What is Backdrop?
Backdrop is a web archiving and knowledge management tool that captures any webpage in four formats — HTML, PDF, screenshot, and readable text — then lets you annotate, tag, organize, and search everything you've saved. It turns the web into a permanent, personal library.
How it works
When you archive a webpage, Backdrop fetches the URL and captures it in up to four formats simultaneously. The HTML preserves the full page structure and interactivity. The screenshot documents the exact visual appearance. The PDF creates a print-ready document. The readable text extracts just the content — clean and ad-free.
Every format is independently stored and accessible. If one format fails (some pages block PDF generation, for example), the others are still available. You can choose which formats to capture per archive or use defaults.
Once archived, you can annotate the page — highlight text, add notes, and tag entities like people, organizations, places, and topics. Archives can be organized into collections, shared publicly or kept private, and searched by full-text content.
The four capture formats
Every page you archive is captured in four independent formats simultaneously. This means no single point of failure — if one format ever becomes obsolete or inaccessible, your content survives in the others.
HTML
Full fidelity DOM snapshot. The complete page with layout, styling, and interactive elements preserved as-is. Opens in any browser exactly as it was when captured.
Print-quality document with searchable text, embedded fonts, and metadata. Ready for sharing, printing, or attaching to emails and formal submissions.
Screenshot
High-resolution full-page visual capture. Documents the exact visual appearance of the page — every image, layout decision, and design element preserved as pixels.
Readable text
Clean, ad-free text extraction powered by Readability. Removes navigation, sidebars, and clutter. Perfect for distraction-free reading and copying quotes.
Annotation & knowledge tools
Archiving is just the beginning. Backdrop turns saved pages into an interactive knowledge base that grows more valuable over time.
Text highlights
Select any text on an archived page and highlight it in one of four colors. Highlights are persistent — they survive page reloads and are searchable across your entire archive.
Notes & annotations
Attach notes to any highlight or to the archive itself. Notes are searchable and travel with the content, not in a separate document.
Entity tagging
Tag people, places, organizations, and topics directly on archived pages. Entity tags create a knowledge graph across all your archives — find every page mentioning a specific person or concept instantly.
AI chat
Ask questions about your archived content using AI. Surface insights across pages without re-reading. AI works within your archive — your data stays private.
Organization & discovery
Content is useless if you can't find it. Backdrop gives you multiple ways to organize, browse, and discover your archives.
Collections
Group archives into named collections — by project, topic, client, or anything else. Collections can be private or public with a unique shareable URL.
Full-text search
Every word of every archived page is indexed and searchable. Search finds content inside archives, PDFs, annotations, and notes — not just titles and URLs.
Media library
Upload and manage images, videos, audio files, documents, and PDFs alongside your web archives. All files are searchable and organizable into collections.
Analytics
Track your archiving activity over time. See how many pages you've captured, which formats you use most, and how your knowledge base is growing.
Browser extension
The Backdrop browser extension brings archiving, annotation, and entity tagging directly into your browsing workflow — no tab-switching required.
One-click archiving
Click the Backdrop icon to archive the page you're viewing. Captures from the live DOM, bypassing server-side protections and paywalls.
In-browser annotation
Select text on any page to highlight it or tag it as an entity — without leaving the page. Annotations sync to your account automatically.
Screenshot capture
Capture full-page or visible-area screenshots directly from your browser. Annotate screenshots with ovals and notes.
Cross-browser
Available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Opera. Your archives sync across browsers — save on one, access from any.
Who it's for
Ready to start archiving?
Free to start. No credit card required. Capture your first pages and build a knowledge base that lasts.