Build Your First Readwise Reading Loop

Save, annotate, tag, and export insights from web articles with Readwise.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Useful ideas disappear when saved articles pile up faster than you revisit them. A bookmark remembers the page while your reason for saving it fades.

In this project, you will turn one web article into a reusable insight with Readwise Reader. You will use a capture-review-integrate workflow to carry that idea from a saved page to a tagged Markdown export.

What You'll Build

Your finished reading loop turns one passage into a tagged insight that you can retrieve in Readwise or open as a Markdown file on your computer.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A save-to-Reader workflow that moves a web article from Google Chrome into your Reader Inbox. You can open the saved article in a clean reading view.
An annotated highlight that preserves a useful passage with your own explanation.
Topic-based retrieval through the reading-workflow tag. You can confirm the sync in Readwise before downloading the annotation as a Markdown file.
Secret Mission: A two-article topic collection that brings highlights from both sources into one reading-workflow tag view.

Are there any prerequisites?

You'll need a macOS or Windows computer with Google Chrome plus access to an email address. The project guides you through account creation before installing the official Readwise Highlighter during the 30-day free trial.

Before We Start

A reading system becomes useful when you decide what you want to remember before you start collecting articles. This checkpoint helps you choose the kind of idea you want Readwise to turn into a retrievable insight.

Set Up Readwise and Chrome

Your reading loop needs one identity shared by Readwise and Readwise Reader. Without that account, Reader has nowhere to sync your saved articles or annotations.

The official Readwise Highlighter connects pages in Google Chrome to that account. Together, these tools create the foundation for your first retrievable insight.

In this step, get ready to:

Activate your 30-day Readwise trial.
Prepare the official Readwise Highlighter in Chrome.
Load Reader with your shared Readwise account.

Start your Readwise trial

Your Readwise account stores the library that Reader uses. The same account also carries your annotations between both products.

What Does the Trial Cost?

Starting a trial can feel like a billing commitment. Readwise requires no card upfront.

The first 30 days cost $0. Readwise only charges you if you choose to subscribe.

Readwise has no free plan after the trial. Continuing beyond 30 days requires a subscription.

Your password belongs only in the Readwise account form. Keep it out of screenshots or project notes.

Visit the Readwise pricing page in Google Chrome.
Select GET STARTED FOR FREE.
Enter your first name.
Enter your email address.
Create a private password in the password field.
Submit the account form to start your 30-day free trial.

Good progress. Once your signed-in Readwise account page loads, your trial is active without an upfront payment.

Install and pin Readwise Highlighter

The Chrome Web Store contains an official extension plus a separate community-made option. The official listing is published by READWISE, INC.

Choose the Official Extension

The separate Readwise Highlighter (Community) extension is not part of this setup. An extension that asks for an API token is community-made.

Chrome may show a permission request before installing the extension. Approving that request completes the browser installation.

Visit the official Chrome Web Store listing.
Confirm the listing title is Readwise Highlighter.
Confirm the developer is READWISE, INC..
Select Add to Chrome.
Approve Chrome's installation request if it appears.

Chrome installs the extension into its extensions menu. New extensions can be easy to miss because Chrome may keep them out of the toolbar.

Select the puzzle-piece icon in Chrome's browser toolbar.
Find Readwise Highlighter in the extensions menu.
Select the pin icon beside Readwise Highlighter.

The Readwise Highlighter icon now stays visible in the browser toolbar. You can reach the save action without reopening the extensions menu.

Extension Not Visible?

Confirm that the Chrome Web Store listing names READWISE, INC. as the developer.
Select the pin beside Readwise Highlighter again if the icon remains inside the extensions menu.
Close any extension that asks for an API token because it is community-made.

Help me check why the official Readwise Highlighter is not visible in Chrome.

Sign in to Readwise Reader

Reader uses the same authentication as Readwise. Signing in with the account you just created keeps your future saved articles under one identity.

Visit the Reader web app in Google Chrome.
Enter your Readwise email address if a sign-in form appears.
Enter your Readwise password if the form requests it.
Submit the sign-in form.

Before the final check, do you think the shared account is ready for Reader to load correctly?

Refresh the Reader page.
Check the browser toolbar for the pinned Readwise Highlighter icon.

You'll see your Reader Library loaded at https://read.readwise.io/. The pinned Readwise Highlighter icon remains visible in Chrome's browser toolbar.

Reader Library Not Loading?

Confirm that the browser address is https://read.readwise.io/.
Use the same email address that you entered on the Readwise account form.
Refresh the page after completing the sign-in form.

