Unblur Scribd document pages for non-paid members. Contribute to ayltai/Hack-Scribd-Unblurer development by creating an account on GitHub.
In this article we will be seeing how to download PDF documents from Scribd without having an account, paying or uploading documents. Scribd is considered to be one of the best place of resource containing valuable documents and files covering almost all fields. It allows user to view documents online with the need of any account. But at times you might prefer to download docs for later or offline access.
It does provides you an option of downloading files in PDF format but with some restrictions like you need to have an account to login or should connect via Facebook,then to download the file you should either pay subscription fee or upload some document. Previously you can by pass this restriction by printing files using virtual PDF printer and saving it to your disk. But now Scribd changed the way in which you can print, as of now you have to download the document to get it printed hence the download restriction automatically comes into picture.
When you are in a hurry these restrictions are sure to bring you frustration. So lets see how to by pass them.How To Download Files from Scribd for Free Without Having an Account or Uploading Documents:You can use any of the following methods.
Greasemonkey Scribd Downloader Script:1. If you are a Firefox user, first install on your browser. If you are a chrome user you need not install this add-on you can proceed to next step.2. Install this.3. Now as usual view the documents in Scribd and click the download button available at the bottom right.
You will be prompted to open or save the file, rename and save it as you wish. Scribd Mobile Site to Download Documents:If you are not comfortable with installing scripts use this manual method.
Actually above script internally does this.1. Note down the unique ID of the document from the url.Eg:60232123/abcdef2. Go to optimized site.3. Enter the ID you noted down and click search.4.
Now save the file by clicking on Download Now button. Update- May 05,2012One of our reader’s Tony has that his browser is being redirecting back to original URL of the eBook on clicking Download Now button. This is probably because of late Scribd has changed it’s way of handling different user agents.
So here is a new fix for it.1. Install add-on and restart your browser.2.
Follow the above steps till step 3. Just do a search and keep, don’t click the download button.3. Now go to Tools- Default User Agent- iPhone 3.0. Now click the button. You will be able to download as usual again. Update- May 28,2012Biblio has that the updated user agent fix has stopped working. Here is a new fix.
Just an additional step to the latest fix. This time you need to change form method attribute to get rid of the error message.1. Install add-on and restart your browser.2.
Follow the till step 2.3. Press Ctrl+Shift+C to open Firebug HTML inspect mode.4. Hover over the download button. You will find that form tag is highlighted in the code section below.
Click post and change it to get i.e. Method=”post” to method=”get”5. Now as before change the user agent and click download. Update- Sept 29,2012This time after a long wait, I was able to find a workaround. Here’s how it goes.1. Download and install any PDF printer. Go to the appropriate document you need.
From URL note the unique ID as usual.3. Right click on the page and select View Page Source. And search for accesskey and note down the string which is between the quotes.E.g.
Now modify ID, access key and replace it with one’s you have noted down. Then paste it in address bar and hit enter. Update- March 01,20141. Go to the concerned document and click Download or Print button on the right.2. You will be redirected to a page which asks you to pay or contribute to get the document.3. Click on upload and in it.
Preferably type your own content, because the system checks for duplication. Or if you have some helpful document which might be useful to others, well and good you can upload that.5.
Give some title, description and click on save and continue. You will be getting a success message as below.6. Click on the return to download link. Now finally press download button again to get the document. Scribd Online Document DownloaderThere are many online tools that lets you download files as PDF from Scribd instantly without any restriction.If you want their URL’s do feel free to leave a comment via the comment form below.So, which method worked for you? Which method do you find easier and time saving?
Know any more better alternatives to download docs from Scribd without any sort of restriction? Do share it with us!
I need help downloading off of a 3rd party website (the-notebook.co.uk) which is hosting Scribd on its own URL when opening the file. I need to print it to be able to revise the notes efficiently, but it won’t let me. It doesn’t even give me a Scribd URL.I found ‘82025760’ in the source code, which I think is the document number for Scribd, but it won’t let me open It gives an error like “you don’t have permission to view this document”.I think it may be because I’m not viewing from the original website (the-notebook) but please let me know if there’s any way you can help me. Thanks to the above information, I can download files perfectly.Hopefully to help others here is a step by step method:1. Using Firefox, install the addons:User Agent Switcher – – Restart Firefox3.
Find document on.4. Note document’s IDEg.ID = 440251895. Go to the, specifically go to with the document ID appended.Eg.From the Tools menu (Press ALT if Firefox menubar not visible) click ‘Default User Agent’ and select ‘iPhone 3.0’. Now Firefox will appear to sites as if it is running on an iPhone.Note: Change back, via Tools menu select ‘iPhone 3.0’ and then select ‘Default User Agent’ option.7. Press Ctrl+Shift+C to open Firebug HTML inspect mode and hover over the download button for a short time until a section of code appears in the Firebug window (normally at bottom).8. Right-click the download button to set the inspection point, else if you move the mouse to the lower screen it will pass over and inspect HTML other than the download button.9.
