Focus Mode
Strip the web down to just the article. No sidebars, ads, or noise. Pure text, perfect margins, your pace.
Chrome Extension · Free for all
The web has too much noise.
Focus gives you
silenceclaritydepthunderstandingpresence.
Highlights, floating notes, a focus timer, and a reading queue — all persistent, all local. The web reading tool for people who actually read.
Add to Browser — Freeby The Arcaneum™ · 0.3 MB · No account needed
Features
Everything a serious reader needs. Nothing they don't.
Inline Highlights
Three color modes. Select any text, tap a color, done. Works on articles and PDFs.
Floating Notes
Drop notes exactly where they belong. Tether them to paragraphs with connector lines — like digital marginalia.
Focus Timer
Built-in Pomodoro timer. Set 5, 15, 25, 45, or 60 minute sessions without leaving the page.
Reading Queue
Save pages to read later from the popup. One click to open, one click to remove.
Persistent & Local
Everything stays in your browser. No account, no server, no accidental cloud wipe. Your data, your device.
How it works
Three steps. Then you're reading.
01
Open any article or PDF.
Navigate anywhere — Wikipedia, Gutenberg, a study guide, a research paper. Reader mode activates instantly.
Ctrl + Shift + X
02
Highlight, annotate, tag.
Select text to highlight in three colors. Drop floating note cards and keep a timer right on the page.
Notes anchor to text
03
Come back anytime.
Your highlights, notes, and reading context remain exactly where you left them. No account required.
Local-first storageWhy we built this
Most reading tools are built for productivity.
Arcaneum Focus is built for understanding.
Speed counters and streak dashboards treat knowledge like a quota. We built something quieter — a reading layer that gets out of the way and lets thought happen.
Testimonials
Built for people who actually read.
I use it to annotate research papers without leaving the browser. It replaced my old PDF workflow entirely.
AK
Anika K.
Graduate researcher
Focus mode is the only reason I finish long articles now. The web feels readable again.
MJ
Marcus J.
Writer
The note connector lines feel like real marginalia in a physical book. It is oddly satisfying.
PR
Priya R.
Literature student
I use it to annotate research papers without leaving the browser. It replaced my old PDF workflow entirely.
AK
Anika K.
Graduate researcher
Focus mode is the only reason I finish long articles now. The web feels readable again.
MJ
Marcus J.
Writer
The note connector lines feel like real marginalia in a physical book. It is oddly satisfying.
PR
Priya R.
Literature student
See it live
Real screenshots from the extension.
FAQ
Questions, answered quietly.
Yes. Arcaneum Focus is free and has no hidden limits. It's a product by The Arcaneum, created as a way of giving back to the readers and academic community.