Chrome Tests Firefox’s Reader View Technology for Reading Mode

After Immersive Reading Mode, Google is now testing a new method to improve how Chrome handles articles in Reading Mode. The change borrows the same text extraction technology used by “Mozilla’s Readability.js”, which powers Firefox’s Reader View and is being tested in Chrome Canary.

Reading Mode in Chrome shows the webpage without ads, sidebars, or extra clutter. Until now, Chrome has used its own system called “DOM Distiller” to detect and display the text.

With this test, Google is comparing that system against Readability.js, an open-source script originally built by Mozilla for Firefox’s Reader View. It is known for better accuracy on complex or ad-heavy pages where many readers prefer a clean, focused layout.

How to enable Mozilla’s Readability in Chrome Reading Mode

1. Open the latest Chrome Canary.
2. Go to chrome://flags.
3. Search for “Reading Mode Experimental Webpage Distillation.”
4. Enable it and restart Chrome.

The flag is currently available in Chrome Canary for Mac, Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS.

The feature is tested behind a flag called “Reading Mode Experimental Webpage Distillation.” It introduces a Readability.js-based method for extracting text from web pages.

It’s not yet clear why Google is testing Readability.js instead of relying on DOM Distiller results.

If the results are positive, Chrome’s Reading Mode could show cleaner text on more sites and reduce layout errors or missing sections.

That’s not all. Chrome is turning the New Tab Page into an AI Starter Screen in Canary for the Next Experience, and it could soon let you open dragged links in the same tab.

Additionally, Google is working to bring high-quality sound recording to Chrome on Windows.

What’s your take on Google using Mozilla’s Readability for Chrome’s Reading Mode? Do you welcome this change? Which browser’s Reading Mode do you prefer: Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.