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 Vivaldi and how Web Highlights takes it further with highlighting, notes, and offline access.
Vivaldi's Built-in Reader Mode
Vivaldi has a built-in Reader View with extensive customization options. Here's how to use it:
- Open Vivaldi and navigate to an article or blog post.
- Click the Reader View icon (a book) on the right side of the address bar. It appears on pages with enough text content.
- Alternatively, type "Toggle Reader View" in Quick Commands (Ctrl + E or Cmd + E on Mac) or set up a custom keyboard shortcut.
- Customize the reading experience in Settings → Webpages → Reader to adjust font, font size, line height, column width, and color scheme.
Limitations
- Reader View only works on pages with enough text content.
- You cannot highlight or annotate text within Vivaldi Reader View.
- Articles are not saved for offline access or synced across devices.
Go Further with Web Highlights Reader Mode
While Vivaldi'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.
Vivaldi Reader Mode vs. Web Highlights
| Feature | Vivaldi | Web 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.