Browse an Old Version of a Website
Ever wonder what Google looked like when it first launched? How about that old family website you made back in '97? There's an organization called Internet Archive, and they've been combing the web for years, archiving content to build a virtual internet library. We'll show you how to make the most of it!
Steps
- Launch your favorite browser. Navigate to archive.org.
- In the Web section, look for "The Wayback Machine." Enter the URL for the website that you're interested in, and then click the "Take Me Back" button.
- You'll be shown a calendar that will let you select the year you want revisit. The blue circles over the date indicate how many snapshots of the site happened on any given day.
- Click a year, and click a day, and revisit how things used to be!
Tips
- Images and flash content may not be archived, but all text content should still be visible.
- There's more than websites at Internet Archive. There's a movie archive with nearly a million digitized movies, live music concerts (yes, including your favorite Dead shows), sounds and spoken word recordings, and the text of books and magazines—everything from the history of Arpanet and articles about ants to works of science fiction, Federal Court documents, and microfilm records.
- If you're looking for a specific page within the old website, the links may still work.
Related Articles
- Search the Internet
- Check Internet Speed
- Be Safe on the Internet
- Expand Your Knowledge Using the Internet
- Get Involved in the Internet
- Search Google
