How to Download or Save Webpages in Firefox

Firefox on desktop gives you four ways to save a webpage: a keyboard shortcut, the Open menu, the right-click menu, or the Print dialog for PDF. The Save As dialog also lets you pick between Webpage, Complete, HTML only, or plain text.

This guide covers the current Firefox desktop UI for HTML and PDF saves, the file format options, where files end up on disk, and what to try if Save Page As is greyed out. Android steps and FAQs round out the picture.

In this guide, I have covered:

Save a Webpage in Firefox with a Keyboard Shortcut

The fastest way to save a webpage in Firefox on Windows, Linux, or macOS is the keyboard shortcut. It works the same way no matter which version of Firefox you have installed, and it opens the same Save As dialog you would get from the menu.

1. Open the webpage you want to keep in Firefox.
2. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+S on macOS.
3. In the Save As dialog, pick a folder and a file name.
4. Click Save to write the file to disk.

When the save completes, Firefox drops the file into your chosen folder. The default is your Downloads folder unless you have changed the path under Settings.

Save a Webpage from the Firefox Menu

If the shortcut is captured by another app, or you just prefer the menu, the three-line Open menu button in the top right of Firefox is the next quickest path.

1. Open the page in Firefox.
2. Click the Open menu button at the top right of the Firefox window.
3. Click Save Page As….
4. Pick a folder, type a file name, and click Save.

The same Save As dialog opens, with the same format options. Mozilla’s official Save a web page guide walks through this flow with screenshots if you want a visual reference.

Save a Webpage via Right-Click

Firefox also exposes Save Page As… on the right-click context menu. This is handy when you are using a trackpad and a single tap is faster than a keyboard combo.

1. Right-click on empty page background, not on an image, link, or text selection.
2. Click Save Page As… in the context menu.
3. Pick a folder and file name, then click Save.

Right-clicking on an image or video shows a different context menu with options like Save Image As…. To save the whole document, right-click on empty page space first.

Choose a File Format When Saving

The Save As dialog has a “Save as type” dropdown on Windows and Linux. On macOS, the file format picker appears inside the standard save sheet. Pick the format that matches how you plan to use the page later.

• Webpage, Complete (default): Saves the HTML file plus a sibling folder, named like pagename_files, that contains the images, CSS, and scripts. The page renders correctly offline.
• Web Page, HTML only: Saves only the HTML file. Images and other assets are not downloaded, so the page will look broken without an internet connection.
• Text Files: Saves the page as plain text, stripping all formatting, images, and links. Useful for notes or quote extraction.

Webpage, Complete is the right pick almost every time. The “Complete” wording tells Firefox to grab the supporting files so the saved page still looks like the original, even on a plane or in a coffee shop with no Wi-Fi.

Save a Webpage as a PDF in Firefox

Firefox does not list PDF in the Save Page As dropdown on desktop. To save a PDF, use the Print dialog, which can write its output to a PDF file instead of sending it to a real printer.

1. Open the page you want to save.
2. Press Ctrl+P on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+P on macOS. You can also click the Open menu and pick Print….
3. In the Print preview, click the Destination dropdown.
4. Select Save as PDF from the list of destinations.
5. (Optional) Click More settings to adjust paper size, margins, or scale.
6. Click Save and pick where the PDF should be stored.

The PDF keeps the visible text and layout of the page but drops interactive elements like forms and scripts. For a full archive with images and CSS, use Webpage, Complete instead.

Where Firefox Saves Downloaded Files

By default, Firefox writes both HTML and PDF saves into your operating system’s Downloads folder. If your files are going somewhere unexpected, here is how to check and change the path.

1. Type about:preferences in the address bar and press Enter to open Settings.
2. Click General in the left sidebar, then scroll to the Downloads section.
3. Under "Save files to", confirm the selected folder actually exists on your computer. If not, click Browse and pick a new one (Desktop or Downloads usually work).
4. Tick the checkbox for "Always ask you where to save files" if you want a Save As dialog every time. This is the fastest way to confirm Firefox is actually producing a file.

TIP: Pick “Always ask you where to save files” if you save many different pages and want to keep them in separate folders from the start. It costs an extra click per save but pays off when you need to find the file later.

Open a Saved Webpage in Firefox

Once Firefox has saved a page, you can reopen it from your file manager or directly inside Firefox.

1. Open your Downloads folder, or the folder you chose when saving.
2. Double-click the saved .html or .htm file to open it in your default browser.
3. To open it in Firefox specifically, drag the file onto the Firefox window or onto its taskbar or Dock icon.
4. To load a saved page from inside Firefox, press Ctrl+O on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+O on macOS, and pick the file.

If you saved with Webpage, Complete and the sibling _files folder is later moved or renamed, the HTML will still open but the page will look unstyled.

Save a Webpage on Firefox for Android

Firefox for Android does not have a Save Page As option for HTML files. The built-in way to keep a copy of a page is to save it as a PDF through the Print sheet.

1. Open the page in Firefox for Android.
2. Tap the menu in the top right.
3. Tap Print.
4. In the Android print preview, tap the Save as PDF option in the destination dropdown.
5. Tap the Save PDF button and pick a folder (such as Downloads or Drive).

For a fuller offline reading experience that also grabs images, see our guide to saving pages for offline access in Firefox on Android.

What to Try If Save Page As Is Not Working

If Save Page As is greyed out, fails silently, or only writes an empty file, work through these checks in order.

1. Reload the page with a hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+Shift+R on macOS, then try again.
2. Open the page in a Private Window (Ctrl+Shift+N or Cmd+Shift+N) and try saving from there. If it works, an extension in your normal window is interfering.
3. Disable extensions one at a time and try saving after each disable, to find the culprit.
4. Check the Downloads folder for partial files. A very long file name or a path with unusual characters can fail silently. Shorten the name and retry.
5. Make sure your hard drive has free space. Firefox needs room to write the HTML plus the _files folder for Webpage, Complete.
6. If saving a PDF, confirm the Print dialog's Destination dropdown shows "Save as PDF" and not "Microsoft Print to PDF" or a real printer.

If none of the above helps, refresh Firefox to reset performance and search settings, then try once more on a clean profile.

RELATED: Helpful Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts on Linux, Windows, & Mac