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WinHTTrack it365 Toolbox

WinHTTrack Illustrated Guide

This guide explains in detail how to use the Windows GUI client (WinHTTrack) to download and back up websites step-by-step. WinHTTrack is an easy-to-use web crawler and web spider software for non-technical users and everyone.

01 Step 1

Initialize Project & Set Local Path

Launch the WinHTTrack software and click "Next" on the wizard welcome interface. Then you need to:

1. Enter a project name in New project name for easy management later.
2. Choose or enter a category in Project category (optional).
3. Select a local directory in Base path where the cloned website files will be saved.

💡 Tip: It is highly recommended to select an empty directory as the Base path for each cloned website to avoid assets overwriting or mixing up between different sites.
Create new project and set path
Project Initialization Interface
02 Step 2

Configure Mirroring Action & Enter Target URLs

In the next window, set the mirroring action and input URLs:

1. Choose the copying method in the Action dropdown. Typically, the default Download website(s) is selected.
2. Input the homepage URLs of the target sites in the Web Addresses (URL) text box (you can input multiple URLs on separate lines to clone them simultaneously).

🔑 Mirroring sites behind logins: If the target site requires authentication, click the Add URL button underneath the text box to configure username, password, or capture cookie info.
Enter URL and configure action
Action and URL Input Interface
03 Step 3

Configure Advanced Rules & Filters (Optional)

To prevent downloading unwanted huge files or external resources, click the Set options button to open advanced configuration:

1. Limits: Set maximum recursion depth (Max depth), maximum transfer size, or download rate limits.
2. Scan Rules: Use wildcard matching (e.g., -* to exclude all, +*.jpg to only download JPGs, or -*.zip to exclude ZIP files) to finely control download suffixes.

⚠️ Depth Limits Warning: "Max depth" represents the link redirection level to download. If left unrestricted, endless loop navigations might fill up your hard drive. A depth of 3 to 5 levels is generally recommended.
Configure filters and advanced rules
Filters and Scan Rules Interface
04 Step 4

Start the Website Mirroring Process

After completing all configurations, click "Next" until you reach the start confirmation interface. Click Finish to officially begin the cloning task.

The console will display download packet transfer statuses in real-time, showing requested URLs, current connection count, bytes downloaded, and estimated time remaining.

⏳ Pause & Terminate Operations: If you need to leave midway, click the Cancel button to safely pause or abort the task. WinHTTrack supports session resuming, allowing you to update or continue later.
Downloading in progress
Real-time Download Monitoring Interface
05 Step 5

Mirroring Completed, Browse Offline locally

Once the screen displays Mirror finished, the cloning task is complete. You can now browse the site without an internet connection:

1. Click the Browse Mirrored Website button directly inside the WinHTTrack interface.
2. Or open the local directory you set in Step 1 and double-click index.html to open it in your default browser.

🔗 Local Relative Link Reconstruction: HTTrack automatically reconstructs all absolute URLs into local relative links (e.g. converting http://example.com/about.html to about.html or ../../about.html) so navigation links work offline seamlessly.
Mirror finished
Task Finished Successfully Interface