Buzz
Your ultimate guide to mastering web archiving with the Wayback Machine. Ever wondered how a website looked in the past? Dreamt of revisiting Microsoft.com during the Windows XP era? Well, now you can! The Wayback Machine is a powerful archival tool boasting a vast collection of archived websites. This comprehensive guide teaches you how to access archived versions of websites using the Wayback Machine, as well as how to contribute to the archive for future reference.
Things You Should Be Aware Of
The Wayback Machine allows you to explore websites archived during specific years. To manually archive a website, simply enter the URL into the 'Save Page Now' feature. To access archived websites, input the URL into the main search bar.
Essential Steps
Manually Archiving Websites
Navigate to https://web.archive.org in your browser.
Enter the URL of the site you wish to save into the 'Save Page Now' field located at the bottom-right of the page. Follow these steps to obtain the URL:
- On a computer, copy the URL from the address bar at the top of your browser window by pressing Cmd+C (Mac) or Ctrl+
C (PC). Then, right-click the 'Save Page Now' field and select Paste.
- On a mobile device, tap and hold the URL, then select Copy. Next, tap and hold the 'Save Page Now' field and select Paste to insert the URL.
Tip: Ensure accuracy when entering the URL as the Wayback Machine archives only the specific page, not linked pages. For example, to archive this page, use the URL: https://www.Mytour.com/Use-the-Internet-Archive%27s-Wayback-Machine. Using only https://www.Mytour.com will only archive the Mytour homepage.
Click the SAVE PAGE button to initiate the archiving process. This will display the website, accompanied by the message 'Saving page now' at the top-left corner. Once saved, this message will disappear.
- Note that certain websites may not be archived due to their configuration. If you encounter an error, it's likely because the site owner has opted out of the Wayback Machine's web crawler.
Accessing Archived Websites
Visit https://web.archive.org in your web browser.
Enter the website you wish to view in the designated field.
Press Enter or Return to proceed with the search.
Choose a year from the bar graph to explore archived versions of the website.
Keep in mind: If there are no black bars for the desired year, there are no website snapshots from that time.
Choose a date on the calendar to access archived versions of the website. Green and/or blue circles indicate available snapshots.
Explore other archived versions of the site using the bar graph at the top of the archived website. Navigate to different dates using the blue arrows or by clicking on a specific date.
Helpful Tips
Some older archives may lack content. If so, try a different date. Also, note that you cannot log in to websites via the Wayback Machine to prevent alterations to historical screenshots.
