This article introduces how to use Kiwix to download and read offline Wikipedia.
Reading offline files to acquire knowledge is not affected by network environment or network costs. Even without internet access, you can learn new knowledge anytime and anywhere, whether on a plane, at sea, or in the mountains.
Introduction
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is the world’s largest free content, openly edited, and multilingual online encyclopedia collaboration project. The project utilizes Wiki technology, allowing users worldwide, including you, to modify its content simply by using a web browser. Currently, Wikipedia has become the largest and most popular reference tool on the global network, recognized as one of the top ten most popular websites worldwide.
Kiwix
Kiwix is an offline content reader that can be used to access content such as Wikipedia.
The Kiwix reader can run on almost any device (including phones, computers, etc.). For end users, the experience is almost identical to using a regular browser, as the interface is nearly the same as browsing the original website, except without internet connectivity.
ZIM Files
The ZIM file format is a free archive format used to store Wiki content, such as Wikipedia, for offline browsing. The format highly compresses articles (.zim files are very small, making them easy to store on small, inexpensive devices), supports full-text search indexing, and local category and image management, similar to the functionality of the MediaWiki system. Unlike downloading the original Wikipedia XML database, the entire ZIM file can be easily indexed and read by programs like Kiwix.
Steps
- Download and Install Kiwix
- Download ZIM Files
- Open ZIM Files with Kiwix
Download and Install Kiwix
Please click this link to go to the download page: Download Kiwix Readers – Kiwix
It is recommended to install the desktop client first to download ZIM files.
(On Windows, Kiwix will use aria2 to accelerate downloads.)
Download ZIM Files
There are several ways to download: Download via Kiwix software; use a downloader or browser to download via direct link; use BT download.
Download ZIM Files from Kiwix
Open the Kiwix client, select Wikipedia to download,
There are three types:
- max includes all content
- no pic does not include pictures
- min the file occupies the least space
Choose the appropriate version to download based on your device’s remaining storage space and your needs.
Download ZIM Files from the Website
Open the website Index of /zim/wikipedia
Find wikipedia_zh_all (you can use your browser’s search function), which also comes in three types (see Download ZIM Files from Kiwix). Please download the latest appropriate version.
If the network speed is too slow, please consider using tools (download tools such as IDM, Xunlei, proxy servers, etc.).
You can also choose to download via BT (you need to use qbittorrent, Xunlei, etc.):
http://download.kiwix.org/zim/wikipedia_zh_all.zim.torrent
http://download.kiwix.org/zim/wikipedia_zh_all_nopic.zim.torrent
Open ZIM Files with Kiwix
Open the downloaded ZIM file.
References
ZIM (file format) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article was translated from Chinese to English by AI