In the Firebug window look for the preceding form tag and click on the value ‘post’ of the method attribute, make sure the value ‘post’ is now in a little edit box; delete post and enter ‘get’.(This is shown clearly in a screen shot at the beginning of this page.)Eg. The 2nd line is the code for the download buttonChanged to:10. Now click the download button and the file will be downloaded.In the example used, the file was saved as “uCiyFrdC353hgkiC1feAx2uhhg”, use a hex editor or file identification utility (eg. File Investigator 1.50, originally by Robware, a freeware version can be downloaded from to determine file type and then rename the document with the correct file extension.I renamed uCiyFrdC353hgkiC1feAx2uhhg to Shadowrun14Nosferatu.pdfHope this helps in some way, and thanks to the original author(s) of this article.
Since you have deleted my comment – me asking whether this is legal, it probably isn’t safe. Your post makes it give a false sense of legality, and if it were all normal.while scribd may infringe on copyright themselves, anyone who – using this method – grabs (steals?) documents off their database is then breaking laws twice?
![Hack Hack](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125664347/117589929.png)
1) copyright infringements (if it is copyrighted etc) and then 2) breaking in to scribd servers using their buggy coding. How would this be called if one did this with an online shop – ordering something like a pair jeans for free to be delivered home.don’t get me wrong, i think it is disgusting that scribd forces you to pay or upload useless stuff to download.
And i am sure folks at scribd are fully aware that it is free books people are after.but as i said, people might break laws twice by using this method. And no one knows whether scribd or some content mafia people will ever want to go after them. Rules and international cooperation are tightening.
Just think about ACTA. Or megaupload.again, the problem here is: is this legal? Or breaking laws. And your post (and the bug and tools itself) makes it look as if one were just doing the most normal thing on earth. Merci,Thanks for your comment and in depth insight!
I did not deleted your comment it was caught up in spam queue because of the email id you have given. I don’t find any thing wrong in you expressing your concern given the fact we don’t encourage copyright infringing ourself. I have just pointed out that this is possible I am not forcing anyone to use this method to download stuffs for free. Decision is totally left to readers hands. It’s for them to decide whether to use it or not.
Probably I will add a disclaimer note. Hope I have answered your concerns ?.
Merci:I think you are barking up the wrong tree by attempting to attack Mr. Sundaram for writing an article on how to obtain a lot of the FREELY LICENSED content on Scribd. Sundaram has already pointed out that authors of content on Scribd have the option to enable or disable downloads of their documents, and one would assume that if a particular author wished to disallow users from copying or downloading their works, they would have simply disabled the ability of users to download said works. From what i have read so far, it does not appear that Mr. Sundaram is offering up any code to bypass the wishes of any of the actual AUTHORS of the content on Scribd when a user makes it clear to him that what they wanted to download is unavailable by its author(s).I personally was driven to Mr. Sundaram’s article while attempting to obtain a copy of a document that is licensed under CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION NON-COMMERCIAL SHARE-ALIKE 3.0 UNPORTED LICENSE. Try this, working 100%, with images from the before tutorial (tested in Chrome):1.
Install User Agent Switcher add-on and restart your browser (not necesarry on Chrome).2. Follow the above steps till step 3. Just do a search and keep, don’t click the download button.3.
Now go to Tools- Default User Agent- Android- Motorola Xoom.4. With Chrome, click 2, inspect element. As is described before: Hover over the download button. You will find that form tag is highlighted in the code section below.
Click post and change it to get i.e. Method=”post” to method=”get”5. Now just hit “download” button, and nothing alse.Voila!
Thank you it worked!! I will try to download and post any requests made.
I will keep the files available for 7 days and then they will be removed to make room for newer files. So check back within a day to see if I fullfilled your request.That being said, I am able to download these files using nothing more that the directions above with the added part of:“Update- July 08,2012Yet again there has been an update to existing system. Here is the updated version.1.
First change the user agent string to Android then go to mobile site and search for the doc using the unique ID or directly go to the concerned document.2. Now directly hit the download button.”. I have an account in Scribd, but I recently realized I can’t download files because the doc is disabled by author.Is then anyway of downloading the doc, I really need the file to do my homework.
(I tried installing the script, but still can’t download the doc)I’m sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused if I misunderstand the steps. (I am using Firefox 14, Win 7)I tried everything but still I am not able to download it. I need to do its exercise for my computer lesson. Really need help. Just follow what Joken says: at 7:57 pmFor people having trouble with switching user to android1. You need google chrome2.go to add the extention3. Follow steps as said by Shunmugha Sundarama.
First change the user agent string to Android then go to mobile site and search for the doc using the unique ID or directly go to the concerned document.b. Now directly hit the download button. And boom there you go. Hi, I tried using the method above but still I wasn’t able to download the files I needed. A few months ago, I was able to make the method work. But now, I can’t make it work anymore. I get the following error:” Oops!
Something went wrong.We’re working on a fix. Please visit our homepage for some recommended reading to take your mind off of it. ”Meanwhile, I hope you can help me download the following files:you so much. User agent switching and going to mobile site works great. I had issues only in finding the book using the ID. What I did was:1. Switched agent to Android, and went to: Searched for the title of the book – obviously didn’t find it.3.
