Internet Archive and the Wayback Machine

Internet Archive offers users a number of download options for all items on the site.

Each option is a link to one or more files in a specific format. Options vary based on the item's media type (text, image, audio, or video) as well as what type of file was originally uploaded to the archive.

The most commonly used download options include:

• PDF for text objects (printed and handwritten).
  Most users should choose this option to view/download text items, rather than the "full text" download option. "Full text" links to an unformatted ASCII text file, used mostly by screen readers and the full-text search engine.
   
• JPEG or TIFF for images.
  JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg) images are a compressed format with near universal support, suitable for most purposes. You can also download uncompressed, full-resolution images via the TIFF option, but keep in mind that TIFF images are often very large files; they may cause image viewers/editors to respond more slowly than the same image in JPEG format - especially on mobile devices - and will also have a greater impact on cellular data use.
   
• MPEG4 or OGG VIDEO for movies.
  Selecting MPEG4 will allow you to download a video in .mp4 format. Ogg video (.ogv) is an open-source alternative to .mp4, providing similar functionality and supported by many media players.
   
• VBR MP3 or OGG VORBIS for audio files.
  The VBR MP3 option links to a standard .mp3 file that can be played using almost all media players and devices. The OGG VORBIS option lets you download the audio as an .ogg file - a widely supported, open source format that may deliver higher quality sound than recordings in .mp3 format.
   
• TORRENT files allow you to download items via peer-to-peer file sharing, using a BitTorrent client.
  Downloading very large files (more than a couple hundred megabytes) via torrent has many advantages over using your browser - not only is it faster and more reliable, but it significantly reduces the strain put on Internet Archive's servers. To use this option, you must have an appropriate client software installed on your computer. Transmission is a popular free, open-source option that runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Internet Archive allows you to read most text items right in your browser - this is how the reader looks on an items details page.

Use the search tool (upper-left corner of the reader) to search the full-text of the item you are viewing.You don’t need to use “quotes” here.

Arrow buttons on the bottom left side of the page flip pages back and forth. Alternatively, you can also click on the pages themselves.
 

Buttons labelled with various rounded rectangles let you select different layout options for your view: you can make the viewer display one, two, or four pages at a time.
 

The magnifying glasses allow you to zoom in and out.

 

The "four corners" button switches to a fullscreen view. When in fullscreen mode, this becomes an "X" button; click it to leave fullscreen and return to the normal page view.

You can also adjust brightness & contrast, invert colors, and convert pages to grayscale in order to make items easier to read.