Reader Mode in Opera

Reader mode lets you view web articles in a clean, distraction-free layout — removing ads, popups, and sidebars so you can focus on the content. This guide covers how to use reader mode in Opera and how Web Highlights takes it further with highlighting, notes, and offline access.

Opera's Built-in Reader Mode

Opera includes a Reader Mode that can be activated from the address bar. Here's how to use it:

  1. Open Opera and navigate to an article or blog post.
  2. Look for the Reader Mode icon (a book) in the address bar. It appears on pages that support reader mode.
  3. Click the icon to enter Reader Mode.
  4. Customize the appearance by clicking Customize Appearance to change the background color, font, and font size.

Note: If the Reader Mode icon does not appear, you may need to enable it via opera://flags by searching for "Reader Mode" and setting it to "Enabled," then restarting Opera.

Limitations

  • Reader Mode may need to be manually enabled through flags on some versions.
  • Not all webpages are supported.
  • You cannot highlight or annotate text within Opera Reader Mode.

Go Further with Web Highlights Reader Mode

While Opera's reader mode removes distractions, it stops there. Web Highlights adds a complete research workflow on top of any reader mode:

  • Highlight & annotate — Mark up important text with multiple colors and add personal notes.
  • Save for offline access — Keep a permanent, reader-friendly copy of any article.
  • Sync across devices — Access your saved articles, highlights, and notes from any device through the web app.
  • Export your research — Send highlights to Notion, Capacities, Markdown, PDF, or HTML.
  • AI-powered summaries — Generate summaries of your saved articles using Chrome's built-in AI.
  • Organize with tags — Tag and group your research for easy retrieval.

Learn more about how our reader mode works in the Web Highlights Reader Mode documentation.

Opera Reader Mode vs. Web Highlights

FeatureOperaWeb Highlights
Distraction-free reading✅✅
Custom themes & fonts✅ Basic✅ Full (Light, Dark, Sepia, Contrast)
Highlight & annotate❌✅
Save for offline access❌✅
Sync across devices❌✅
Export to Notion, Markdown, etc.❌✅
Works in multiple browsers❌✅ Chrome, Edge, Brave, Firefox, Opera

Try Web Highlights Reader Mode

Install Web Highlights to get a full-featured reader mode with highlighting, notes, and offline access — free, no sign-up required.

Install Web Highlights

Need help with another browser? Check out our other browser tutorials.