How To Read Medium Articles for Free

I’m a regular Medium user and I read Medium articles almost every day. A few years back I didn’t have Medium membership—so, I had to find ways how to read Medium articles for free.

I was able to find some ways to bypass Medium’s paywall system and read an unlimited amount of articles every day. I’ll share exactly how to read Medium articles for free in this article.

Medium is a great blogging platform. This platform allows anyone to publish and read articles, but some of the articles on Medium are behind a paywall, which means they require a paid membership to read.

Medium offers every user 3 free articles to read every month. That means you can read up to 3 articles that are published behind the Medium paywall. Stories that aren’t behind the Medium paywall are forever free to read.

Here’s how to read Medium articles for free:

You can read Medium articles for free by using the incognito mode of your browser, using extensions of Chrome, using the Telegram instant view from your mobile phone, or using temp mail services to create unlimited Medium accounts(This will always work).

You can also create multiple accounts to read articles however that could be boring and tiresome if you are using regular emails. So, let’s get into more detail on these 3 easiest ways to read Medium articles for free.

Table of Contents hide

1 Can You Read Medium Articles for Free?

2 How To Read Medium Articles for Free

2.1 Use the Incognito Mode of Your Browser

2.2 Use Browser Extensions

2.3 Use Telegram’s Instant View

2.4 Using Temp Mail Services(Bonus Method, Always Works)

3 How To Read Medium Articles For Free on Mobile Phone

4 Consider Paying if You Don’t Want All These Hassle

5 Conclusion

Can You Read Medium Articles for Free?

Yes, of course, you can read Medium articles for free.

Medium will allow you to read up to 3 premium stories per month. Even stories that aren’t behind the paywall of Medium are forever free to read. So, you can read Medium articles for free.

But if you want to read more than 3 premium stories without a Medium subscription then you will have to follow one of the 3 ways that I’m going to discuss below.

How To Read Medium Articles for Free

Are you tired of hitting the paywall on Medium and not being able to access the articles you want to read? Don’t worry, here are a few easy ways to bypass the paywall and read Medium articles for free.

I used to use these methods when I was not a Medium member. These methods allowed me to read an unlimited amount of stories on Medium even if they are paywalled.

Each of these methods will grant you access to an unlimited amount of stories on the platform.

Use the Incognito Mode of Your Browser

One simple way to bypass the paywall on Medium is to open an incognito window in your web browser. This prevents Medium from tracking your reading habits and allows you to access the articles for free.

Generally, if you visit a website, your browser will store cookies and other data locally on the computer. Those cookies and data are then tracked by a website to improve your experience on the website.

However, if you use the incognito mode of your browser then the website can’t access your browsing history and cookies. Incognito mode is like a fresh new browser with no browsing history.

Incognito mode, also known as private browsing, is a feature of web browsers that allows users to browse the internet without leaving any traces of their browsing history or search history on the local computer.

When you open a browser in incognito mode, it will not save any of your browsing data such as cookies, browsing history, form data, or search history.

This is why Medium won’t be able to track your browsing history. This will allow you to read more than the limit of 3 articles per month limit on Medium.

To use the incognito mode of your browser, just click the three dots in the top right corner of your browser and then select “New Incognito Window”. This will open a new incognito window.

Then you can simply copy the stories link from Medium and paste it on the incognito browser to be able to read it free without a Medium subscription.

There’s also a shortcut to this method. Here’s how to do it:

• First, go to the article you want to read.

Copy the URL of the article from your normal browser.

Now to open the incognito mode of your browser press CTRL + SHIFT + N altogether.

Then paste the copied URL on the incognito browser and hit ENTER.

Now you can read the full article without Medium blocking it with the paywall.

This is how you can read Medium articles for free with the incognito mode of your browser. This method worked like a charm for me. I’d recommend using it if you don’t want to pay the $5 to subscribe to Medium.

Use Browser Extensions

Another easy way to bypass the paywall on Medium is to use a web browser extension. Using extensions allows you to bypass the paywall and access the articles for free.

There are many browser extensions available to bypass Medium’s paywall. Here’s a list of extensions that I have tried to read unlimited Medium articles:

• Bypass Paywalls

Medium Unlimited

Medium Unlocker (Firefox), Medium Unlocker (Chrome)

These extensions will help you read stories for free on Medium.

For the first two extensions, just follow the steps mentioned in the link and you will be able to set them up easily.

I have used these extensions to read Medium articles for free without any problems.

However, there are people reporting that these extensions don’t work sometimes. But you know these are worth trying if you want to read a lot of stories free on Medium without paying the monthly subscription fee.

Use Telegram’s Instant View

Another way to read Medium articles for free is by using Telegram’s Instant View feature.

Telegram allows users to view articles in an optimized format called Instant View. When you come across a Medium article link shared on Telegram, you can tap on it to open the Instant View version of the article.

