404 to Archive

About

404 to Archive helps users recover from broken links by offering a safe, user-controlled path to archived versions of unavailable pages.

When you open a page that returns a clear failure status (such as 404, 410, 451, or common 5xx server errors), the extension provides a simple prompt to open the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine for that exact URL. It does not hijack browsing, does not inject ads, and does not attempt to “rewrite” the page. Its purpose is straightforward: reduce friction when important sources disappear.

This is especially useful for students, researchers, journalists, and anyone who works with citations or older web references. Instead of manually copying a dead link into archive tools, users can recover context in one step.

Key benefits:
- Detects unavailable top-level pages and offers archive lookup at the right moment.
- Keeps users in control with a clear, dismissible prompt.
- Avoids aggressive behavior: no forced redirects by default.
- Handles unstable pages responsibly, including 5xx responses, without overreacting.
- Includes optional settings for advanced users, including conservative soft-404 detection and domain-level exclusions.

Privacy and trust are central to the design:
- No analytics
- No telemetry
- No browsing history collection
- No data resale or profiling
- Only local settings are stored for user preferences

404 to Archive is built for reliability and predictability under Manifest V3, with conservative edge-case handling to prevent loops, false positives, and disruptive behavior. If you regularly encounter link rot, this extension provides a practical, low-noise recovery workflow that respects user intent.