How to Save a Webpage with SingleFile in Firefox

To save a webpage as one file in Firefox, install the SingleFile extension, open the page, wait for it to finish loading, then click the SingleFile button in the toolbar. SingleFile packages page resources such as stylesheets, images, fonts, and frames into a single HTML file that you can open later. The file is normally saved to Firefox’s configured downloads folder. Install SingleFile from Firefox Add-ons.

Save a page with SingleFile

Open the SingleFile listing on Firefox Add-ons and add the extension to Firefox. Confirm the browser’s installation prompt.
Open the webpage you want to keep. Wait until its content has loaded. If the page fills in images or text as you scroll, scroll through the parts you need first.
Select the SingleFile button from Firefox’s extension toolbar. If you do not see it, open the Extensions menu and pin SingleFile to the toolbar.
Wait for the save operation to complete. The saved page is an HTML file, usually named from the page title. Check Firefox’s downloads list or the configured downloads folder to find it.
To confirm it is usable offline, open the downloaded HTML file from your file manager. Some dynamic or protected content may not be preserved exactly; see limitations.

Clicking the SingleFile button again while it is processing cancels the operation. For large or complex pages, allow the process to finish before navigating away or closing the tab.

Find the saved HTML file

SingleFile’s default destination is the downloads folder configured in Firefox. If the file is not where expected, open Firefox Settings and check the Downloads section for the current folder. You can also use Firefox’s downloads list to locate a completed download.

SingleFile’s options include a Destination section for cloud uploads such as Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, or WebDAV. These are optional destinations; a cloud account is not required to save a page locally.

Save selected content, links, or multiple tabs

Use the context menu when you need more control than saving the current whole page. Right-click the SingleFile toolbar button or webpage and choose the relevant action. Depending on the selection and context, SingleFile can save selected content, a selected frame, or selected links.

Selected content: Select the portion of the page first, then use the context-menu action to save the selection.
Selected frame: Use the frame-specific action when only an embedded frame is needed.
Selected links: Use the link action to save pages referenced by selected links.
Annotations: “Annotate and save the page…” lets you highlight text, add notes, or remove content before saving.
Multiple tabs: Choose actions for selected tabs, unpinned tabs, or all tabs when you want to archive a group.
Auto-save: The context menu can enable automatic saving after pages load for the current tab, unpinned tabs, or all tabs. Use it selectively because it may create many files.

Keyboard shortcut and settings

The Firefox listing documents a customizable Ctrl+Shift+Y shortcut. Check Firefox’s extension keyboard-shortcut settings if the command conflicts with another extension or does not respond. When text is selected, the shortcut saves the selection; custom shortcut commands always save the entire page.

SingleFile offers settings for its save behavior and destination. If a save produces unexpected results, reset SingleFile’s options as a troubleshooting step, then retry on the page. Avoid changing many settings at once so you can identify which setting affects the result.

What SingleFile can and cannot save

SingleFile aims to make a page and its resources available in one HTML file, but the result is not a guaranteed, fully functional copy of the live site.

Mozilla-hosted pages: Browser security restrictions prevent saving pages hosted on addons.mozilla.org and some other Mozilla domains.
Canvas: Some pages do not allow SingleFile to save the image representation of canvas elements.
Video: A saved snapshot may not retain video content as a playable offline video.
Dynamic behavior: Server-backed features, scripts that expect a live origin, and content that appears only after interaction can behave differently in a local file.
Late-loaded content: Content that has not loaded before the save starts may be absent. Let the page finish loading and scroll through relevant areas before saving.

If preserving an interactive experience matters, keep the original URL as well as the archive. A saved page is best treated as a convenient offline snapshot, not a replacement for the live site.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	What to try
No file appears	The save is still processing, was canceled, or the file went to a different downloads folder.	Check Firefox’s downloads list, verify the configured Downloads folder, and wait for the operation to finish. Click the button again only if you intend to cancel.
The toolbar button is missing	The extension is installed but not pinned to the toolbar.	Open Firefox’s Extensions menu and pin SingleFile.
The shortcut does nothing or saves the wrong scope	The shortcut may conflict, may not be configured, or a selection changes its behavior.	Review Firefox’s extension shortcut settings. Remember that a text selection makes the documented shortcut save the selection; custom shortcut commands save the whole page.
Some images or sections are missing	They may be lazy-loaded, blocked by the page, or not yet present when the capture began.	Wait for loading to finish, scroll through the areas you need, then save again. Page scripts and browser security can still prevent some content from being captured.
The page is unavailable on a Mozilla domain	Firefox security restrictions block saving certain Mozilla-hosted pages.	SingleFile cannot bypass that browser restriction. Save content through a permitted method if the site provides one.
The saved canvas or video is incomplete	Canvas and video content may not have a usable static representation for the archive.	Keep a link to the original page or use a site-provided download or export if available.
A save issue persists across pages	An option, browser state, or another extension may interfere.	Reset SingleFile options, restart Firefox, and check for extension conflicts, changing one factor at a time.

Performance, reliability, and storage

Save time depends on the page and the amount of content it includes. Large pages with many images, frames, or embedded resources can take longer and produce larger HTML files. There is no source-supported universal processing-time or file-size figure, so allow the save to finish and check the actual file.

Wait for initial page loading and any important lazy-loaded sections before saving.
Save only the tabs you need when processing multiple pages; batch actions can generate many downloads.
Keep a backup of important archives. A single local HTML file is convenient, but it remains subject to ordinary disk loss and backup practices.
Use the optional cloud destination only if you want remote storage. Local saving does not depend on a cloud subscription.
For pages where exact fidelity matters, compare the saved file offline with the live page and retain the source URL because some browser-protected or interactive content may not be represented.

Or skip the browser setup

If your goal is a screenshot or PDF rather than a self-contained HTML archive, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. See the API documentation. For example, this cURL request saves a WebP screenshot:

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python:

import requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
    params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
    timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js:

const q = new URLSearchParams({
  access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
  url: 'https://stripe.com'
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot request failed: ${res.status}`);
await Bun.write('shot.webp', res);

ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers report the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. ScreenshotNeo returns image or PDF captures, while SingleFile’s output is a single HTML page for offline browsing.

FAQ

Does SingleFile save the page as PDF?

No. Its core output is a single HTML file. Use Firefox’s print-to-PDF workflow if you need a PDF document.

Can I save only part of a page?

Yes. Select the content and use SingleFile’s context-menu action for selected content.

Can I open a SingleFile archive without the extension installed?

The project documentation describes the single-file HTML output as viewable without the extension. It opens as a local HTML document in a browser.

Does saving locally require Google Drive or Dropbox?

No. Cloud destinations are optional. By default, the file goes to Firefox’s configured downloads folder.