Help me troubleshoot why my Readwise Reader Library is not loading.

Your Readwise account, Reader Library, and Chrome extension are ready. Next, you'll use this setup to save your first article into Reader.

Save Your First Article

Your Readwise account and browser extension are connected. You can now use them together to move an article from the web into Reader.

A reading loop starts with an article worth returning to. You'll save one practice article to the Inbox in Readwise Reader, then confirm its clean copy is ready for highlighting.

In this step, get ready to:

Open the official practice article in Google Chrome.
Save the article to your Reader Inbox with the pinned Readwise Highlighter.
Confirm the clean copy opens in Reader before you add a highlight.

Open the practice article

The practice article introduces the Capture, Review, and Integrate workflow that guides the rest of this project.

In Google Chrome, open How to Actually Use What You Read with Readwise from the official Readwise blog.

You'll see How to Actually Use What You Read with Readwise at the top of the page. This title confirms that you opened the correct article.

Why Start With a Web Article?

Starting with one web article keeps every stage of the reading loop visible. You can follow the same document from capture through retrieval.

Importing existing ebook highlights adds another reading service to the setup. A web article lets you focus on active reading first.

Save the article to Reader

A read-it-later inbox gives incoming articles one place to land. Reader creates a clean copy when you save this page.

In the Google Chrome toolbar, click the pinned Readwise Highlighter icon.

The extension confirms that the article was saved to Reader. That message proves the article reached your Inbox.

What Did Saving Create?

The extension sends the article to the Inbox connected to your Readwise account. Reader prepares a clean version for reading inside your Library.

That save worked. Your Reader Inbox now contains a clean copy you can open and annotate.

Article Not Saving?

Reload the practice article if the extension does not confirm the save.
Click the Readwise Highlighter icon again after the page reloads.
Open Reader to confirm that you are signed in with the same Readwise account.

Help me check why the article is not saving.

Open and review the clean copy

Reader's clean reading view removes visual clutter from the source page. This gives the article a focused space for reading.

Before you open the saved copy, what do you expect to change about the article's page layout?

Select Open in Reader from the extension.

You'll see the same article title inside Reader with a simplified reading layout. This confirms that Reader opened the saved copy from your Inbox.

Read the Capture section.
Read the Review section.
Read the Integrate section.
Leave the article unhighlighted for the next step.

You should now see the article title and body in Reader's clean view with no highlights added. This confirms that the document is ready for the next step.

Saved Article Not Opening?

Return to the extension panel to confirm that the article finished saving.
Select the article title directly from your Reader Inbox.
Refresh Reader if the article page stays blank.

Help me open my saved article in Reader.

Your article is saved, open, and ready for annotation. Next, you'll capture one useful passage and see exactly what Readwise preserves.

Capture a Bare Highlight

Your article is already open in Readwise Reader. Your reading loop now has a real source.

Saving the article does not preserve which passage mattered to you.

A bare highlight records the source's words. This step tests how much context survives.

In this step, get ready to:

Choose one useful paragraph from the article.
Highlight the paragraph with the H keyboard shortcut.
Inspect what the bare highlight preserves in the Notebook tab.

Highlight one useful paragraph

Reader moves keyboard focus through the article one paragraph at a time. The focused paragraph becomes the target for the highlight shortcut.

Click once inside the article text to give the reading view keyboard focus.
Press the up or down arrow key to move through the paragraphs.
Stop when Reader focuses a paragraph that supports your reading goal.
Press H to highlight the focused paragraph.

You have captured your first passage. The words that mattered now stand out in the reading view.

Highlight Not Appearing?

Click inside the article text before using the keyboard shortcut.
Use the up or down arrow key until Reader focuses the paragraph.
Press H once after the paragraph is focused.

Help me troubleshoot the Reader highlight shortcut.

Inspect the bare highlight

The Notebook tab collects the current document's highlights and notes. It shows exactly what your first capture contains.

Before you open the Notebook tab, do you think the highlighted words alone can preserve why the passage mattered to you?

Select the Notebook tab in the right sidebar.

You'll see one highlighted passage in the Notebook tab. No personal note appears beside it.

The highlight also has no highlight tag. This is the intended shortfall.

The passage survived. Your reason did not.

What Did the Bare Highlight Capture?

A highlight preserves the source's exact words. This gives you a precise passage to revisit.

The missing personal context makes the passage harder to interpret later. The missing topic label also leaves it without a clear retrieval path.

That experiment gives you a clear baseline. Next, you'll turn the captured passage into an insight your future self can understand.

Add Context and a Tag

You have the first capture in place: your selected passage now stands out in Readwise Reader.