This will allow you to read the article without being redirected to the Medium website and without encountering the paywall.

However, this technique will only work on the mobile app of Telegram. To use Telegram’s Instant View feature to read Medium articles, follow the below steps:

• You will need to have the Telegram app installed on your device.

Once you have Telegram set up, copy the link to the Medium article that you want to read for free.

Then go to the “Saved Messages” on your Telegram app.

After that, paste your copied URL here and you should see a button called “Instant View”.

Click the button and you will be able to read the whole article on Telegram without having to visit Medium.

This worked for me most of the time. However, there are some occasions where I couldn’t find the “Instant View” button even after pasting the URL of the article that I want to read.

Not entirely sure of the reason behind it but you can give it a go if you want to read a lot of premium articles from Medium.

Using Temp Mail Services(Bonus Method, Always Works)

You can use various temporary email services to create free Medium accounts. Then use those accounts to read 3 free stories per month. This method is working as of 2023.

You can create unlimited Medium accounts with those temporary email services and therefore read unlimited Medium stories for free as well. Some of the good temporary email services are Temp Mail, Mail.tm, Tempmailo, etc.

Just follow the below steps to easily create unlimited Medium accounts and bypass Medium paywall:

• Go to any of the temp mail services to get a temporary email address

Go to Medium and select “Sign up using email”

Paste your temporary email here and Medium will send a link to that temp mail website, use that to sign up and create a new Medium account

You can read up to 3 free stories with one account

Medium allows creating up to 10 accounts per IP address per day, so you may need to use VPN if you want to create more than 10 Medium accounts per day

How To Read Medium Articles For Free on Mobile Phone

The best way to read Medium articles for free on a mobile phone is by visiting the story URL from the incognito mode of your mobile browser.

Most browsers on mobile have an incognito mode, for example, Chrome, Edge, Opera, and Firefox. So, just simply copy the URL of the story and paste it into the incognito mode of your mobile browser.

You will be able to read the full story for free. If somehow this method doesn’t work for you, then you can try Telegram’s instant view method.

Consider Paying if You Don’t Want All These Hassle

Medium is my favorite blogging platform. It has a large user base and great writers.

If you want to support your favorite writers from the platform you can just subscribe to the platform and read all the articles for “free”.

You can think about how are you supporting the writers by subscribing to Medium. Well, Medium has a Partner Program system and the writers who are in the program can earn for their story if a Medium member reads their story.

So, if you are a Medium member, you are basically supporting them by giving a portion of your subscription fee. It’s only $5 per month and I think it’s worth it.

Here’s a story about whether is Medium worth it or not.

You can also join the Medium Partner Program and write a few articles per month to easily generate $5 per month. This way you can actually use Medium for “free” eventually.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I’ve discussed how to read Medium articles for free in this article.

There are several ways to read Medium articles for free. I’ve tried to mention the methods I think are the best to read Medium articles for free. The best way according to me is the incognito mode method.

However, it is worth mentioning that using these methods to read articles for free should be done responsibly and with respect for the authors and their content.

If you want to support great writers on the platform and their content then you can simply subscribe for only $5 a month and read articles for “free”.

How to Remove Get Genuine Office Banner?

Recently, when I open my Word or Excel files, a yellow banner will pop up warning me about a genuine Office problem. It locates above the content and right under the tools bar. The complete message is as below.

ACTION NEEDED
Your license isn’t genuine, and you may be a victim of software counterfeiting. Avoid interruption and keep your files safe with genuine Office today.
Get genuine Office

That banner doesn’t always appear. Once in a while, I can’t see it when I start an Office app. Yet, it may reappear while I’m working on the Office documents. Have you ever received this warning message or are you suffering from it now? Why does this happen? And how to get rid of this issue? just continue reading.

How to Remove Get Genuine Office Icon?

Many methods that MAY remove the genuine office banner from your Office software.

Solution 1. Remove Get Genuine Office by Disabling Connected Experience in Office

1. Open any one of Office Product, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
2. Click File on the top left and select Options at the end of the left menu.
3. A new windows will pop up. In the default General tab, find and click the Privacy Settings button.
4. In the Privacy Settings window, scroll down to find Enable connected experience and uncheck it.
5. Click OK to save changes. 

In Outlook 2016 and later, you should navigate to File > Office Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings.

Turn off this connected experience option will disable experiences that analyze your content, download online content, as well as other connected experiences like co-authoring and online file storage.

Solution 2. Stop OGAAddin.dll from Loading with Office App

OGAAddin.dll and OGAVerify.exe are a few files that has been installed by OGA Notifications. OGAAddin.dll enables OGA Notifications to install as an add-in to apps in Microsoft Office productivity suites to show not genuine warning to illegal or illegitimate copy of Office.

