One of the biggest problems with the modern internet is its impermanence.
While we’re told that what we upload to the internet sticks around forever, that fact just isn’t true. Websites shut down, social networks die or change beyond recognition, and images are lost to the void.
You might be aware of the Wayback Machine, which crawls the internet, saving cached web pages in its storage.
However, the rate at which it saves a website relies heavily on how popular the website is. If you need to review a specific page (such as a real estate listing or social media post), then you are likely out of luck.
In my search to solve this problem, I discovered a nifty tool within the Wayback Machine that means I never have to worry about losing information on the internet again.
Almost every day, I spot a website that I want to review later in the exact state I saw it, not just save the link for later review.
The content in these sites includes social media posts, real estate listings, and prices, all elements that can change rapidly with no warning.
To solve this problem, I utilized two tools: the Wayback Machine’s Chrome extension and the Wayback Machine app.
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The Wayback Machine’s Chrome extension is phenomenally useful
Never lose information again
I’ve used the Wayback Machine since I started using the internet, but only recently did I discover its Chrome extension.
While you need to sign up for an Internet Archive account to make the most of it, it’s well worth it, as an account lets you create your own personal internet archive.
The Wayback Machine’s Chrome extension is packed with features, including a word cloud generator, a site map viewer, email reports, and more.
However, there are a few tools here that have completely changed how I interact with websites.
The most useful tool in the extension is tucked within the Settings menu under the General tab. This tool, named “Auto Save Bookmarks,” is a lifesaver for someone like me who is constantly bookmarking pages.
Now, whenever I bookmark a page, the tool instantly tries to save that page to the archive.
I recently bookmarked a list of properties I was looking to view, but the website didn’t save the price history when some properties changed in price days later.
Because the extension had automatically archived each page, I was able to plug the URLs into the Wayback Machine and see the state of the website when I saved it.
Another powerful tool is My Archive. This is just a link to your account’s public archive on the Internet Archive, but it saves every single page you’ve personally archived.
So if I think I want to review a page later without bookmarking it, I can save the page with two clicks and find it later in my archive. Clicking that button has become second nature to me now.
The best part about the Internet Archive’s extension is how much control I have over what I archive. I can choose to save screenshots and all outgoing links, check for related Wikipedia articles, and set up an alert if the extension discovers useful contextual information.
Best of all, I can disable all notifications so it works quietly in the background.
But I can’t use the extension on my phone, which is where I turn to the Wayback Machine app.
The Wayback Machine app is slow, but there is an alternative
It’s best to do your important browsing on a desktop computer
It’s inconvenient, but the best way to archive websites on mobile is to switch to a desktop browser and use the Wayback Machine extension. It’s fast, and you get access to all the features I mentioned above.
However, if you need to archive a page immediately, you have two options: the Wayback Machine app or the Archive Page app.
The Wayback Machine app lets you copy a URL into the app to save to the Wayback Machine. However, it’s extremely slow, and it won’t save archived URLs to your public archive automatically.
To access the archived page later or save it to your library, you must copy and paste the URL elsewhere and open it when you have access to a desktop browser. It’s inconvenient, but it will save an archived page.
While the Wayback Machine app’s lack of features is frustrating, it’s the speed that is the real issue.
If you need to quickly save a website, I recommend the Archive Page app. This works in much the same way as the Wayback Machine app, but you can share websites directly to the app rather than copying and pasting.
These pages are archived on archive.today for later reference. This archive has minimal functionality compared to the Wayback Machine, but it’s a better choice if you’re pressed for time.
Save the websites you need without work
While I’ve yet to find the perfect archiving solution for mobile ( Saving websites as a PDF is another solution), the Wayback Machine’s extension has changed how I browse the internet.
If I open a website again and find something has changed, chances are I saved it at the right moment.
If you are just as frustrated as I was about constantly losing information you thought was permanent, I recommend installing the Wayback Machine extension; it’s an invaluable asset.
