June 2, 2023

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Day-after-day, I’m going to learn an article or a put up on an internet site, solely to discover a deluge of advertisements and different options that brings my browser to a screeching halt. I’ve even had various websites hammer my browser so onerous with options and advertisements that it crashes the software program. When that occurs, I am hesitant to return to the location.

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However when there’s one thing I really want or need to learn that’s hindered by too many additional bits on a website, I get round that challenge through the use of Reader View mode on Firefox.

I’ve already mentioned the same challenge in my piece on enabling studying mode for particular websites in MacOS Safari. I tremendously recognize how Apple’s browser makes it potential to whitelist websites for Reader Mode such that any time you open a web page on a selected website, it mechanically defaults to Reader Mode. 

Additionally: Firefox for Android obtained an necessary Android characteristic: The way it may gain advantage you   

Sadly, not each browser is created equal and the open-source Firefox browser would not have such a characteristic. It does, nevertheless, permit you to manually change forwards and backwards between common and Reader View modes.

After all, Firefox Reader View mode does have a few added tips up its sleeve. When viewing a web page in Reader View mode, you may have Firefox use text-to-speech to learn the article to you and you may even modify the font to make it even simpler to learn. 

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The one caveat to the text-to-speech is that, relying on the platform you’re utilizing, the voice could be a bit onerous to hearken to. For instance, on Pop!_OS Linux the voice may be very robotic and nearly not possible to grasp. On MacOS, nevertheless, the text-to-speech works completely (with a really pleasing voice). That ought to come as no shock to long-time Linux customers, as text-to-speech has at all times been problematic on the platform.

Apart from that little challenge, Firefox’s Reader View mode is an absolute pleasure for many who need to discard every little thing extraneous on a web page and focus solely on the textual content.

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How do you employ the Firefox Reader View mode? I am glad you requested as a result of I’ll present you ways.

The way to use Reader View in Firefox

What you may want: To make use of Firefox Reader View mode, you may want the Firefox internet browser put in. The characteristic is out there for each desktop and cell variations of the browser and works the identical means. The one distinction is the cell model would not embrace the text-to-speech characteristic or the flexibility to regulate the textual content. I am going to reveal on the desktop model of Firefox (utilizing the Nightly launch).

Open the Firefox browser, go to an internet site, after which open a web page you need to view in Reader View mode.

As soon as the web page hundreds, you must see a small icon on the proper fringe of the tackle bar that appears like a chunk of paper with traces. Click on that icon to allow Reader View mode for that web page. 

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You may discover the Reader View mode icon solely seems when viewing a web page inside an internet site and never the principle web page for the location.

The right edge of the Firefox address bar showing the Reader View mode icon.

The Reader View mode icon is the primary icon on the left.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

When Reader View mode is enabled, you may scroll by way of the content material, not having to fret all of the extras on the location will intrude together with your capability to benefit from the content material. You may additionally discover 4 icons to the left of the content material. These icons are (from high to backside): Exit Reader View, Modify the structure in Reader View, Have Firefox learn an article out loud in Reader View, and Add a web page to Pocket.

A news article shown in Firefox's Reader View mode.

As soon as in Reader View mode, the entire extraneous content material and options go away.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

If you happen to click on the headphones button, a participant popup will seem that lets you management the playback pace and alter the voice from the drop-down.

The Reader View mode listen controls.

Controlling playback for listening mode is easy in Firefox.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

While you’re carried out studying the content material, you may at all times disable Reader View mode by clicking the X within the Reader View toolbar, clicking the Reader View mode icon within the toolbar, or leaving the web page you’re at present viewing.

And that is all there’s to Firefox’s Reader View mode. This characteristic makes it very straightforward to eat content material on a website that in any other case makes it a bit difficult. 

Additionally: What are Firefox Container Tabs and the way do you employ them?

Nevertheless, it will be good if the Firefox builders took a touch from Apple and made it potential to configure websites such that each article opened mechanically seems in Reader View mode. However even with out that possibility, the Reader View mode is there that will help you learn on-line content material extra effectively and reliably.

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