Step Back in Time: Experience Your Favorite Old-School Websites Today!

Key Takeaways

• OldWeb.Today emulates old web browsers and operating systems for a nostalgic experience.
• Select your desired browser and operating system, input the URL, and choose a date to view retro websites.
• Be aware, websites may be slow to load and some images might be missing.

The web nowadays is much different than it was a few decades ago, for better and worse. While there might be a heavy dose of nostalgia talking, in my mind there’s something charming about the old internet. Website designs were more playful and there were many unique communities. Wouldn’t it be great to time hop back to then?

What Is OldWeb.Today?

The ability to browse old versions of websites isn’t new—the Internet Archive has done a stellar job at storing billions of web pages, making it a breeze to stroll down memory lane. But it doesn’t truly capture the authentic experience of turning on your Windows 98 computer, launching Internet Explorer, and typing in the web address.

That’s where OldWeb.Today comes in. It emulates operating systems and web browsers, and hooks in to the Internet Archive, so you can browse the old web closer to how it was originally. This all happens in your current browser, and you don’t need to download anything. It even supports Shockwave, Flash, and Java, depending on the browser you select.

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How to Browse Old Websites Authentically

To get started, head to OldWeb.Today and use the “Select a Browser” dropdown. This gives you a list of browsers and the associated operating system. For example, you could select Internet Explorer 6 running in Windows 98 or Netscape Navigator in macOS 7.5.5.

Never heard of Netscape Navigator? It’s one of the early popular web browsers and is nostalgic software for many.

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With the browser selected, it boots your chosen operating system in the main panel, complete with the start-up sound.

Next, type the full URL of the website you want to visit in the “URL” field. This should be the URL as it was in the year you want to travel back to, as a long-lasting website may have changed its URL over time.

Then, use the “Browse Archives At” field to select the date and time you want to view the website in. An archive may not exist at the exact point you select, but it’ll find the closest match.

Finally, click “Reload”. This reloads the main panel and slowly displays the website in the main pane—“slowly” being the key word here, since pulling from the archives isn’t as speedy as browsing a live website.

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With all that done, it’s time to explore the website. Scroll down, click links, and take a trip down memory lane. If you want to navigate to another website, you could use OldWeb.Today’s URL field, but try the browser’s address bar for a more realistic experience.

Some websites may not render totally accurately, often with some images missing. This is because the page hasn’t been fully archived. If this happens, try another date.

Remember, this is a browser emulator too, so have a play around with the browser’s toolbar and general functionality.

Dive Into Old Operating Systems

Once you’ve had your fun exploring the ancient web, be sure to close the web browser and roam around in the recreated operating system too. I had great fun opening up Windows 98 tools like Outlook Express and Paint, and watching the retro screensavers.

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It’s not an exact one for one replica (you can’t play minesweeper on Windows, for example), but it’s close enough that it’s bound to make you smile. Or, if you never experienced these operating systems originally, a chance to see what us oldies considered cutting edge.