A bare highlight still loses your reason for choosing it. In this step, you'll add a personal note plus a highlight tag to make the passage reusable.

In this step, get ready to:

Add a one-sentence personal note to your selected highlight.
Apply the reusable tag reading-workflow.
Confirm that the note plus tag belong to the highlight.

Add your personal context

Your highlight preserves the author's words. A note captures why those words matter to you.

Return to the article's Notebook tab from earlier.
Select your highlighted passage.
Press N.
Write one sentence explaining why the passage matters to you.
Press Enter to save the note.

Your sentence now sits with the passage in the Notebook. You have preserved the reason this idea earned your attention.

Apply a reusable highlight tag

Reader keeps document tags separate from highlight tags. Applying reading-workflow to the selected passage keeps your organization at the highlight level.

Select your highlighted passage again in the Notebook tab.
Press T.
Enter reading-workflow.
Press Enter to apply the tag.

You have turned one isolated passage into the start of a topic collection. The reading-workflow label now appears with the highlighted passage.

Verify the complete annotation

The Notebook shows whether your context sits at the correct level. This check prevents a document tag from being mistaken for a highlight tag.

Before you inspect it, where do you expect the note plus tag to appear?

Locate your highlighted passage in the Notebook tab.

You'll see your one-sentence note plus reading-workflow displayed with the passage. Their placement confirms that both annotations belong to the highlight instead of the whole document.

Missing the note or tag?

Select the highlighted passage before pressing N or T.
Press Enter after typing each value.

Help me diagnose a missing Reader note or highlight tag.

Your passage now carries your reasoning plus a reusable topic label. Next, you'll verify that this insight can be retrieved outside the article.

Verify Sync and Export

Your highlighted passage in Readwise Reader now carries a personal note plus the reading-workflow tag. That context turns the passage into an insight you can recognize later.

A reading system becomes trustworthy when you can prove that cross-product sync moved your annotation into Readwise.

Tag retrieval lets you find the insight without reopening the article. A Markdown export keeps a portable copy on your computer.

In this step, get ready to:

Verify that your Reader annotation synced into Readwise.
Retrieve your insight through its highlight tag.
Download the tagged highlight as a Markdown file.

Verify the synced annotation in Readwise

Reader sends each highlight into your shared Readwise account. Confirming the annotation there proves that your reading system can carry an insight between the two products.

Open a new tab in Google Chrome by clicking the New tab button in the tab bar.
Open the Readwise dashboard in the new tab.
Sign in with the same Readwise account if you are prompted.
Click Browse in the Readwise navigation.
Select Everything to display all source documents.

Before you open the article, do you expect your Reader annotation to appear in this separate Readwise view?

Find How to Actually Use What You Read with Readwise in the source list.
Select the article title to open its synced annotations.

You should see your highlighted passage inside the Readwise article.

Your saved note should appear with that passage. The reading-workflow tag should also be visible.

Missing the Synced Annotation?

Confirm that the email shown in Readwise matches the account you used in Reader.
Refresh the Everything view to request the latest synced content.

Help me find my missing Reader annotation in Readwise.

Retrieve the insight by tag

A highlight tag gives you a topic-based route back to an idea. Its tag view groups matching highlights under their parent documents.

Return to the Reader tab from earlier.
Select Manage Tags in Reader.
Select the Highlights tab.

Before you open the tag, which parent article title do you expect to see above the matching highlight?

Select the reading-workflow highlight tag.

You should see your insight grouped under How to Actually Use What You Read with Readwise.

You have now retrieved the highlighted passage by topic without reopening the original reading view.

Download the Markdown export

The tagged-highlight view can download your notes plus highlights as a Markdown file. This gives your insight a portable home outside Reader.

Click the top-right ... menu in the tagged-highlight view.
Select Download annotations.

Chrome saves the Markdown export to your Downloads folder.

Before you open the exported file, do you expect it to preserve the passage from your tag view?

macOS

Press Cmd+Space to open Spotlight.
Type Finder into the search field.
Press Enter to open Finder.
Select Downloads in the Finder sidebar.
Open reading-workflow-annotations.md.

Windows

Press the Windows key to open Windows Search.
Type File Explorer into the search field.
Press Enter to open File Explorer.
Select Downloads in the left navigation pane.
Open reading-workflow-annotations.md.

You should see the highlighted passage from How to Actually Use What You Read with Readwise inside the Markdown file.

You closed the full reading loop. Your tagged insight now has a portable copy on your computer.

Cannot Find the Export?

