On May 8, 2025, Wikimedia Ukraine hosted an engaging and practical webinar titled “How to Use Wikipedia Offline”, led by Kate Kifa, a seasoned Wikipedia editor and international PR expert, and supported by Joshua Salazar, an experienced Wikimedian from Ecuador and PhD student.
This webinar brought together Wikimedians, educators, students, and volunteers from around the globe to explore how open knowledge can thrive even without a stable internet connection.
📌Why does offline access matter?
The need for offline access to Wikipedia is more than a technical challenge — it’s a social imperative. Whether it’s power outages, censorship, costly mobile data, or simply living in underserved regions, millions face barriers to digital knowledge. Offline solutions empower:
- Remote and rural schools
- Disaster and crisis responders
- Volunteers, travelers, and researchers
- Students in low-connectivity or censored environments
As Kate reminded us: “Access to knowledge should not be determined by bandwidth.”
📌Meet Kiwix: your offline Wikipedia companion
At the heart of the webinar was Kiwix, a free, open-source app that allows users to browse entire Wikimedia projects without the internet. Participants learned how to:
- Download the Kiwix app (desktop, mobile, Raspberry Pi)
- Choose ZIM files – compressed Wikipedia snapshots, available in full (~90GB), lite (~20GB), or thematic versions (WikiMed, Climate, etc.)
- Access articles offline, anywhere, anytime
Bonus: Kiwix also supports local server hosting to share content over closed networks, making it ideal for classrooms, ships, and prisons.
Not everyone needs the whole of Wikipedia. For those with limited storage or specific needs, Kate demonstrated how to download individual pages as PDFs on desktop, and use the official Wikipedia app for offline reading on Android and iOS.
These solutions are lightweight and ideal for quick reference or research on the go.
💻OfflinePedia project
Joshua Salazar, an Ecuadorian physicist and free software activist, shared his journey with the OfflinePedia project. Recognizing the challenges faced by rural communities in accessing the internet, Joshua and his team at Yachay Tech University devised an innovative solution: converting old CRT televisions into low-cost computers equipped with academic content.
By integrating Raspberry Pi devices with Kiwix software, these repurposed TVs became gateways to a wealth of knowledge, including Wikipedia, Project Gutenberg books, and educational simulations. This initiative not only addressed the digital divide but also tackled electronic waste by giving obsolete devices a new purpose.
Joshua’s efforts have brought offline Wikipedia access to several rural areas in Ecuador, benefiting hundreds of individuals who previously had limited or no access to such resources.
📌Inspiring global use cases
The webinar highlighted how communities across the globe are embracing Kiwix to bridge the digital divide:
- Africa. From Nigeria to Tanzania, Kiwix4Schools and the Afripedia Project empower teachers and students.
- Ecuador. The OfflinePedia initiative turns old electronics into knowledge machines, reaching numerous underserved communities.
- Prisons, ships, and Antarctica. Even where freedom is restricted or connectivity is nonexistent, Kiwix brings Wikipedia to life.
At the end of the webinar, we had an open and productive discussion, with participants exchanging experiences and ideas — leaving plenty of food for thought and inspiring future Wiki collaborations on this relevant topic.
If you missed the webinar, feel free to check the recording, and we are open for more discussions!
Presentation from the webinar on Wikimedia Commons.
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