Fast Undistracted Web Reading

Written by Eric Wyatt (last updated October 7, 2019)

The web is a wonderful resource. Need to learn how to re-shingle a roof? Pull up an episode of "Ask This Old House" on YouTube and you'll have a good start. Looking for a way to take better control of your Windows computer? Pull up your favorite Windows.Tips.Net article. No matter what you're looking for you can pretty much learn about it online.

If you're like me, however, and you're viewing a website trying to learn how to do something, you like to focus on the really important stuff, such as the actual article. For me, this is typical with longer articles or when I am trying to follow along as I shift my attention from what I'm reading to what the article is telling me to do. This is where Reader View found within Microsoft Edge is helpful. When enabled, it takes the website and does its best to only show the main content of the page. It hides any other elements that might be "distracting" as you're trying to read the page. Turning Reader View on is quite simple and easy to do:

  1. Press the Windows key and type (without quotes) "Microsoft Edge," then press Enter. Windows launches Microsoft Edge.
  2. Navigate to the article your wanting to read.
  3. Click on the Reader View book icon in the search bar. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. Reader View icon in Microsoft Edge.

  5. When you are done reading the page, click on the Reader View book icon again to turn Reader View off. (See Figure 2.)
  6. Figure 2. A standard web page view compared to Reader View.

If you navigate to a page and the Reader View icon is grayed out it means that you cannot initiate Reader View for that page. This is common on homepages, page listings, or pages that Edge doesn't recognize as having enough content that makes sense for Reader View.

With Reader View enabled, you can cut through some of the clutter that might distract you when you need to focus on the main content of an article.

 This tip (13683) applies to Windows 10.

Author Bio

Eric Wyatt

Eric Wyatt is a swell guy (or so his friends tell him). He is a formally trained designer and branding expert, bringing a wide range of skills to his Tips.Net articles. ...

MORE FROM ERIC

Which Version of Windows am I Running?

With Windows it has always been helpful to know what version you are running. With Windows 10 knowing the version isn't ...

Discover More

Read Aloud with Magnifier

Sometimes for comprehension it works better to have something read out loud. Have what you are reading read out loud to ...

Discover More

Performing a Factory Reset

Executing a factory reset is the final option if your computer is not working correctly. This tip shows you how to reset ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Using Edge Chromium to Screen Capture a Web Page

Have you ever needed to take a screen capture of a web page? Edge Chromium allows for easy screen capture.

Discover More

Tracking Prevention

Websites have been tracking users' web traffic for a long time, keeping data on website visits and your surfing ...

Discover More

Disable Edge Chromium Background Processes after Closing

Edge Chromium allows for many new improvements, features, and enhancements. One feature, Background Processes, can use up ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five more than 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips