safari reader view not printing images

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Safari Reader not printing images

When I select "Reader" in Safari (Mac OS 12.3.1) the webpage displays the text and graphics.

However, when I try to print/save this "Reader" file as a PDF, the text is fine but none of the graphics display.

I can print the webpage as a PDF when not using "Reader" mode.

When I turn on "Develop" in Safari, "Disable Images" is not selected.

I have also reset Safari and cleared the history.

Any thoughts? Thank you.

Posted on Apr 10, 2022 7:56 AM

Posted on Jun 10, 2022 10:54 PM

One more update, after some more analysis, it appears related to the image attribute

being set on the images, causing them not to load during print.

I could use "Inspect element" to remove that property from the img tag, then it could print ok in Safari too.

Update: here's another way, with a JS snippet to remove that attribute from all images on the page, e.g from the JS Console in developer tools:

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Jun 10, 2022 10:54 PM in response to davidwhthomas

May 8, 2022 8:23 AM in response to Nicholas_B2

None of these solutions work. I've also seen the same problem in the latest updates to Big Sur and Catalina, all using Safari 15.4. When you try to print to PDF in Reader View there are graphics placeholders but no images. The problem doesn't occur on all websites so it may not be an Apple problem but it's hard to tell.

Jun 11, 2022 6:43 AM in response to davidwhthomas

After spending several hours on the phone with Apple Tech Support, their Senior Analyst concluded there was a change introduced into Safari version 15.4 that causes this problem. Engineering will have to review the code. There is no projected schedule for any corrections. I have dropped back to Safari 15.3 (re-imaged my Mac to macOS 12.2.1) and use Edge (or Chrome) with the Print Friendly & PDF extension.

Jul 19, 2022 7:05 PM in response to ajmac25

The same happens in Safari for iOS 15.5 on my iPad Pro .

I research and save “reader view” rendered articles as PDFs into PDF Expert or Document by Readdle to read, review, mark up and retain for later reference.

I hate it when graphics, charts, pictures fail to carry across.

Very frustrating!

Apr 11, 2022 9:25 AM in response to ajmac25

Hi ajmac25.

Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities. Make sure these are the steps you are using in order to set up the PDF mode while using Reader: Print or create a PDF of a webpage in Safari on Mac

If you still see the same thing, start the Mac in safe mode and try printing from there to see if graphics no longer display: How to use safe mode on your Mac

Jun 10, 2022 10:25 PM in response to ajmac25

I had the same issue. The fix was to use Chrome reader mode instead, which includes and prints the images. PDF print also ok with images there. Reader mode needs to be enabled first by visiting chrome://flags and enabling "Reader" then it works in Chrome.

May 25, 2022 4:10 PM in response to Rick_B

A work around is to copy and paste the Reader View into Apple Notes and print that way - that printed all the images but also added some html info on images - cheers

Jun 11, 2022 2:46 PM in response to Rick_B

Yes. Coincidentally Safari 15.4 is when support for loading=lazy was added. https://caniuse.com/loading-lazy-attr

While it's a good feature, it sounds like it might need some tuning for print

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Safari Not Printing Images in Reader View

Thread starter Thread starter auntyj
Start date Start date Jul 2, 2022
Tags Tags ios 15 print reader safari
Jul 2, 2022

I’m using iOS 15.5 on an iPad Air 4. I use Reader view in Safari a lot when finding crochet patterns - I open print preview & then save to my PDF reader. This eliminates all the advertising & garbage on the page. Over the last month or so, images don’t show up in print view (or in the PDF when I save it) even though they display normally in Reader. It makes no difference if I’m on the desktop or mobile site. There’s a barrage of posts online about this problem on Macs, but nothing I can find for mobile devices. I also can’t find any other way to convert webpages to PDF anymore. I’m assuming this is an iOS 15 glitch, that probably came with one of the recent updates. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

I'm not familiar with this problem, and I can't think of any obvious ways to fix it beyond the usual ones of powering the iPad off/on, and/or clearing history in Safari. Those may or may not work, depending. What you might be able to do instead is take a screenshot. Immediately after taking a screenshot when in Safari, open the editor by tapping on the thumbnail that appears at the lower left of the screen. At the top of the editor you should see a Full Page options. Tapping this records the full page of the viewed website instead of just what is on the iPad's display. From there you can use the Share Sheet to print, save it to a file, or open it in a compatible app. In my experience the saved file results in a PDF instead of an image. This is typically how saving s file works in iOS/iPadOS when there is obvious text content. If you don't want it in the Photos app, just choose to delete the screenshot when closing the editor. After you've done what else you want with it, of course. You can also take the oportunity to crop or mark-up the screenshot, if that is useful.

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Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

Reader View Not Working on Safari? 8 Ways To Fix It

Reader View is a Safari feature that hides ads, navigation menus, and other distracting elements on a website. After you switch to Reader View, the website will only display necessary information (text and images) which enhances the interface and makes text easily readable. Unfortunately, several people are encountering issues with Reader View/Mode not working on their iPhones, iPads, or Macs. If you’re facing similar issues, here’s how to fix Reader View not working in Safari.

How To Fix Reader View Not Working in Safari

1. restart iphone or mac to fix reader view not working in safari.

