Kiwix

An artifact that puts Wikipedia in your pocket!!

Kiwix is ​​an open source tool designed for offline browsing of Wikipedia. It downloads Wikipedia, e-books, teaching materials and other content locally in advance, and then you can search and read them just like browsing ordinary web pages even if there is no network.

Kiwix was launched in 2007 by Emmanuel Engelhart and Renaud Gaudin. The original intention was very simple - to make Wikipedia available to those places who cannot afford the Internet or have unstable networks. Later, it gradually developed. Not only Wikipedia, but also Project Gutenberg e-books, Stack Exchange technical Q&A, TED speeches, and various technical documents... can be installed in it.

Some people call him the spark of civilization after the end of the world and a necessary artifact for time travel~~

It uses something calledZIMA compressed file format that packages a large number of web pages, images and directories into a single file. Kiwix itself is equivalent to a reader, and the ZIM file is an "offline database" containing content.

The tool has been in development since 2006 and currently supports Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and a PWA version that can be used directly in the browser.

Core functions

The functions of Kiwix are quite comprehensive. Let me pick out a few commonly used ones:

• Offline content access: This is the core functionality. Package websites such as Wikipedia into ZIM files and store them locally, so you can still view them even if you don’t have an internet connection. Think about it, on an airplane, in the subway, or in the mountains and forests, you can pull out your phone and check information. It feels pretty cool.
• Full text search: Comes with a built-in search engine that can search for keywords in the entire ZIM file. It also supports case- and diacritical-insensitive searches. But there is a pitfall, the Chinese search experience is average, which will be discussed later.
• Bookmarks and Notes: Just like a browser, you can save and take notes when you see good things.
• Tab browsing: Open multiple tabs like Chrome and switch back and forth.
• Content library management: Built-in a content manager, you can browse, filter, download new ZIM files online, and add them with one click.
• Export function: Supports exporting articles to PDF or HTML for easy sharing or printing.
• HTTP server: This is quite interesting. You can share content with others in the local area network.

Tutorial

Step 1: Install Kiwix Reader

Enter the download page of the Kiwix official website (kiwix.org/en/applications/) and select the corresponding version according to the device.

Windows users can download the standalone installation package or install it through the Microsoft Store or Winget; macOS users can use the universal installation package or the Mac App Store; Linux provides AppImage, Flatpak, Ubuntu PPA and distribution packages.

Mobile phone users can search for Kiwix directly on Google Play or App Store.

Step 2: Choose the content you need

After opening Kiwix, go to the online library and select the language and content type.

It is not recommended to directly download the full and largest Wikipedia for first time users. You can start testing with a smaller thematic database, or Wikipedia mini or nopic versions.

Be sure to pay attention to the file size before downloading. Some complete libraries may occupy dozens of GB or more, so it is best to check the remaining capacity of the device in advance.

Step 3: Download or import the ZIM file

Once you’ve selected your content, you can download it directly in Kiwix.

You can also download the .zim file separately from the official repository and import it through Kiwix's "Open File" function. The ZIM file can also be placed on a mobile hard drive or SD card, and does not have to be copied to the system disk.

Database download address: https://browse.library.kiwix.org/#lang=zho

Step 4: Search and read

Once the file is open, you can find articles through the search box at the top.

Internal links between articles can usually jump directly, and the operation method is similar to browsing ordinary websites. You can also add bookmarks to frequently used pages so you can continue reading them later.

Step 5: Start the server when multiple people need to access it

If you want to allow mobile phones, tablets and computers at home to access it together, you can use Kiwix Server.

After adding the ZIM file on the host and starting the service, other devices only need to connect to the same LAN and access the corresponding address through the browser. There is no need to save a copy of the data on each device.

Summarize

Kiwix is ​​a tool that implements "knowledge equality". It may not be the most perfect, the interface is far from refined, and there is still room for improvement in Chinese search. But when you are in a place with no signal, or just want to save some data and watch something quietly, you open Kiwix and find that the entire Wikipedia is in your hands - that sense of security is quite amazing.