Wikipedia Article Downloader: A Shortcut for Offline Reading
Sometimes the best utilities are the ones that do just one thing, quickly and well. That’s exactly what I had in mind when I built my Wikipedia Article Downloader Shortcut. It takes any Wikipedia link I throw at it and instantly saves a clean PDF of the article–perfect for offline reading, research, or archiving.
How It Works
I designed the Shortcut to be flexible. It accepts input either from the Share Sheet or directly from my clipboard. That means I can grab a link from Safari, Messages, or anywhere else and send it straight into the Shortcut without any extra steps.
Here’s the flow it follows once I trigger it:
Extract the URL – The Shortcut pulls out the link from whatever I share or copy.
Regex Matching – A quick regular expression finds the correct page identifier from the Wikipedia link, so it works even if the URL has extra junk in it.
Build the API Request – Wikipedia has a little-known REST API that can generate a PDF version of any article. The Shortcut automatically constructs that request.
Fetch the PDF – The API serves up the article as a PDF.
Save to Files – Finally, the Shortcut saves the PDF wherever I choose, ready to open in Books, Preview, or any other PDF app.
Why I Find It Useful
Wikipedia does have a “Download as PDF” feature, but it’s buried in the desktop site’s menus and isn’t very friendly on mobile. With this Shortcut, I can grab a clean PDF in just a couple of taps.
I use it most when I’m traveling and don’t want to rely on spotty internet access. It’s also handy when I’m doing research and want to keep a local archive of detailed articles.
Small Touches I Like
A few details make the Shortcut feel smooth in practice:
- Clipboard fallback – If I don’t run it from the Share Sheet, it automatically checks my clipboard for a valid link.
- Regex cleanup – It doesn’t assume Wikipedia URLs are always clean; it handles variations.
- Automation potential – I can imagine extending it by having the PDFs saved directly into a tagged folder in Files, or even synced into Obsidian or DEVONthink.
Final Thoughts
This Shortcut is a simple example of how I like to use automation: take a clunky process and reduce it to a single tap. By leaning on Wikipedia’s API, I get a smooth way to save articles for offline use.
I’ve already found myself reaching for it constantly, whether I’m archiving something interesting or putting together a reading list for later. If you rely on Wikipedia as much as I do, this little Shortcut makes it effortless to keep what you find.
Wikipedia Article DownloaderApps & Tools Used to Create this Shortcut
Jayson