How to automatically enable reading mode for specific sites in MacOS Safari

The idea behind Reading Mode is simple: To make otherwise busy web pages considerably easier to read. Everyone has experienced those sites before, the ones that often make it hard to read content because of ads, poor layout/design, or simply too many distractions. That's where Reading Mode comes in. By stripping away everything but the content you want, Reading Mode vastly simplifies the experience.

I've often run into sites that render pages nearly impossible to read. Either a poor layout or a plethora of ads drag the web browser to an unresponsive halt so even if the page layout was fine, I still couldn't read what I came for. It's frustrating and often causes me to avoid those sites altogether.

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Thankfully, most web browsers now include Reading Mode as a standard feature, so when you come across a page you want to read but (for whatever reason) can't, you just flip on Reading Mode to get rid of the distractions. Once in Reading Mode, the only thing that displays is the content you want.

With most web browsers, you have to manually turn on Reading Mode case by case. With Safari, however, you can enable certain sites to automatically switch to Reading Mode, so you never have to worry about doing it on a page-by-base basis. I've found this to be a great option, especially for sites that tend to render Safari unusable. 

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One thing to keep in mind is that when Reading Mode is enabled for a site, it doesn't automatically switch the entire site. Instead, it will automatically open pages within the site in Reading Mode. However, if an external link directs you to the site you've enabled, the page will automatically open in Reading Mode.

For many, this feature is quite handy. For others, it will be a must-use.

Let me show you how to enable automatic Reading Mode.

Enable Reading Mode for a site

What you'll need: The only thing you'll need is an updated version of the Safari browser. I'll demonstrate this on a 13-inch MacBook Pro with an Apple Silicon M1 chip.

What sites look like in Reading Mode

Any site you enable for Reading Mode will be stripped of everything but the relevant content (text, images, links, etc.) and nothing more. In this mode, pages are far easier to read and, even better, if you need to print those pages, you won't waste ink printing extraneous elements. 

Reading Mode is a great option for anyone who wants a distraction-free experience on a website. If you find the content on particular sites to be overly challenging to consume, let Safari help you out by stripping away everything you don't want.