Archiveweb Page is a free, open-source tool for capturing websites as they actually behave, not just as static snapshots. It is aimed at researchers, journalists, librarians and anyone who needs to keep a faithful copy of a web page that might change or disappear. It runs inside Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers, and it can also run as a standalone Electron app.
Because it works in the browser itself, the tool records what you see as you interact with a page, including content that loads on scroll or after clicks. The project is still in active development, with its latest code update dated September 2026, so it is worth keeping an eye on the release notes as you adopt it.
What Is Archiveweb Page and Why Does Web Archiving Matter?
Many websites are built with JavaScript that fetches content on demand. A simple download of a page's HTML often misses images, videos, comments or interactive widgets. Archiveweb Page addresses this by recording the page as it runs in a real browser.
This matters for anyone who cites online sources. A link that works today may be gone next month, and an archived copy preserves the evidence. Journalists, academics and legal teams often rely on this kind of record.
Who Is Archiveweb Page For?
The tool suits people who regularly save web content and want more fidelity than a bookmark or basic screenshot provides. Typical users include:
- Researchers building a corpus of pages for analysis
- Journalists preserving sources that may be edited or removed
- Librarians and archivists collecting material for long-term access
- Developers who want to study how a site loads its resources
If you only need to save a single article as plain text, a simpler tool will be enough.
How Browser-Based Archiving Works
Traditional crawlers request pages from a server and follow links. Browser-based archiving instead watches the page load inside an actual browser session. Requests made by scripts, responses returned to the browser, and the resulting document state can all be recorded.
This approach is slower than a bulk crawler, because you are capturing one session at a time. In return, it captures pages more accurately, which is the point of high-fidelity archiving.
Decentralized Storage and the IPFS Connection
IPFS identifies files by their content rather than by location, so the same file can be retrieved from many peers. Archiving tools that support IPFS let you connect captured material to this kind of storage, which can make copies harder to lose.
Decentralized storage does not guarantee permanence on its own. Content usually needs to be pinned or replicated by someone to stay available.
Key features
Browser-based capture
Chromium extension support
Standalone Electron app
Popup controls
IPFS support
How to install Archiveweb Page on Windows
- 1
Get the code
Download the project from the official source code repository on GitHub, or from the official website if one is linked there. Avoid copies from unofficial mirrors.
- 2
Build or locate the extension folder
Follow the project's instructions to prepare the extension files. The extension is loaded from the dist/ext folder in the local copy of the repository.
- 3
Open the extensions page
In Chrome or another Chromium-based browser, open chrome://extensions in the address bar.
- 4
Enable developer mode
Turn on Developer mode using the toggle, which is typically found in the top-right corner of the extensions page.
-
Load the unpacked extension
Click 'Load Unpacked Extension' and select the ./dist/ext directory from your local copy of the repository. The extension icon should then appear in the toolbar.
How to use Archiveweb Page
Once the extension is loaded, archiving a page takes only a few steps. The exact controls may change between versions, so check the popup after updating.
- Open the website you want to archive in a Chromium-based browser.
- Click the Archiveweb Page icon in the toolbar to open the popup.
- Start a new archiving session from the popup.
- Browse the page normally, scrolling and clicking through the content you want captured.
- Stop the session when you have finished, so the recording is saved.
- Review the saved archive and keep a backup in a location you control.
Interact with the page slowly enough for dynamic content to load before moving on.
Pros & cons
- Free and open source
- Captures interactive, script-driven content
- Works in Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers
- Offers both an extension and a standalone Electron app
- Includes IPFS support for decentralized storage workflows
- Installation from source requires a developer-mode setup
- Capture is slower than bulk crawling
- Interface and features may change between versions
- Less suited to archiving very large websites in one run
Is Archiveweb Page safe?
Archiveweb Page is open source, which lets you inspect its code on GitHub. Download it only from the official repository or website, never from third-party file-sharing sites. If you download a packaged build, compare its SHA-256 checksum against the value published by the project, or verify its signature when one is provided. Loading an unpacked extension means you trust the code it runs, so review the source if you are unsure. The project's latest code update is dated September 2026, which is recent, but check the repository for ongoing maintenance activity before relying on it for critical work.
- Official source only. Download from github.com/webrecorder/archiveweb.page. Ignore ads and lookalike domains.
- Check the SHA-256. Compare the installer hash with the value the developer publishes before running it.
- Never share your seed phrase. No developer, support agent or website — including CryptApps — will ever ask for it.
Alternatives
Archiveweb Page focuses on faithful, browser-based capture of individual pages. Other tools in this catalog take a different route. IPFS Desktop and Kubo are node software for joining the IPFS network, while Agregore is a browser built for the distributed web. Pinner CLI is a command-line tool for pinning content to IPFS. Archiveweb Page is the better fit if your priority is capturing a page as it looks and behaves in a browser. If you mainly want to publish or retrieve content over IPFS, one of the node or pinning tools is more appropriate.
Specifications
- Price
- Free
- Type
- Open source
- License
- —
- Latest version
- v0.17.1
- Last update
- 4 Sept 2026
- Windows support
- Yes (Windows build or installer)
- Source code
- github.com/webrecorder/archiveweb.page
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Archiveweb Page is listed as free and open source, so you can download and use it without payment. Check the official repository for licensing details if you plan to redistribute it.
Yes, it works on Windows through Chrome or another Chromium-based browser, where you load the extension from a local build. A standalone Electron version is also available.
Open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode, and click Load Unpacked Extension. Then select the ./dist/ext folder from your local copy of the project. The icon will appear in your toolbar.
It is open source, so its code can be reviewed publicly. Download it only from the official repository or website and verify checksums or signatures when they are available. Be cautious with any copy from third-party sites.
A bookmark only stores a link, which can break when the site changes. An archive stores a copy of the page content. Archiveweb Page creates that copy so you can review it even if the original is removed.
Yes, because it records pages as they run in a browser. Scroll and interact with content so that scripts can load everything you want saved before you stop the session.
The project lists IPFS support among its features. This lets archived material connect to decentralized storage, though content still needs to be pinned or replicated to remain available.
Verdict
Archiveweb Page is a practical choice for researchers, journalists and archivists who need accurate copies of interactive web pages. It is free, open source and runs in the browsers most people already use. Expect a setup step from source and slower capture than bulk crawlers. If you need careful, page-level preservation, it is worth trying; if you need bulk crawling or simple file storage, look at other tools in the catalog.