Google has updated its Chrome mobile browser to allow offline viewing of web pages and video. This is great news if you’re going to be away from a web connection with little to keep you occupied, although as always you’ll need to prepare before you leave. Fortunately, that’s a piece of cake. Here’s how to download web pages in Chrome and how to download video in Chrome.
How to download web pages in Chrome for offline viewing
• Launch Chrome and browse to the web page you want to be able to read offline
• Tap the three dots at the top of the Chrome window and hit the download icon (in between the star for bookmarks and the information icon). If you don’t see this icon you will need to update Chrome.
• The web page will automatically download, but do note that in our experience if it is a multi-page article you will need to repeat this process for each page
• To later view the web page when you are offline, either pull down the notification bar at the top of the screen and hit the notification that the page has downloaded, or re-enter Chrome and again press the three dots icon at the top right of the page. Select Downloads, then choose the web page from the list.
How to download video in Chrome for offline viewing
• Launch Chrome and browse to the video you want to watch offline
• Hit play on the video, then tap and hold on it. You should get a pop-up that says Download video. Tap this
• The video will automatically download to your device and, as before, you have two ways of accessing it. Either pull down the notification bar at the top of the screen and hit the notification that says the video has successfully downloaded, or re-enter Chrome, tap the three dots icon at the top right, choose Downloads and select the video from the list
• Note that this method will not work for YouTube videos. For instructions on how to download YouTube videos see this separate article. (Also see: Is it legal to download YouTube video?)
Read next: How to download Netflix
Author: Marie Black, Editorial Director
Marie is Editorial Director at Foundry. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she's worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our EMEA and LatAm editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry's transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.