Save snippets of text from a web page to a file anywhere on the computer.
Instructions and video of installation are available here.
The extension works in two modes:
- Browser-only mode — No extra software needed. Text is saved via the Firefox download API. Limited to overwrite or uniquify conflict actions; no custom save directory.
- Native app mode — Requires the Python host app to be installed (instructions). Unlocks append mode, custom save directory, and directory selection dialog.
Open the options page via the Firefox Extensions menu → Save Text to File → Preferences.
- Application found — Read-only checkbox indicating whether the native host app is detected.
- Test application connection — Click to probe the native app. If found, unlocks append mode, directory settings, and shows the app version and path.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Filename component order | Order of the three filename parts: date, custom text, and page title. |
| Filename custom text | Static text included in every filename (default: save-text-to-file--). |
| Add date or epoch to filename | Date format to include: Epoch (Unix timestamp), DD-MM-YYYY, MM-DD-YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, YYYY-DD-MM, or None. |
| Prefix filename with page title | When checked, the current page's title is included in the filename. |
| Filename component separator | Character(s) placed between filename parts (default: -). |
| File type | Extension for the saved file: .txt, .csv, .md, or .data. |
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Include URL in file | When checked, the URL of the current tab is prepended to the saved text. |
| Template text | Static text added to every save alongside the selected text. |
| Position of template text | Whether the template appears before or after the selected text. |
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Default directory | Absolute path where files are saved (requires native app). Example: /home/user/notes or C:\Users\User\notes. |
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Show directory selection dialog | When checked, a folder picker dialog appears before each save (requires native app). |
| Show notifications | When checked, a desktop notification is shown after each save. |
| If file exists | What to do when the target filename already exists: Overwrite (replace), Uniquify (add a unique suffix — browser-only mode), or Append (add to the end of the file — requires native app). |
| No blank lines between appended entries | When checked and If file exists is set to Append, each entry is separated by a single newline with surrounding whitespace stripped. When unchecked, two newlines are added between entries. |
Select text on any web page, right-click, and choose Save Text to File.
A keyboard shortcut can be configured in Firefox under Manage Extension Shortcuts (about:addons → gear icon). The default command is save-text-to-file.
To build up a list of words or phrases in one persistent file with no blank lines between entries:
- Open the extension options page.
- Click Test application connection — the native app must be installed and detected.
- Set Add date or epoch to filename to None.
- Uncheck Prefix filename with page title.
- Set Filename custom text to your desired filename, e.g.
words-to-learn. - Set If file exists to Append.
- Check No blank lines between appended entries.
- Set Default directory to the folder where you want the file saved.
- Click Save.
Every selection will now be appended to words-to-learn.txt, one entry per line.