Browser Basics:
Saving Web Pages

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Did you want IE9+, Chrome, Firefox; Notepad?

Often you will find pages on the web that you'd like to keep to use when you are offline, that is, not connected to the Internet. You have two choices.

1. Subscribe to the page
    
2. Save the parts yourself

Subscribing is an automatic process. That's the good part. The awkward part is that you can only access what you saved through the Favorites list.

If you want more control, you'll have to do it yourself.

If you just don't want to deal with the complications, you can upgrade to IE5/6 or buy software that will download pages and even whole sites for your offline viewing pleasure.

 IE5/6 makes saving yourself much more convenient by offering new options that automatically take care for a lot of the work.

Saving Part of a Page

To save part of a web page takes several steps. Internet Explorer does not have a command to save just a selection.

 Select what you want to save, copy it, paste it into another program, and save in that program.

For text you can paste to a blank Notepad document.

To include graphics with the text, you must paste to a word processor. For some word processors you must copy and paste each graphic separately.

Saving a Whole Site

 To save a number of pages so that they link to each other correctly offline is best done with software designed especially for that task. It is quite time-consuming to download all the separate pages, graphics, etc. You have to get the folder structure just right for all those parts, too. 

 The situation is not much better in IE5/6. You have 4 ways to save a page, but there is no easy way to save a set of pages that are linked to each other. Links will lead to the online site instead of to the copies on your hard drive. You could get busy with your keyboard and change the source code yourself. Do you have lots of free time?

Copyrights

The information and graphics that your computer downloads when you view a web page are like the books you borrow from the library. You do not own them. Material published on the Internet has the same protections against unauthorized use as books, magazines, and newspapers have always had. If the material is copyrighted, the author has the right to control how others use the material. Just because you can download and save it does not make it yours!

Some materials that are on the Internet are stated to be free. For example, an artist may create graphics for web page navigation buttons and backgrounds and offer them to all for free. Software may be offered as freeware or shareware. Each creator can choose exactly how their creations can be used by others.

~~  1 Cor. 10:31 ...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  ~~

Last updated: 30 Apr 2012