Therefore, by disabling the OGAAddin.dll from loading will remove the get genuine office message.

1. Press Windows + R keys on the keyboard to open the Windows Run box.
2. Input “regedit” and click OK to launch Registry Editior.
3. Use “Ctrl + F” to search for OGAAddin.connect registry key.
4. In the right section of Registry Editor will list the search result. Find and right-click on Load Behavior and select Modify.
5. Alter the value data from 3 to 0.
6. Repeat for each and every OGAAddin.connect found.

Doing this will make Windows thinks that OGA is installed. So, it won’t prompt uer to install OGA again. Or, you can directly remove the OGAAdmin from the Add-ins tab of the Options windows mentioned in Solution 1 or from file explorer (%SystemDrive%\Windows\System32 or %SystemDrive%\Windows\SysWow64).

Solution 3. Active Office with Genuine License

If you have purchased an Office product key before, make sure you have registered the Office app on your computer with it. If not or if you are not sure about the registration, just register current office again!

Solution 4. Install Genuine Office

Similarly, if you have ever bought a genuine Office but forget to install it on your machine and replace the installed unknown version, just uninstall your current problematic version of Office and install the genuine version.

Solution 5. Reinstall the Genuine Version of Office

If your current version of Microsoft Office is genuine and you still be noticed the get genuine Office error, you can try to reinstall your Office if you can still find the installation disc or USB.

Solution 6. Re-log into Microsoft Office

Sometimes, problems may occur if you haven’t touched your account for a long time and the official side can’t tell whether you are the legitimate user of the product. So, the get genuine Office banner might disappear after you log out and log in to your Microsoft account again.

Why the Get Genuine Office Notification Appears?

If you see a genuine Office error when you open an Office app, it is due to that Microsoft determines that the Office product that is installed on your computer is not legitimate and you may be a victim of software counterfeiting.

Risks of Counterfeit Software

Counterfeit programs are inherently dangerous and pose many risks.

Expose You to Malware or Virus Attacks

Counterfeit apps lack sufficient security measures, which leaves the door open for hackers. Therefore, it may cause serious bad effects to your work and business.

Cause Files Corruption and Data Loss

While using counterfeit software, you might lose crucial data both personal and business.

Prevent You from Receiving Critical Security Updates or Editing Your Files

Another negative effect that counterfeit tools may bring to you is the inability to receive critical security updates provided by Microsoft Office. Also, you may not be able to edit your files if you keep using counterfeit software.

Tip: To prevent data loss due to counterfeit Office, you can back up important data in advance with professional and reliable file backup software – MiniTool ShadowMaker.

Stay Safe with a Genuine Office License

If you have purchased a genuine Office before, make sure you have installed the genuine version or have activated your installed Office. If you haven’t yet got a genuine Office product, you can purchase a genuine Office from the Microsoft official website, Microsoft Store, a trusted reseller, or another credible source.

If you get your Microsoft Office from your company, school, or other organizations, just contact your IT admin and tell him about the “get genuine Office” popup. If your are the admin, you can learn something about Microsoft 365 or Office & Office 365 licensing options to get rid of the popup.

How to Tell Whether Your Office Is Genuine or Not?

There are several ways that can help you identify whether your Office software is genuine or not.

First of all, if your Office product is preinstalled on your computer when it comes out of the factory, it should be a genuine Office version.

If you buy Microsoft Office by yourself and then install it on the device, it depends. Generally, if you purchase Office from Microsoft’s official page, an authorized reseller, or a trusted retail store, your Office should also be genuine. If you are not sure about the authorization of your salesman or you just pick up the Office in a personal way, the product may be a counterfeit.

Secondly, you can configure out whether your Office is genuine or not by watching some physical signs listed below.

Retail Box Certificate of Authenticity (COA)

The COA label is pasted on the outside of the retail box. It explains what the product is, it’s country of intended use, as well as the country of origin. COA has a holographic and color-shifting feature.

Product Key Label

The product key label is a white or orange label and it locates next to the COA on an installation CD, DVD, or USB. Besides the barcode and product key, there is a small amount of print on the left edge and the top right corner.

When inspecting closely, maybe a magnifier is needed, the name “MICROSOFT” can be seen in green on the right side and in blue on the left side. The product key label contains a 25-character product key and it can’t be sold separately.

Hardware Appearance

Microsoft packaged software prior to Windows 10/11, such as Windows, Windows Server, and Office, on a CD/DVD that bears vibrant color and 3D effects on the inner hub of the disc when the disc is tilted.

In addition, optical security features can be seen from both sides of the disc, near the inner hole of the disc and along the outer edge. When the disc is flipped over, any text or numbers will be seen as a mirror image of the reverse side.

