How to save articles in Chrome to read later

The Google Chrome browser makes it a cinch to save webpages you would like to read later on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and other devices, and we show you how to use this handy feature.

How to save links for later in Chrome

You can access any articles in your Chrome Reading List, delete ones you no longer need, mark them as read/unread and more. The read-later feature is available in both desktop and mobile versions of the Chrome browser. Read Later is a per-device feature, unlike your bookmarks that are kept in sync across Chrome devices using the same Google account.

“Articles on your Reading List are saved on your device so you can read them wherever you are, even when you aren’t connected to the web,” notes the company.

You must be online in order to save a webpage to Chrome’s Reading List.

Desktop

To add the link open in your current tab in Chrome, you need to choose a dedicated option after clicking the star icon in the browser’s URL bar that you use to bookmark websites.

  1. Launch Chrome on your Mac.
  2. Using Chrome, navigate to a webpage you’d like to save for later.
  3. Click the star icon within Chrome’s address field to reveal options.
  4. Choose the option labeled “Read Later” from the menu.

You have now saved the webpage in the current tab to read later.

a macOS Big Sur screenshot illustrating the Add to Reading List option in the Google Chrome browser on the Mac

You can catch up on any previously-saved articles by accessing your reading list.

Mobile

The option to add a webpage to your Chrome reading list on the iPhone and iPad is accessible through the browser’s Share menu.

  1. Launch Chrome on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Using Chrome, navigate to a webpage you’d like to save for later.
  3. Touch Chrome’s Share menu in the navigation bar, then choose “Read Later.”

This will add the current webpage to your Chrome reading list. The browser will confirm that the page has been successfully added to the read-later list by briefly showing an “Added to Reading List” message at the bottom.

An iOS 14 screenshot illustrating the Add to Reading List option in the Google Chrome browser on the iPhone

You can also save a webpage to Chrome’s Reading List from another app, like Safari.

Saving a webpage from another app

Firstly, open the app in question and navigate to a webpage you’d like to save. Secondly, hit the Share menu and choose Chrome from the list of apps.

An iOS 14 screenshot illustrating sharing a Safari webpage with the Google Chrome browser with the Add to Reading List option on the iPhone

Finally, select the option labeled “Read Later” to add the current Safari webpage to your Chrome Reading List (choosing “Open in Chrome” will open it in Chrome right away).

How to manage the Chrome Read Later list

Access your Chrome Reading List on desktop and mobile at any time. You can catch up on your previously saved articles, mark a webpage as read or delete any saved link from the list.

Desktop

To access your Chrome Reading List, simply click a dedicated icon in the bookmarks bar.

  1. Launch Chrome on your Mac.
  2. Click the Reading List icon on the rightmost side of the bookmarks bar.

You should see a drop-down menu showing your read and unread article.

A macOS Big Sur screenshot illustrating the Reading List feature in the Google Chrome browser on the Mac

You can now do the following:

  • Open a link: Click a link in your Reading List to open it in a new tab.
  • Delete a link: Highlight a link, then click the “X” to remove it.
  • Mark as read/unread: Highlight a link and hit the check button to mark as read/unread.

If you don’t see the Reading List icon, choose the option labeled “Always Show Bookmarks Bar” from Chrome’s View menu or press Command (⌘) – Shift (⇧) – B on the keyboard.

Mobile

The option to access your Chrome Reading List is hidden behind a three-dotted menu.

  1. Launch Chrome on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap the three-dotted menu at the rightmost side of Chrome’s navigation bar.
  3. Choose “Reading List” from the drop-down menu.

A new screen will appear showing you your Reading List, letting you do the following:

  • Open a link: Touch a saved link to open it in the current Chrome tab.
  • Delete a link: Swipe left on a saved link, then choose “Delete” to remove it.
  • Mark as read/unread: Touch and hold a link, then choose “Mark As Read/Unread.”

Additional options to manage your Reading List are available by tapping the “Edit” button.

  • Mark All: Hit this to mark everything in your Reading List as read or unread. To mark some articles as read/unread, select them first before touching this option.
  • Delete: Select the articles to remove from the Reading List, then hit “Delete”.

More options are available via the contextual menu upon touching and holding a saved link.

An iOS 14 screenshot illustrating Reading List management in the Google Chrome browser with the Add to Reading List option on the iPhone

These let do things such as open a saved link in a new regular or Incognito tab, share a link with others, open its cached offline version, copy a link’s URL to the clipboard and so forth. In iPadOS, you can also open the link in a split-screen view by choosing “Open in New Window.”

How to read saved Chrome articles offline

You can also read previously downloaded articles even if you’re offline, like when you’re on an airplane or somewhere else without an internet connection. Simply click the “More” menu and choose “More Tools.” Now select “Save page as” and choose where you’d like to save the webpage on your Mac before hitting “Save.”

How to open a webpage in Safari in another browser

Doing so will let you read a saved webpage when you’re without an internet connection by opening the file on your computer. Double-clicking the file will open it in your default browser, like Chrome or Safari. To delete a saved webpage, simply trash the file from your computer.

Google says you must download a webpage in Chrome ahead of time to read it later offline.