Offline Downloader

Every time you access a web page, some content is downloaded so that later on you have instant access to it. There are even some cases that require or force you to access pages offline, tasks which can be fulfilled by some specialized applications like Offline Downloader.

After a short installation process, in which nothing more happens that pressing a few Next buttons, you’re free to check it out. When it runs, the interface might make you feel a little disappointed, with the overall old-school look that doesn’t inspire much confidence at a first look.

The center area represents the preview of pages, with tab separators for offline and online modes. Next to it, there’s a website list where you write down all pages to download in a column. As a website is downloaded, its map is generated in real time, with the possibility to navigate while the process is in motion to check for any errors.

However, before you rush to press the Download button, pay a visit to the default options menu to configure the process. Although it might seem like a time-consuming task given the amount of areas like project, connection, filter, browser, display and schedule, you might end up with the download process taking forever, especially if the target website is large.

Another thing to pay attention is the file types to download. Almost all types you encounter while navigating are up for display, but not all enabled. You can select video and image files to also be downloaded, but again, it can cost not only time to grab websites, but also a lot more disk space.

There’s a built-in scheduler if time is not by your side. It’s pretty easy to configure, with options to set it at a specific date, or make it recurrent so when you come back home, the project is done and waiting for processing.

To sum it up, it’s difficult to believe that you want to save pages for offline navigation, given the excessive spread of the Internet. However, it’s not all just about connectivity, with some tests requiring files to be saved and used locally, and Offline Downloader, even if it leaves more to be desired, can get the job done for you.