Speedreader removes unnecessary elements from pages it recognizes as articles and displays them in a simplified format. It is similar to “reader modes” that come shipped in other browsers, with a few key differences. The main difference being that, unlike most “reader-mode” features, Brave Speedreader modifies the page content before the page is loaded, rather than after, which saves you data and provides faster load times.

Default reader mode

In Brave, the browser will detect whether or not a page can be distilled (simplified) while browsing. If it can, you will see the default “reader mode” icon located in the address bar:

When clicked, the icon will turn blue and the page you’re currently reading will be reloaded in a simplified format:

Speedreader mode

By default Speedreader mode is disabled in Settings. When you initially click the reader mode icon, you will be prompted (up to three times per browser profile) to enable Speedreader mode. Note that this is optional and if not enabled, the browser will continue with the default reader mode behavior, as shown above.

When Speedreader is enabled, the icon will change:

Note that when Speedreader is enabled, any site that can be distilled will be distilled automatically. To toggle between the original version of the page and the distilled version, simply click the icon again, and toggle Speedreader “off” for the site:

Enable/Disable the Speedreader in Settings

To turn the Speedreader feature on/off; launch Brave, go to Menu → Settings → Appearance (brave://settings/appearance) and toggle the Speedreader option: