Download Full Websites to Hard Drive for Offline Viewing

In some cases, it is crucial that you have access to certain files at all times. This means whether or not your internet is working, or whether or not you are within WiFi range of a wireless network, you can still access the files you need. If your resources are web based, you can download the full website, which will extract the content of the website to your hard drive.

There are a couple of programs out there that can download entire websites, but for this demo, we will be using the free software HTTrack. So to get started, navigate over to the HTTrack downloads page. The website copier is available for all three major operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux, so make sure that you select the correct download for your particular OS. Also, notice that there are 64-bit versions available. We will be using Windows 64-bit for this particular demo. Once downloaded, proceed to install the the HTTrack application onto the computer.

WinHTTrack downloads quickly and installs quickly, and before you know it, it’s ready to use. Here is the home screen for the Windows version:

This program is very simple to use. On the first screen, simply click the Next button to start a new project.

The following screen allows you to set a name and category for your project. We will call the demo project “Online-Tech-Tips” and Categorize it as “Tech Websites.” Also, we will simply leave the base path as the default C: Enter the details for your project and click the Next button.

The next page gives you more options to choose from, but pay special attention to Action, as this controls the level and amount of webpages to be downloaded. All of the selectable Actions are fairly self explanatory. For this demo, we will use the standard Download web site(s) option. You will of course, need to add the URL for the website that you want to download. Use the Add URL button, type in the URL for the website, and click the OK button.

If you would like, you can set advanced download options using the Set options… button. Although, most set options are not needed. Once you have your options and preferences selected, click the Next button.

The final screen is basically a prompt screen where you can confirm that you want to begin the download and set up some actions. For now, just leave these settings as is and click the Finish button.

From here, HTTrack will begin scanning, archiving, and downloading the web content for offline viewing.

Downloading a website is not fast… Once the website download completes, HTTrack will have created and restructured the website at the path C: > My Websites for Windows users.

The specific website should have a designated folder, for this demo, that folder is Online-Tech-Tips. Double click to open the folder for your downloaded website. Next, find any webpage formatted file that will open in a browser. For our example, index is a Firefox Document.

Double clicking the file should open the webpage, which you can navigate using your existing web browser. Check the URL to make sure that the website is offline.

HTTrack is a quality program for being free. Even ads download and render correctly. Once the website has completely downloaded, and you have opened a webpage, all links should work and the full website will be navigable for offline viewing.