Install the Reading Rewind extension in Chrome

The Reading Rewind extension isn't in the Chrome Web Store yet, so you install it from a .zip file. Download it from the Reading Rewind homepage, unzip it, turn on Developer mode at chrome://extensions, click Load unpacked, and pick the unzipped folder. Then connect it to your account with a single-use pairing link from Settings > Sync. Setup takes about five minutes, and the extension stays installed when Chrome restarts.

Before you start

Chrome on a computer. Windows, macOS or Linux. There's no mobile app.
A Reading Rewind account. Create one and confirm your email address. It's free to use, with no credit card.

Step 1: Download and unzip the extension

Go to the extension section of the homepage and click Download for Chrome. You get a file named reading-rewind-chrome-plugin.zip.
Unzip it. On Windows, right-click the file and choose Extract All. On a Mac, double-click it. Both create a folder named reading-rewind-chrome-plugin.
Move that folder somewhere permanent, such as your Documents folder. Chrome runs the extension from this folder, so it has to stay put.

Open the folder and check what's inside. You should see a file named manifest.json and two folders, src and icons. That's the folder Chrome needs.

Step 2: Load the extension in Chrome

Open a new tab, type chrome://extensions in the address bar, and press Enter.
Turn on the Developer mode switch in the top-right corner.
Click Load unpacked.
Select the reading-rewind-chrome-plugin folder (the one with manifest.json directly inside) and confirm.

Reading Rewind: Save to Read Later now appears in your list of extensions.

Leave Developer mode on. Since Chrome 133, extensions loaded with Load unpacked only run while Developer mode is switched on.

Step 3: Pin the button to your toolbar

Click the Extensions button (the puzzle-piece icon) next to the address bar.
Click the pin icon next to Reading Rewind: Save to Read Later.

The Reading Rewind button now sits in your toolbar. Hover over it and Chrome shows Save to Reading Rewind.

Step 4: Connect the extension to your account

First, copy a pairing link from Reading Rewind:

Sign in and click Settings in the sidebar. It opens on the Sync tab, or go straight to Settings > Sync.
Under Pair a Browser, check that Browser is set to Chrome. It starts on the browser you're using.
Click Copy Link next to Signed Pairing Link. The link works once, for 30 minutes. If it runs out or you already used it, click Generate New Link and copy it again.

Then paste it into the extension:

Right-click the Reading Rewind toolbar button and choose Open Reading Rewind panel. The Reading Rewind side panel opens.
Under Connection, type https://readingrewind.com in App base URL.
Paste the link into Pairing URL.
Optional: type a Source name, such as "Work laptop", so you can tell your browsers apart.
Click Connect and sync. When Chrome asks for permission to access readingrewind.com, click Allow.

The panel shows Connected. Initial bookmark snapshot sent. Under Sync health, Connected reads Yes.

Connecting also copies this browser's bookmarks (titles, links and folders) into your account and keeps them in sync. To stop automatic updates after that first copy, untick Keep bookmark sync running automatically in the panel. The privacy policy has the details.

Step 5: Save your first page

Open an article you want to read later.
Click the Reading Rewind button in your toolbar. A small window shows Saving to Read Later, then Saved to Read Later, and the page is now at the top of that list.
Optional: type a tag in Add a tag and click Add.

The window closes by itself after a few seconds. Press Esc to close it sooner.

You can also save from the side panel. Under Save current page, add an optional Tag and click Save current page.

What you'll see in Reading Rewind

Your saved pages are in Read Later, newest first. Today, the page you land on after you sign in, shows the newest one that's ready under Continue Reading.
A clean copy of the text opens when you select a save. Reading Rewind starts making it as soon as you save, and a row marked "link only" has no stored copy yet. Switch between Reader and Live to see the original page, and use the text-size buttons to scale the article.
Your Chrome bookmarks are in Bookmarks, in the same folders as in Chrome. This browser is listed under Bookmarks in the sidebar as its own source.
Your open tabs land in Tabs when you click Sync open tabs in the side panel.
This browser is listed under Connected Sources in Settings > Sync, with the time it last synced. A browser you didn't name is called "Chrome 1", "Chrome 2" and so on. You can rename it there, disconnect it, or delete it along with its bookmarks.

Update the extension

Download the latest .zip from the homepage and unzip it.
Replace the files in your existing reading-rewind-chrome-plugin folder with the new ones. Keep the folder in the same place.
Go to chrome://extensions and click the reload icon (the circular arrow) on the Reading Rewind card.

Keeping the same folder keeps your connection. Chrome ties an unpacked extension to its folder, so a copy loaded from a different folder counts as a new install, and you'll need to connect it again.

Troubleshooting

Chrome warns about developer mode extensions

That's expected. Chrome warns about extensions that don't come from the Chrome Web Store. Dismiss the message, but don't turn Developer mode off: Chrome disables unpacked extensions while it's off. If that happens, switch Developer mode back on at chrome://extensions.

The extension stopped working or shows an error

The unzipped folder was probably moved, renamed or deleted. Put it back where it was. Or unzip a fresh copy into a permanent spot and load it again with Load unpacked, then connect it again.

Chrome says the manifest file is missing

You picked the wrong folder. Choose the folder that has manifest.json directly inside it, not the .zip file and not the folder above it.

The pairing link doesn't work

Pairing links work once and expire after 30 minutes. If the panel says The pairing link is invalid or has expired. or This pairing link was already used. Generate a new link in Sync Settings., go back to Settings > Sync, click Generate New Link, and copy the whole link again.

The popup says "Could not save this page"

The message underneath explains why. The most common one is Connect the extension to Reading Rewind first. Open the side panel and check Sync health. If Connected says No, connect again with a fresh pairing link.

The panel asks you to "Reconnect this browser"

This appears when your account already has a Chrome source and the extension looks like a new install, for example after you loaded it from a new folder. Pick your previous source (it's labelled Likely match when its bookmarks match this browser) and click Reconnect and sync. The first sync after reconnecting won't remove links you saved before. Choose Create a separate source only for a different Chrome profile or computer.

Other Chromium browsers

Edge, Brave, Opera and other Chromium-based browsers can often load unpacked extensions the same way, but they aren't officially supported. If you connect one, Reading Rewind lists it as a Chrome source. We test the extension in Chrome, with Firefox in beta.

FAQ

Why isn't Reading Rewind in the Chrome Web Store?

It isn't listed there yet, so for now the extension is a direct download. Once loaded, it stays installed when Chrome restarts, as long as Developer mode stays on and the folder stays put.

Is the extension free?

Yes. Reading Rewind is free to use, and you don't need a credit card.

What does the extension send to Reading Rewind?

The pages you save and the tabs you send, as their title and link. Once connected, it also syncs this browser's bookmarks: titles, links and folders. See the privacy policy.

Can I use Reading Rewind on my phone?

No. There's no iOS or Android app. Saving works through the extension in Chrome on a computer, with Firefox in beta.