Wayback Machine

Name: Wayback Machine
Rating: 4.225165562913907 (302 reviews)
Author: Internet Archive

The Official Wayback Machine Extension - by the Internet Archive.

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The Official Wayback Machine Chrome Extension by the Internet Archive offers users the ability to travel back in time and discover how websites have evolved. Easily save any webpage instantly with "Save Page Now," view the oldest or newest archived snapshots, and explore a timeline or calendar of captures for any domain.

The extension also automatically checks for archived versions when encountering 404 or other error pages, ensuring critical content is never lost. Additional features include contextual fact-check notices, access to related research papers and media, URL collections, site maps via sunburst diagrams, word clouds from link text, and annotations powered by Hypothes.is. Users can maintain their own web archive collections and share archived links on social media or search Twitter for related info. With privacy-friendly settings such as Private Mode and most functionalities available without login, this extension empowers browsing with the vast historical web database of the Internet Archive.

Productivity Utilities Privacy & Security Education Developer Tools

By:

Users:

Rating:

Version:

3.4.2 Last updated: 2024-08-14

Creation date:

2020-08-10

Risk:

Permissions:

activeTab
cookies
contextMenus
notifications
storage
scripting
webRequest

Host permissions:

https://archive.org/*
https://*.archive.org/*
https://hypothes.is/*
<all_urls>

Size:

1.37M

Email:

in*****@archive.org

URLs:

Full description:

Source:

Chrome Web Store

Updated:

17 hours ago

Ranking

# 1,108 ▼ 3

Other rankings

#51 in Tools

#1 in machine keyword 23

#12 in internet keyword 53

#19 in chrome keyword 99 ▲ 2

#21 in visited sites keyword 17 ▲ 3

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Other platforms

Wayback Machine (v1.5.7)

211,004+ 3.29

(588)

Wayback Machine (v3.2)

35,784+ 4.07

(347)

Wayback Machine (v3.3.1)

25,540+ 4.90

(7)

User reviews

Users appreciate the Wayback Machine Chrome extension for its ability to view and save old versions of websites easily, serving researchers and casual users alike. However, multiple reviews mention recurring save failures even when logged in, page rendering issues, and occasional server downtime affecting usability. While the interface is generally praised for simplicity and usefulness, users desire improvements in login reliability, save functionality, performance speed, and adherence to Chrome extension standards.

Pros

Allows users to view older versions of websites from different time periods.
Very useful for researchers and people interested in internet history.
Easy to use interface that works well for saving and accessing archived pages.
Helpful for both casual users and experts to archive web content manually or automatically.
Provides valuable access to digital history and supports educational purposes.

Cons

Frequent issues with the 'Save Page Now' feature failing or giving errors even when logged in.
Requires users to be logged in for saving pages, sometimes with confusing or buggy login status behavior.
Sometimes pages do not render correctly in the archive, showing layout or font errors.
Extension or archive service occasionally experiences downtime or slow performance.
Some users report the extension may not fully meet latest Chrome extension best practices and may have manifest-related errors.

Recent reviews

Cool and useful thing. It is very convenient to be able to see what was on a particular site earlier, in different periods.

Syberia Amazing, 2025-04-15

Can;t find what I'm looking for, and I know from other people that it's in this archive, and I'm a skilled researcher. Do I need to log in? Hm.

Michael Lear-Olimpi, 2025-04-11

Muy interesante ver webs en sus versiones antiguas

Laura Martí Lorente, 2025-04-03

View all user reviews ›

Extension safety

Risk impact

Wayback Machine requires some sensitive permissions that could impact your browser and data security. Exercise caution before installing.

Risk impact analysis details

Critical Allows access to all websites, posing a significant security risk as it can monitor and modify data from any visited site.
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Risk likelihood

Wayback Machine has earned a good reputation and can be trusted.

Risk likelihood analysis details

Medium This extension has medium user count. Unpopular extensions may not be stable or safe.
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