again, Safari doesn't save Reading List articles for offline viewing by default. To enable this feature, go to Settings > Safari > Automatically Save Offline.

Now, tap on the Book icon from the Safari toolbar and select the Reading List tab from the top. You can select any saved article to read it.

6. How to Save Webpages as PDF Files

If you're interested in how to download a webpage as a PDF, there are several ways to proceed.

If you want to save a webpage to a form that's easy to share and access on any platform, take the PDF route. Consider the advantages: you can read them on any device, annotate the page, and send it to someone else in a flash. It can be printed, posted online, or just kept in a folder to read later.

You'll find PDF tools on the web, but the simplest way to download a webpage as a PDF is to use your browser's Save to PDF option. Choose to Print the page, then select Save as PDF.

Saving a web page as a PDF is a quick fix, but it's a workaround. When you save a webpage as a PDF, you might also download a lot of unnecessary elements like ads, headers, and footers. There are bound to be formatting issues. In times like these, it's better to use an extension like Print Friendly & PDF.

Print Friendly & PDF is great when you want to download a web page as a PDF.

The extension automatically removes all unnecessary elements from your saved webpage, focusing on the text of the article. When you click on the extension icon, you'll see a pop-up with the page in simplified formatting. You can also remove elements individually. Click on PDF and then click on the Download as PDF button to save the article as a PDF.

If you're using an iPhone, you can use the Shortcuts automation app to make this easier. The Make PDF shortcut (You'll find it in the Gallery) will help you convert any webpage to a PDF.

Once the shortcut is installed and active, tap on the Share button, select Shortcuts, and then tap on Make PDF. Once you see the preview of the PDF, tap on Share and then save it to an app like Apple Books for offline use.

Download: Print Friendly & PDF for Google Chrome | Firefox

7. How to Download a Webpage Using Pocket

Several of these solutions may not be what you need. Why clutter your hard drive with extra files that can be accessed easily online? Read-it-later services like Pocket have solved this problem; they make it easy to save a webpage and return to it when you have more time.

We recommend Pocket because it takes care of the clean-up and stores your saved webpages for you. The Save to Pocket extension is available on all major browsers. Once you install the Pocket app on your iPhone or Android phone, you can use the share sheet to save a link from any app directly to Pocket.

The Pocket app will maintain a list of all saved articles. The articles themselves will be saved for offline reading, stripped of formatting, ads, and other intrusive elements. Using Pocket, you get a much better reading experience, all while you're disconnected from the internet.

Download: Pocket for iOS | Android | Chrome | Firefox | Safari

Save and Download Webpages for Offline Viewing

Let's face it, the internet can be really distracting. If you find that you're more pensive and studious without the dumpster fire of the internet in your face, we suggest that you download interesting content instead of getting lost in it when you have more important things to do.

We've covered the basics of how to download a webpage. Chances are, you've already got some evening reading in mind. It's time to take this new skill out for a test run, don't you think?