Check Chrome's recent downloads list for the Markdown export.
Return to the reading-workflow tag view if the exported file does not contain your passage.
Repeat Download annotations after confirming the correct tag view is open.

Help me troubleshoot my missing or incomplete Readwise Markdown export.

Secret mission

Build a Two-Article Topic Collection

Your first tagged highlight proves one article can become a retrievable insight. Add Part 2 to the same reading-workflow topic. One tag view will then bring both sources together.

Clean Up Your Resources

Your Readwise trial costs $0. You only face an ongoing charge if you choose a paid subscription.

Cost warning

The 30-day trial needs no card upfront. Readwise does not charge you unless you choose to subscribe.

There is no permanent free plan after the trial. A paid subscription auto-renews according to its selected billing cycle.

Resources you used:

The saved Readwise Reader document titled "How to Actually Use What You Read with Readwise" with its annotated reading-workflow highlight.
The saved Reader document titled "Reading Workflow Part 2" with its annotated reading-workflow highlight.
The official Readwise Highlighter extension installed in Google Chrome.
The local Markdown export at Downloads/reading-workflow-annotations.md.

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you want to keep using your reading loop during the remaining trial.

Both annotated articles stay grouped under the reading-workflow highlight tag.
Your Markdown export remains available in your computer's Downloads folder.
Readwise Highlighter remains ready to save more articles from Chrome.
Choose a paid subscription only if the workflow remains valuable to you.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

There are no running project processes to shut down. Choose this option if you want to step away without removing your work.

Stop saving new content to Reader.
Keep reading-workflow-annotations.md in your Downloads folder.
Leave Readwise Highlighter installed but unused.
Avoid choosing a paid subscription if you do not want an ongoing charge.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove the project content from Reader. You can also remove the browser extension and local export.

Export Before You Delete

Deleting both Reader documents removes the project copies you built. Emptying the Trash on macOS or the Recycle Bin on Windows permanently removes the Markdown export from your computer.

Your two Reader documents contain the online highlights from this project. Delete each document through its own actions menu.

Return to the Reader Library from earlier.
Open "How to Actually Use What You Read with Readwise" from your Inbox.
Select More actions (...).
Select Delete document.
Open "Reading Workflow Part 2" from your Inbox.
Select More actions (...).
Select Delete document.

That clears the online reading content from this project. You should no longer see either article in your Reader Inbox.

Readwise Highlighter is installed separately in Chrome. Removing it clears the project extension from your browser.

Right-click the pinned Readwise Highlighter icon in Chrome's toolbar.
Choose Chrome's option to remove the extension.
Confirm the removal when Chrome prompts you.

Good, Chrome is back to its pre-project state. The pinned Readwise Highlighter icon should no longer appear.

The Markdown export is the only local project artifact. Remove it from your Downloads folder if you no longer want a portable copy.

macOS

Press Cmd+Space to open Spotlight.
Type Finder into the search field.
Press Enter to open Finder.
Select Downloads in the Finder sidebar.
Select reading-workflow-annotations.md.
Press Cmd+Delete to move the selected file to the Trash.

The file is now in the Trash. You can restore it until you complete the next actions.

Click the Trash icon in the Dock.
Control-click reading-workflow-annotations.md.
Select Delete Immediately.
Select Delete in the confirmation message.

Windows

Press the Windows key to open Windows Search.
Type File Explorer into the search field.
Press Enter to open File Explorer.
Select Downloads in the left navigation pane.
Select reading-workflow-annotations.md.
Press Delete to move the selected file to the Recycle Bin.

The file is now in the Recycle Bin. Emptying it permanently removes every file currently stored there.

Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.
Select Empty Recycle Bin.
Confirm the action when Windows prompts you.

You have now removed the last local project artifact. Your Downloads folder should no longer list reading-workflow-annotations.md.

Your trial required no card upfront. Cancellation only applies if you chose a paid subscription.

Return to Account Preferences if you chose a paid subscription.
Use the cancellation option to stop the subscription from renewing.
Follow Readwise's confirmation prompts.

Nice Work!

Fantastic work! Your Readwise Reader workflow now turns web articles into retrievable insights.

What you learned:

Used the official Readwise Highlighter to save a real article from Google Chrome into Reader's clean reading view.
Turned a bare highlight into a reusable insight with a personal note. Applied the reading-workflow highlight tag so the idea is searchable.
Verified the annotation in Readwise through cross-product sync. Retrieved it by topic before exporting a portable Markdown copy.
Secret Mission: Expanded the reading-workflow tag into a two-article topic collection that groups annotated insights under both source titles.

Ready to quiz yourself?