Clicked on any of the search result in mobile search result view4. Noted the URL to be like: Replaced the xxxxx in 4 with ID of the document I wanted to download.Worked like a charm. Thanks for the tip! Install Google Chrome.2. While running Chrome, go here and install the Agent Switcher Switch your Chrome user agent to Android4. Go to and search for your item using the document ID #.
You can also search by title. I have also done a Google search from within Chrome and the link will take you directly to the Scribd download page. Here is the file you’re after.are the detailed instructions. I’m not sure why you’re having problems, but this is the exact method I used to grab all the files, including yours, with no problem.1. Install Google Chrome.2. While running Chrome, go here and install the Agent Switcher Switch your Chrome user agent to Android4.
Go to and search for your item using the document ID #. You can also search by title. I have also done a Google search from within Chrome and the link will take you directly to the Scribd download page.
Following worked for me (I tried the tutorial step for step before, so greasemonkey-script was running):– Go to User Agent Switcher’s settings an click the link in the bottom right corner (download additional user agents)– Download and import the XML-file– now choose Mobile Devices - WAP phone - Nokia 6630– Go to mobile version of the document and click “Download Now”### Screenshots ###http://s7.directupload.net/images/120901/tzsychcp.pnghttp://s7.directupload.net/images/120901/br6lxkmr.png. Im following exactly what I think ACCakut did on at 10:15 pm (2 days ago) but I’m stuck at the download now page with nothing happening.– have agent switcher installed plus the user agent switcher xml list from (it’s already “get”I have tried going through with the androids and the nokia’s — nothing so far.IF you could help with what I’m doing wrong, that would be amazing. As scribd has half my reading list that would put me back another few hundred of student debt pretty please? ?for instance: www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/88507684. Apparently I just choose the wrong book. And persisted to try downloading it relentlessly, which failed, until it didn’t because I picked something else.
Should have realized something was different when it had the “buy” option instead of the “download” option on its (regular) scribd profile page.Worked like a charm with everything else I tried an hour later. Couldn’t be done with some exciting ones I was imagining to me miiiiiineee.Too bad! But yay charm.peas and thanks so much for this post and updates and replies! Hello, firstly thanks for the post, but i have a problem to download this amazing book:have already installed greasemonkey (have already install too Scribd downloader from here (i don’t see the button “download” in the bottom right, I just see the originals buttons for download, and these send me to the membership message!!what can i do?? Hey everyone, for those people claiming for help try this:1- Use Firefox browser;2- Install the User Agent Switcher add-on;3- Install this XML file on the User Agent Switcher, it has a lot of browser models!;4- Select one of the oldest mobile browsers!
Android 0.5 – Safari 419);5- Access the root scribd website;6- You will se a lot simple version of the website “mobile browser version”, so click on the search icon (magnet icon);7- Paste the unique ID from the original URL;8- “Download Now” button should appear instantly.Why choose an old mobile browser? Scribd is working on software for all the new kinds of mobile phones and operating system to support the “pay-per-download” or the “share-to-download” politics.
But, the oldest mobile phone should be not a target for them. In this case they just allow the user to Download the content without login, sharing or paying. Thank you very much sir, but feels really sorry to say this one also doesn’t work.After replacing and all that doing that you mentioned, the page goes into the ‘typesetting’ mode and after that the ‘i o streaming error’ could be shown.
It cannot shown even the preview of the whole pdf so that we can go into print mode.it Directly shown the ‘ i o Streaming’ error.is that really working from your side sir.?? Because i tried two-three different documents!!Thank you for your much valuable reply sir.!!! I noticed that the old procedure has changed.this link thru “view page source”, clicking on this link, “finding this linkcopying it into the url use to work, but now it’s changed.It’s noweven changing it doesn’t make it work.
Any ideas Shunmugha Sundaram on this? After posting above, I retried my efforts to download and print another document and it works sometimes. If I right click off to the side of the document and click on “view page source”, I find the link “and click on it, it takes me to a script page.
I highlight the part in quotes“copy and paste into URL and if a blue screen comes up with a download and print menu I’ve succeeded. If not, then I can’t print. All of this in done in Firefox with Greasemonkey added on.
Thanks a lot Shunmugha, I appreciate you taking the time to come up with these hacks.Honestly though, you are too nice to these beggars. You are providing them with SIMPLE step by step methods to get books for FREE.Apparently some people “urgently” want books,which can be viewed perfectly online. For these same people it’s JUST NOT URGENT ENOUGH to buy said books.
You would think that people would actually put some effort into cashing the low, low price of FREE.The flash fix method works on some documents, but not all. Hi,I think you’re missing a step in your instructions. Are you suggesting that we copy your line of code:replace the unique ID and the access key as follows:&accesskey=key-51er3m1whp3ad5sq9utBecause if you are, that step is not clearly explained in your instructions.Your English should have said, “Paste the following line code into your browser’s address bar. Then replace the boldface Unique ID below with your own Unique ID and also replace the boldface access key below with your document’s access key that you copied from the “View Page Source Info” page.In any case, it doesn’t work and I get the same response as ISHFAK below, “IO error streaming document”.Michael.