How to Enable Reader View in Safari on iPhone, iPad & Mac

Reader View strips away ads, navigation menus, and other clutter from web articles, leaving you with a clean, readable page. This guide shows you how to turn it on in Safari on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and how to customize it to your liking. No special setup is required—the feature is built into Safari on all Apple devices.

What You’ll Need

• An iPhone, iPad, or Mac with Safari (any recent version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS).
• A web page that contains an article or text content. Reader View only appears on pages Safari recognizes as articles—it won’t show on homepages, search results, or pages with mostly images or forms.

Step-by-Step

On iPhone and iPad

1. Open Safari and navigate to the article you want to read.
2. Look at the address bar (the top of the screen). On the left side, you’ll see either the letters “aA” or a small rectangle icon (depending on your iOS version).
3. Tap that icon. A menu will appear.
4. Tap “Show Reader”. The page will instantly reformat into a clean, text-only view.
5. To exit Reader View, tap the same icon again and choose “Hide Reader”.

To make Reader View automatic for a specific website:

1. While on that site, tap the “aA” icon.
2. Tap “Website Settings”.
3. Toggle on “Use Reader automatically”.
4. Tap “Done”. From now on, every article on that site will open in Reader View by default.

On Mac

1. Open Safari and go to the article you want to read.
2. Look at the address bar. On the left side, you’ll see a small icon that looks like a rectangle with lines (or the letters “aA” in some versions).
3. Click that icon. A menu drops down.
4. Click “Show Reader”. The page will change to a clean reading layout.
5. To exit, click the same icon again and choose “Hide Reader”.

To enable Reader View automatically for a site on Mac:

1. Click the Reader icon in the address bar.
2. Click “Website Settings” (or “Settings for This Website”).
3. In the dropdown next to “Use Reader when visiting this website”, choose “On”.
4. Close the settings popover. The site will now always open in Reader View.

Common Mistakes

• Looking for Reader View on pages that don’t support it. Reader View only works on article-like pages. If you’re on a homepage, a video page, or a page with mostly images, the icon will be grayed out or missing.
• Confusing the Reader icon with the Share button. On iPhone/iPad, the Share button is a square with an arrow pointing up, located on the right side of the address bar. The Reader icon is on the left.
• Expecting Reader View to remove paywalls. It only removes visual clutter; it does not bypass subscription or login requirements.
• Forgetting to turn off automatic Reader View. If you enabled it for a site but now want the original layout back, you need to disable it in Website Settings.

Tips

• Change the font and background: In Reader View, tap or click the “aA” icon (or the font size icon) to adjust text size, font style, and background color (white, sepia, or black for dark mode).
• Use Reader View for offline reading: While in Reader View, you can save the article to your Reading List (tap the Share button and choose “Add to Reading List”). It will be available offline.
• Scroll faster: In Reader View, you can tap the top or bottom of the screen to scroll by a screenful, which is handy for long articles.
• On Mac, use the keyboard shortcut: Press Shift + Command + R to toggle Reader View on or off quickly.
• Reader View works with Safari’s built-in translate feature—you can translate an article while staying in the clean layout.

Troubleshooting

• Reader View icon doesn’t appear: This means Safari doesn’t detect the page as an article. Try scrolling down a bit—some sites load content dynamically. If it still doesn’t appear, the page may not be compatible (e.g., it’s a PDF, image gallery, or a web app).
• Reader View shows only part of the article: Some sites split articles across multiple pages. You’ll need to navigate to the next page and enable Reader View there as well.
• Reader View looks broken or has missing images: Refresh the page (pull down on iPhone/iPad, or press Command+R on Mac) and try again. If it persists, the site may be using unusual formatting that Safari can’t parse.
• Automatic Reader View isn’t working for a site: Go to the site, tap/click the “aA” icon, choose “Website Settings”, and make sure “Use Reader automatically” is toggled on (iPhone/iPad) or set to “On” (Mac). Also ensure you haven’t accidentally set it to “Off” for that site.
• Reader View is not available on a specific article even though it worked before: The site may have changed its layout or added a paywall. Try refreshing or clearing the site’s cookies in Safari Settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Reader View work on any website?

No. It only appears on pages that Safari identifies as articles—typically text-heavy pages with a clear main content area. It won’t work on homepages, search results, or pages with mostly videos or images.

Can I change the font size in Reader View?

Yes. On iPhone/iPad, tap the “aA” icon and use the small/large “A” buttons. On Mac, click the “aA” icon and use the font size controls. You can also change the font style and background color there.

Will Reader View remove paywalls or login requirements?

No. It only removes visual clutter. If a site requires a subscription or login to read the full article, Reader View will not bypass that.

Can I use Reader View offline?

Yes. While in Reader View, tap the Share button and choose “Add to Reading List”. The article will be saved and can be read later without an internet connection.

Why is the Reader View icon grayed out?

That means the current page doesn’t qualify as an article in Safari’s view. Try scrolling to the actual article content, or navigate to a different page on the site.

How do I turn off automatic Reader View for a site?

On iPhone/iPad, tap the “aA” icon, choose “Website Settings”, and toggle off “Use Reader automatically”. On Mac, click the “aA” icon, choose “Website Settings”, and set the dropdown to “Off”.

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