Kiwix JS for PWA, Windows and Linux (Electron, NWJS, UWP)
Demos: [ Instal PWA on Desktop ] [ Install and use: Android ] [ Install and use: Firefox Android ] [ Picking a folder of archives ] [ File handling (desktop) ] [ Demo all OPFS features ] [ Adding app to Edge sidebar ]
Kiwix is an offline browser for Wikipedia, Project Gutenberg, TED Talks, Wikivoyage, Stackexchange, and many other sites and resources.
It makes knowledge available, in many different languages, to people with limited or no Internet access. The software and the content are
free for anyone to use. Get the app and download your choice of offline content (ZIM archives, which can be downloaded free in-app).
There are hundreds of multilingual archives to choose from, on many different topics and subjects. Build a whole digital library of
offline knowledge!
Part of the Kiwix family, this app is available either as an offline-capable, installable Progressive Web App
(PWA), for almost all modern browsers and devices, or else as app packages for various Windows, Linux and macOS operating systems: see
Kiwix JS Linux/Windows/macOS. For iOS and Android, use the offline PWA.
We also have packaged apps of WikiMed by Kiwix (a complete medical
encyclopaedia), and Wikivoyage by Kiwix (a complete travel guide) in
English -- no extra download needed! (You can, however, download other languages in these apps.)
If you are using Windows 10 or 11, then all three apps are conveniently available in the Microsoft Store:
Kiwix JS UWP,
WikiMed by Kiwix,
and Wikivoyage by Kiwix. They will automatically update when a new package is
available. If you are using Linux, then the
Electron AppImage package of Kiwix JS also (optionally) self-updates,
as does the installable Windows Electron package. Other apps will notify you when an update
is available.
Universal Progressive Web App
Don't like stores or packages? We've got you covered! Launch this app instantly by opening the installable, offline-capable PWA
(Progressive Web App) in your browser right now at pwa.kiwix.org. This works in any browser that
supports Service Workers: modern Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari (note that on iOS devices, you must use Safari because Apple
bans the use of Service Workers in any other browser on i-devices).
Get a free ZIM archive to use with the PWA from the Configuration page of the app,
or you can preview a ZIM at library.kiwix.org before you download one.
Once installed, bookmarked or added to your home screen, the PWA works even when your device is fully offline!
Take a look at our demo that shows how quick and easy it is to install the PWA.
How do I get all of Wikipedia offline?
If you want it with images, then please be aware that it's a big download: the English version is larger than 110 Gigabytes! We recommend you
try it out first with one of the themed, much smaller, archives, like Astronomy, Chemistry, Maths, Physics, etc. In-app, you'll find a
handy dropdown that allows you to choose your language and your theme, and then download it. The archive will download in your browser.
If you really want full English Wikipedia with images, then we strongly recommend you use an open-source torrenting app such as
qBittorrent, Transmission, or Deluge to download it on a PC with plenty of
disk space. First install your torrenting app. Then, when you select a large archive for download in the app, it will provide you with
a torrent link. Click the link and allow your browser to download and open the torrent file. This small file will open in your torrenting app, and you'll be asked where you want to save the archive you want to download. It's much easier than it sounds!
What about Zimit (Web Archive) format?
Zimit is a service that allows any Web site to be archived as a ZIM, although there are lots of exciting pre-crawled Zimit-based ZIMs for
you to use (see below). If you want to make your own, try it out at https://zimit.kiwix.org/. The Kiwix JS PWA and Electron apps have full
support both for legacy Zimit 1 archives that use the open-source Replay Web Archive reader,
and for the current Zimit v2 format. Please note that most Zimit archives will require ServiceWorker mode, due to their highly dynamic content.
This is the beginning of the README. Read the rest at the original. Read the full README ↗
