4 Ways to Find Old Websites Using Archive Tools

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Use these free and easy sites to visit old webpages
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The internet has changed immensely over the years. For some, it can be hard to imagine what older websites even looked like. And yet, it is still possible to find dead websites that no longer exist! Whether you are simply curious, or want to revisit a specific webpage from long ago, this wikiHow article will teach you how to use various tools for surfing the internet of old.

Quick Steps

  1. Go to web.archive.org/ in a web browser.
  2. Enter a website URL or keyword in the Wayback Machine search bar.
  3. Select a year in the timeline at the top.
  4. Click a day in the calendar.
  5. Click one of the snapshots in the pop-up menu.
  6. View the website.
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Use The Wayback Machine

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/0d\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/0d\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Go to https://web.archive.org/ on your web browser. The Wayback Machine is a popular tool for archiving old websites , but anyone can also search its archives. Head to the site's URL to get started.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a8\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-2-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-2-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a8\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-2-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-2-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The search bar is centered towards the top of the page. You can either type in a specific URL or a few keywords relating to a site you are looking for.
    • The Wayback Machine doesn't quite support keyword searches like Google or Bing do. In other words, you should only search for specific sites on the Wayback Machine's search engine.
    • To conduct a broader search of the Wayback Machine, try doing a Google search using site: https://web.archive.org/ .
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  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/34\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/34\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":547,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Depending on your search, the Wayback Machine will yield different sites to choose from. Pick one to continue.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/16\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-4-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-4-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/16\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-4-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-4-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    There should be a bar graph atop your screen indicating the website's history. Scrub along the bar graph with your cursor to see the different dates, and click one to discover what that site looked like in the past. [1]
    • If you are searching for a specific site, click the year in the bar at the top, then click a day in the calendar you want to view the website. Days highlighted in blue or green are when a site capture was taken.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Using Oldweb.Today

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f0\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-5-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f0\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-5-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":545,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Go to https://oldweb.today/ in a web browser. Oldweb.today is a web archive site that mostly has the same content as the Internet Archive. However, it also emulates old web browsers, giving it some added nostalgia.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Use the drop-down below "Browser/Emulator" to select a web browser. You can select from various old web browsers, including NCSA Mosaic, Netscape, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and more. This will load the web browser interface in the main window.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/62\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-7-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-7-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/62\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-7-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-7-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can enter the URL in the bar below "URL" in the panel to the left, or you can enter it in the web browser address bar in the main window.
    • If your mouse cursor gets stuck in the browser window, press Esc to get out of it.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/bd\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-8-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-8-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/bd\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-8-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-8-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can enter a specific date or just the year you want to visit. Enter it in the bar below "Visit archives at" in the menu to the left.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/23\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-9-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-9-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/23\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-9-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-9-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's at the bottom of the panel on the left. This opens the website you enter using a snapshot taken from the date you entered.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Searching Google's Web Cache

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b7\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-10-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-10-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b7\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-10-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-10-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Open Google's main search page in a web browser. If a website just recently disappeared, you can search Google's Cache to see if it's still saved in the cache. This will only work with websites that were recently taken down. You probably won't be able to find 20-year-old websites using this method.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/19\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-11-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-11-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/19\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-11-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-11-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    By placing "cache:" in front of a website URL, you are instructing Google to search the web cache of the website.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/ee\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-12-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-12-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/ee\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-12-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-12-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This displays the cache version of the website.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Using Library of Congress

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/54\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-13-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-13-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/54\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-13-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-13-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Go to https://www.loc.gov/web-archives/ in a web browser. The Library of Congress Web Archive program seeks to preserve web content so that it will be available for researchers today and in the future. You can use the Library of Congress Web Archives pages to search for old websites.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8b\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-14-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-14-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8b\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-14-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-14-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The search bar is at the top of the page.
    • Make sure "Web Archives" is selected in the drop-down menu at the top.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/5e\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-15.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-15.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5e\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-15.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-15.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This takes you to the information page about the result.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c8\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-16.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-16.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c8\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-16.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-16.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's the blue bar in the image at the top of the page.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/92\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-17.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-17.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/92\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-17.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-17.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can click a year in the timeline at the top of the page.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-18.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-18.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-18.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-18.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Days that a capture was made are highlighted in blue in the calendar.
  7. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/4b\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-19.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-19.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/4b\/Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-19.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Old-Websites-That-No-Longer-Exist-Step-19.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This displays the website content.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://help.archive.org/help/using-the-wayback-machine/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Go to web.archive.org.
      2. Search for a website.
      3. Select a website.
      4. Select a date.

      Did this summary help you?
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