Turn any Chromebook into a focused reading device. Firefly Reading Mode is a free Chrome extension that distills articles into a clean, paper-like view — built on Mozilla Readability, processed entirely on the device, with zero data collection.
Open the Chrome Web Store on your Chromebook and click "Add to Chrome". No account or subscription needed.
Pin the firefly icon to the toolbar (puzzle-piece icon → pin) so it is one click away.
Open any article and click the icon (or use the extension keyboard shortcut). The page becomes a clean reading view — warm 2460K paper theme, outline navigation, adjustable width and font size. Press Esc to exit; the original page is restored.
Ads, pop-ups, autoplay videos and "recommended for you" sidebars are removed — only the article remains. Students read long-form content without rabbit holes.
Data collection: none. Article extraction uses the open-source Mozilla Readability algorithm and runs entirely on the device. Nothing students read is uploaded or tracked.
No background processes and no network calls — ideal for lower-powered Chromebooks. Works on managed and personal devices alike.
Warm paper theme for daytime reading, dark OLED-friendly theme for evening study, plus image grayscale/hide modes to keep attention on text.
Long essays and documentation become navigable: jump between headings from the outline panel — great for research and close reading.
"Copy as Markdown" sends the cleaned article — headings, paragraphs, links, images — to the clipboard, ready for Google Docs, Obsidian or Notion.
Firefly Reading Mode can be force-installed or allowed via the Google Admin console (Devices → Chrome → Apps & extensions). It requests only the permissions needed to inject the reading view on the active tab; there are no servers, no telemetry, and no remote code. The extension is distributed exclusively through the Chrome Web Store.
Yes. Chromebooks run ChromeOS, which supports the same Chrome extensions as desktop Chrome.
Install Firefly Reading Mode from the Chrome Web Store and click the toolbar icon on any article. Extraction happens locally on the device using Mozilla Readability — the extension collects no data.
If the Chrome Web Store is reachable on the device, search for Firefly Reading Mode and click "Add to Chrome".
On managed devices where the store is restricted, ask your administrator to approve the extension for your domain — admins can deploy Chrome extensions centrally through the Google Admin console.
Yes — removing ads and recommendation clutter measurably reduces distraction during long-form reading.
Firefly adds eye-care themes, adjustable typography, outline navigation, and Markdown export for notes. All processing is local, so reading activity is never tracked or uploaded.