A temporary bug or glitch might be responsible for Reader View not working in Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The quickest way to get rid of the temporary bug is to restart the device.

Time needed: 2 minutes

Steps to restart iPhone 8 and above

Restart iPhone 7, SE (3rd Gen) and below

Press and hold the Side button until the power-off slider appears.
Drag the power-off slider to turn off your iPhone.
After waiting a few minutes, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears on your screen.

Steps to Restart a Mac.

Click the Apple logo at the top right corner of the menu bar.

Unselect the checkbox to the left of the “Reopen windows when logging back in” option.

2. Force Quit and Relaunch Safari To Fix Reader View Not Working

Force Quitting any application stops all its activities right away. Relaunching the application will freshly start all the services from the ground up. Again, this process helps eliminate glitches, and force quitting Safari can help fix Reader View not working.

On iPhone and iPad

Open the Safari Browser and swipe up from the bottom or press the Home button .
Once on the Home Screen, swipe up and hold from the bottom or double-click the Home button until you see the recently used apps.
Swipe up on the Safari Browser to remove it from the recent list and force quit.
Restart your iPhone or iPad or ask Siri to restart your iPhone/iPad .
After your iPhone restarts, open the Safari Browser and check if the Reader View is working.

On Mac

Click on the Apple Logo in the Menu Bar at the top left corner.
Select the Force Quit option.
Select the Safari Browser from the list and click the Force Quit button at the bottom right.
Click Force Quit again in the popup window to confirm your selection.
Relaunch the Safari Browser and check if the Reader View is working properly.

3. Ensure the Website Supports Reader View

If you aren’t already aware, Reader View is not available on every website you visit. A website needs to have a certain amount of text to qualify for the Reader View option. Safari automatically detects this text and then displays the “Reader Available” message in the address bar.

Just glance through the website, and check if there’s enough text on it for it to qualify for the Reader View. We do not have any information about the minimum requirements for Reader View. However, Safari offers Reader View for most news websites, blogs, etc., and if the website has more text compared to images, tables, or any other elements, it should support Reader View.

4. Request Desktop Website on iPhone or iPad

If the Show Reader/Reader View option is grayed out in Safari, you can try switching to the Desktop website on your iPhone or iPad. It might be able to help resolve the Reader View not working issue on your iPhone or iPad.

Open Safari Browser on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap the AA icon at the bottom right corner of the Address Bar.
Select the Request Desktop Website option from the list.

Request Desktop Website in Safari and then Enable Reader View

After the page reloads and switches to the Desktop Site, you can tap on the AA icon and select the Show Reader option to switch to Reader View. Again, the Show Reader feature will only work if the issue is resolved.

5. Disable Low Power Mode To Fix Reader View Not Working in Safari

Low Power Mode reduces background activity. While the Reader View feature is not a background activity, Safari might not get access to much needed resources to process the website and offer the Reader View in Low Power Mode. We suggest disabling Low Power Mode to fix the Reader View not working on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Head to the Battery option.
Disable the Low Power Mode toggle.

Select the System Settings… option.
Click the Battery option in the sidebar.
Now, click the drop-down list beside the Low Power Mode.
Select the Never option.

6. Update Software To Fix Reader View Not Working in Safari

Another reason for Reader View not working can be a software bug within the Safari browser or the operating system. Moreover, there’s no way to individually update Safari as the browser is a part of the operating system. Therefore, you must update the system software which in turn will update Safari and might help resolve the Reader View not working issue on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Update iOS or iPadOS on iPhone or iPad

Open the Settings app on your iPhone/iPad and head to the General option.
Select the Software Update option.
Now, tap the Update Now or Install Now button. Please note that either of these options will only be available when a new version of iOS/iPadOS is available.
Enter your device’s passcode to continue.

Update iOS to the latest version To Fix Reader View Not Working in Safari

Update macOS on any Mac

Click the General option in the sidebar and then select the Software Update option located on the right side. Alternatively, if an update is available, you’ll see a Software Update Available notification under your Name/Apple ID at the top of the right sidebar.

Click the Update Now button to update macOS to the latest version

Then click the Agree button after you’ve read the terms to update macOS to the latest version.
Enter your Mac’s password and then click the OK button.

7. Reset All Settings on iPhone or iPad

Sometimes, we misconfigure settings by mistake. We aren’t aware of what we’ve changed, and it might be the reason Reader View isn’t working in the Safari browser. Luckily, you can Reset All Settings to their default configurations and this might help fix Reader View not working in Safari on iPhone or iPad.

Here, scroll down and select the Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad option.
On the next page, tap the Reset option.
Then select the Reset All Settings option.
Enter the device passcode to confirm your selection.
Tap the Reset All Settings option in the pop-up to confirm your selection.

Reset All Settings on iPhone To Fix Reader View Not Working in Safari

8. Contact Apple Support

One or the other step mentioned in this guide should be able to help fix Reader View/Mode not working on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. However, if the issue hasn’t been resolved yet, you should consider contacting Apple Support . They might know more about the issue and might be able to help fix Reader View not working.

In case you’re aware of any other effective methods to fix Reader View not working in Safari, please let us know in the comments below. It will help others who are facing a similar problem. Lastly, if you have any doubts, leave a comment below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.