Why Do Websites Blur Content?
Websites blurring text is a common practice to keep their content exclusive to members and paying subscribers. Not all websites that do this require you to pay for a subscription to read the content they blur. Some just want you to drop your email address or sign up for a free membership or a free trial. Others also allow you to browse a limited amount of content before the paywall comes up.
How to Unblur Text on a Website
If you need a bit more time or a little more sample content to make up your mind before you commit to a sign-up or paid subscription, it’s handy if you know how to preview hidden text. Keep in mind that the methods below aren’t guaranteed to work on all websites. Also, they should be used only to evaluate if a membership or subscription is necessary. We do not condone bypassing any paywall that supports journalism. If you don’t want to use your email address to create an account, we recommend using a disposable email address or a service like BugMeNot.
1. Use Google Translate as a Proxy to View Hidden Text
Google Translate is a viable tool for unblurring text on a web page. Use it to view the full and translated version of a web page with blurred content. Here’s how: You should be directed to a new tab containing an unblurred version of the web page.
2. View a Snapshot on Internet Archive
Internet Archive‘s WayBack Machine is a free-for-all tool where anyone can save and look up versions of web pages. The tool also crawls the web and archives cached pages. Use it to look up saved versions of a paywalled article if any are available. You should be directed to the archived version you selected, where you can see the blurred content.
3. Open the Page From Google Search
Some websites offering premium content to subscribers allow non-paying visitors to view the full content of the link they clicked on from Google Search results to boost their traffic. However, if you use this method, you’re only allowed to view the content of the page URL you clicked, and when you go deeper into the website, you’ll meet a paywall. Here’s how bypass this restriction: For more accurate search results, type the website name at the end or beginning of your query. The entire page should now be available for viewing.
4. View Blurred Content With Inspect Element
The Inspect or Inspect Element tool is available in all desktop web browsers. Just right-click on the page you want to inspect, and you should see either “Inspect” or “Inspect Element” in the right-click menu. Using the Inspect tool, you can view and edit a website’s source code, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and media files. Any change you make is visible in real time on the page you’re “inspecting.” This feature allows you to unblur text on some websites. Here’s how to use it: This action works on the blurred content behind the blocker and makes it viewable.
A Few Things to Note
In some browsers, the Inspect tool may not be visible if you haven’t enabled the use of developer tools first. Look for a “Develop” menu or similar to check if these tools are active. Also, the names for the blocker and blurred content elements on the page differ from website to website. The style attribute may not always show up as “overflow.” It may appear as “visibility: hidden,” “filter:blur,” or something else. You’ll need a bit of trial and error to locate the relevant bits of code you need to modify or delete. If you mess up, refresh the page to start over.
5. Switch to Reader Mode
Most modern browses offer a “reader” mode that removes web page clutter like ads and other distractions. It’s called Reader Mode in Chrome and Reader View in Firefox and Safari. This mode allows you to view blurred or paywalled content on some websites. It’s an optional feature in certain browsers, so you’ll need to enable it before you can use it to unblur text. To enable Reader Mode on Google Chrome: After the relaunch, you should see the Reader Mode icon in the address bar. Now, go to the web page with the blurred content you want to see and click on the Reader Mode icon. It should switch to an unblurred and distraction-free version of the page. Image credit: Sean MacEntee via Flickr
