Activate Reader View

This add-on adds a button to the toolbar. Clicking on it activates the Reader View even if the icon in the address bar is not present.

Activate Reader View - Firefox Add-on

"Activate Reader View" is a Firefox add-on that adds a button to the toolbar, enabling activation of the Reader View feature. It enables a cleaner, more readable webpage view, by removing unnecessary elements like ads, buttons and background images. Although it does not guarantee the Reader View's compatibility with all sites, it provides an improved browsing experience when it does work. The add-on does not affect the Reader View's exit functionality, which is still controlled by the address bar icon.
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Add-on stats

By: fkohrt
Users: 8,468
-90
Rating: 4.21
(75)
0.01
Version: 0.1.2 (Last updated: 2020-04-27)
Creation date: 2016-05-14
Weekly download count: 71
Firefox on Android: Yes
Risk impact: Moderate risk impact
Risk likelihood:
Low risk likelihood
Manifest version: 2
Permissions:
  • tabs
Size: 24.03K

Ranking

# 855 ▼ 3
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Other platforms

Not available on Chrome
Not available on Android
Not available on Edge
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Add-on summary

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Remark (2019-11-11) As a user pointed out, setting “reader.parse-on-load.force-enabled” to “true” using the configuration editor will force the icon to be visible as well, without the need to install this add-on.

Remark (2019-06-08) I employed a different way to toggle the Reader View, version 0.1.1 of this add-on now works as intended.

Remark (2018-06-09) As the WebExtension API change is still not implemented, this add-on cannot force the Reader View to open. As an alternative, I created a bookmark version of this add-on. One can also manually activate the Reader View by prepending “about:reader?url=” to the current tab’s address.

Remark (2017-11-21) Starting with Firefox 58 and version 0.1.0 of this add-on, the new WebExtension APIs are being used, making the add-on work in Firefox “Quantum”. However, right now the new API forbids “forcing” the Reader View to open. See https://bugzil.la/1419520 Users of Firefox 57 Nightly and Developer Edition may set “extensions.legacy.enabled” to true using the configuration editor. Users of Firefox 56 and below may use version 0.0.7 of this add-on.

Remark (2017-09-07)

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User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Firefox Browser Add-ons does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.
Pros
  • Works great for accessing reader view on most sites
  • Invaluable for printing and saving content
  • Bypasses publication paywalls effectively
  • Offers a better experience when the built-in reader view fails
Cons
  • Doesn't work on all sites, such as CNN
  • Some users report it doesn't function on Android
  • Setting 'reader.parse-on-load.force-enabled' often does not work as expected
Most mentioned
  • The add-on effectively forces reader view when Firefox native features fail
  • It provides a clean reading experience and allows for saving content as PDF or EPUB
  • Request for a shortcut/hotkey feature to activate the reader view more easily
User reviews
by ryk, 2025-01-25
Works great... Thanks to the developer
by Firefox user 13202285, 2024-08-10
I have found this functionality invaluable. I currently try to save content to .pdf files rather than bookmarking because of the ephemeral nature of web content. I normally change the view to the "reader" view to enable printing the content of the page while eliminating most of the extraneous content (like links to unrelated articles) that would otherwise appear.
by Firefox user 17827523, 2024-04-22
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Add-on safety

Risk impact

Activate Reader View requires a few sensitive permissions. Exercise caution before installing.

Risk likelihood

Activate Reader View has earned a fairly good reputation and likely can be trusted.

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