Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about Instapaper. You can also email support@help.instapaper.com & tweet at @InstapaperHelp with ideas, feedback, and questions not covered here. We always love to hear from you.

What does Instapaper do?

Instapaper turns web content – articles, stories, posts, videos, and even long emails – into a great reading experience.

Over the course of your day, you'll encounter things you want to save for later. With Instapaper, you simply push a button in your browser, or choose “send to Instapaper” in a linked mobile app. Instapaper then saves it for you, and makes it available in a beautiful, uncluttered, reading-optimized format on your mobile phone, your tablet, your Kindle, or your browser.

I can't get something to work, what should I try first?
  • Make sure cookies are enabled in your browser.
  • Make sure Javascript is enabled in your browser.
  • If you're using Android or iOS, make sure you're using the same Instapaper username between your computer, the application, and your mobile browser.
  • Switch to Safari, Chrome, or Firefox. There are plenty of other reasons to do this, too. If you're not sure how or why you should do this, ask your nearest computer geek, we assure you they'll have an opinion on the matter.
Will you add [some cool feature]?

Quite possibly! Please let us know what you'd like. We read every idea or suggestion. We make changes to Instapaper very carefully, but we aim to be constantly improving.

Are there storage limits?

There's no limit to how many articles you can store, and your archive of read items is kept indefinitely (unless you delete from it).

Does Instapaper make money?

Yes. We are a small team and our goal is to build a long-term sustainable product and business, without venture capital. In order to do so, it's essential that the product generates enough revenue to cover its cost. If you'd like to support Instapaper, the best way to do so is to purchase Instapaper Premium.

Instapaper Premium users receive:

  • Full-text search
  • Unlimited highlighting
  • Third-party API access
  • Better Kindle functionality
  • Ads removed from website
I'm trying to create an account but it says my email is already taken.

Usually this is because you created another account with your email address sometime in the misty, distant past. Try logging in with the credentials you might have previously used.

If you want to get rid of the old account, you can rename or delete the old one from Settings when you're logged into it.

My device is telling me my password is incorrect but I can login with those credentials on web.

If you can login on web, chances are it's your device time that's incorrect. Please go to your device's date/time settings and make sure they're accurate. Setting your time to be set automatically is always the safe bet in this case.

How do I install the Instapaper bookmarklet on mobile Safari?

With the introduction of the system share sheet in iOS 8, mobile bookmarklets are no longer required. To save on mobile Safari, and any other compatible apps/browsers, please add Instapaper to the system share sheet. This can be done by opening the share sheet (box with arrow icon), scrolling all the way to the right of the top row, choosing "More," and enabling Instapaper. Instapaper will then be an option on the share sheet.

I save pages, but they don't appear in the app.

Please ensure that you're using the same account name on both the web browser (where you're saving articles) and the iPhone app (where you're reading them). Your account name is displayed:

  • On the website: In the lower left, inside the nav bar.
  • In the iOS app: In the Settings screen, under Account.
  • In the Android app: In the Settings screen, under Your Account.
Why do I have to sign in every time I click the Instapaper bookmarklet?

First and foremost, please make sure you're not in Private/Incognito browsing mode.

If browsing mode is not private, please enable third-party cookies for: www.instapaper.com

If the issue persists, please reinstall your bookmarklet/extension from www.instapaper.com/save

When I click the Instapaper bookmarklet, nothing happens, or it hangs after "(Saving...)". (Most commonly occurs with Firefox.)

Please make sure that you do not have any add-ons or settings that would interfere with Javascript's operation. This includes the Firefox NoScript add-on and some types of ad-blocking software.

Why can't it save pages from [some site]?

There are many reasons why certain pages aren't accessible offline or in Text view. The most common:

  • The page requires a login. The Instapaper server must fetch a copy of the page without knowing your username, password, or session details. Pages such as Gmail messages or travel itineraries generally can't be reached without logging in, so Instapaper cannot access them for offline saving.
  • It does not allow this type of access. Some sites block access to web crawlers, which will block or restrict Instapaper from saving them.

We're always working to improve page compatibility, but the web is vast, complex, and always changing — so we can never guarantee perfect or complete compatibility with every site.

We encourage you to submit sites you're having saving issues with to Support so we can look into the saving behavior for you.

Are PDF files supported?

Instapaper currently does not support PDF files.

Amazon’s fees for 3G delivery

Instapaper uses Amazon's Kindle Personal Documents Service to deliver its documents to your Kindle.

Kindles with Wi-Fi only (no 3G) receive Instapaper's documents for free whenever they're connected to a Wi-Fi network.

For Kindles with 3G, such as the Kindle 1, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, Kindle 3 3G, Kindle Keyboard 3G, and Kindle Touch 3G, Amazon charges small fees for delivery over 3G when the Kindle is not connected to a Wi-Fi network. See this Amazon document for details. To avoid fees with 3G Kindles, use the @free.kindle.com option.

Instapaper assumes no responsibility for charges incurred by your use of this feature.

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