To read a web page without distractions, use your browser's reading mode: in Chrome, right-click the page > Open in reading mode; in Edge, press F9; in Safari, choose Show Reader. All three keep the text and hide what distracts you.
The steps come from Google Chrome, Microsoft and Apple official help, checked on October 8, 2026.
This guide is part of the Guide to saving articles to read later, which organizes every guide on the topic.
How do I turn on reading mode in Chrome?
According to Chrome's help on reading mode, on a computer:
- Open Chrome and go to a page with text you'd like to read.
- Right-click the page.
- Select Open in reading mode. An immersive, full-screen reading view opens; if you prefer it on the side, select Settings > View > Side panel.
Chrome also opens it from the address bar (Reading mode), from More > More tools > Reading mode, and with the shortcut Alt + Shift + R on Windows, Linux and ChromeOS, or ⌘ + Option + R on a Mac. There you can change the font and font size, the color theme, the line height and the letter spacing, and hide links or images.
On Android, the Android version of that help page says to tap More > Show Reading mode, to the right of the address bar. If the page cannot be shown that way, Chrome shows the message "Reading mode is unavailable."
What about Microsoft Edge?
According to Microsoft's help on Reading mode in Edge, on supported pages you can press F9 or select Reading mode in the address bar. If the button is missing, turn it on under Settings and more (the three dots) > Settings > Appearance > Toolbar.
To read just part of a page, select the text, right-click and choose Open selection in Reading mode. Under Appearance settings you choose the font, font size, column width and theme.
How do I use Safari Reader on iPhone and Mac?
On iPhone, according to Apple's guide to hiding distractions when reading:
- Open Safari and go to a supported website.
- Tap the Page Menu button, then tap Show Reader.
- To return to the full page, tap the same button and choose Hide Reader.
To always open a site that way, go to Page Menu > Website Settings and turn on Use Reader Automatically. For every supported site: Settings > Apps > Safari > Reader > All Websites.
On a Mac, according to the Safari User Guide for Mac, click in the Smart Search field and choose Show Reader; the button appears only if the page has an article Reader can show. To leave, choose Hide Reader or press Esc. Apple adds that Reader on the Mac always shows the last background theme, font and size you chose.
Why is it sometimes missing?
All three help pages agree that reading mode only works on supported pages. Chrome says it may not work on video or forum websites, image galleries, interactive maps, forms, quizzes, payment pages and login screens, and suggests updating Chrome or highlighting the content on the original page so reading mode picks it up.
Before you read: three checks
These checks are an original KeepAnalog suggestion, not steps from Google, Microsoft or Apple:
- Compare with the original page if the text has tables, footnotes or images that matter: reading mode may leave them out.
- Make the text bigger until you can read without leaning in: it is a setting you can undo in one click.
- If the piece is long, decide whether it is for today: if not, save it with a date instead of leaving it in an open tab.
What next?
If you want that clean version on paper, How to print an article without ads shows how to do it from your browser, and How to save web articles to read offline how to keep a copy. If reading on screen tires you, Digital eye strain and reading reviews what the evidence says. And if you prefer paper, KeepAnalog turns eligible public links chosen by one person (HTML pages or PDFs) into a monthly printed issue. Nothing is printed or charged until that person approves the issue. For now, KeepAnalog's pilot is in Argentina only, with no delivery in the United States.