There is also an inner mirror band (IMB) hologram located on the inner part of the back (data) side of the DVD. It changes color as the disc is tilted. Within the IMB area, there is an indicator arrow with a point towards the outer edge of the disc. Also, there is a small corresponding indicator arrow on the thin outer mirror band (OMB), facing the much larger IMB version. Those 2 elements should be in direct alignment with each other.

On the thin OMB ring, there is an area that shows “Microsoft” changing to the word “Genuine” if you slightly tilt the disc from left to right.

In limited countries and regions worldwide, you may receive your Office 2016 backup software on a USB stick that includes vibrant color and 3D effects as the USB is tilted.

Note: The copper holographic material is embedded within the DVD/CD/USB and it is NOT a sticker. That is to say, if the hologram peels away, you are probably receiving a counterfeit.

Packaging

Poor-quality packaging is also a way for you to tell whether your product is genuine or not. If you see blurry words or images, poor-quality print, spelling errors, incorrect or improper logos/photos, etc., you are probably holding counterfeit software.

How to Remove the Get Office Ads in Windows 10/11?

Besides the get genuine Office warning in Office apps, you may also experience the get Office message while using the Win10 system. The advertisement are triggered by a specific app preinstalled with Windows 10/11. It aims to persuade you to download and install Office since Office isn’t included in Win10/11.

If you are annoying about the get Office ads and want to remove them, there are some fixes.

Fix 1. Uninstall the Get Office App

In the Start menu, find “Get Office” under All Apps, right-click on it, and select Uninstall. You can also try to uninstall that application in Windows Settings or Control Panel. Yet, the “Get Office” app may reinstall itself automatically after some time or after a new Windows update. Then, you have to uninstall it again.

Fix 2. Permanently Remove the Get Office Ads in Windows Settings

To permanently get rid of the Office advertising, you need to do some Windows settings. Move to Start > System > Notifications & actions, scroll down to find Get notifications from these senders, find the “Get Office” app in the list of apps, and tog it off.

Fix 3. Remove the Get Office Tile from Start Menu

You may also view “Try Office 365 for 1 month” or a similar title in your Windows 10/11 Start menu. Though it is the default settings, you can wipe it from the Start screen. Just right-click on the title and select Unpin from Start.

Finally

Have you removed get genuine Office icon finally? If not, maybe you should leave it alone or you can continue to search for further possible solutions online. If you have found other solutions that haven’t been mentioned in this article, please be kind to share them with others in below comment area. Thank you!

21+ Ways to Use Chat GPT for Content Creation

As a blogger or content creator, you know that producing high-quality and engaging content consistently is no easy feat. It can take hours of research, brainstorming, and editing to create a single piece of content that resonates with your audience. That’s where ChatGPT comes in. In this article, we’ll explore 25 ways that bloggers can utilize Chat GPT for content creation to streamline their efforts, save time and resources, and create high-quality and engaging content that resonates with their audience.

ChatGPT is an AI-powered language model that can assist content creators in generating various types of content, from social media captions and blog outlines to video scripts and ad copy.

So, let’s dive in and discover how ChatGPT can take your content creation to the next level.

21+ Ways to Use Chat GPT for Content Creation

Product Descriptions: Bloggers can use this tool to create compelling product descriptions for their own products, like books, digital goods, and other online programs and services they offer. Also, they can use it for affiliate or sponsored content. By inputting the product name or key features, ChatGPT can suggest different descriptions that highlight its benefits and features.

Website copy: It can assist bloggers in crafting website copy that is informative, engaging, and optimized for SEO. By inputting their target audience or brand values, ChatGPT can suggest different website copy that resonates with their audience and reflects their brand identity.

Interview questions: Bloggers can use this tool to generate interview questions for their podcast or blog interviews. By inputting the interviewee’s name or industry, ChatGPT can suggest different questions that encourage conversation and provide valuable insights.

Testimonials: ChatGPT can help bloggers create testimonials for their blog or website. By inputting their customer’s name or experience, it can suggest different testimonials that showcase the value of their products or services. Always check with the client or customer to have them approve the final copy before using the AI-generated testimonial.

Social media posts: It can be used to generate social media posts that are informative, engaging, and on-brand. By inputting their topic or keyword, ChatGPT can suggest different posts that encourage conversation and drive engagement.

Infographics: ChatGPT can assist bloggers in creating infographics that are visually appealing and informative. By inputting their topic or data points, it can suggest different designs and layouts that effectively convey their message.

Podcast scripts: It can generate podcast scripts that are informative, engaging, and organized. By inputting their topic or talking points, ChatGPT can suggest different sections or segments that encourage conversation and provide value to their listeners.

Video scripts: This tool can help bloggers create video scripts that are engaging, informative, and well-structured. By inputting their topic or key points, it can suggest different sections or segments that effectively convey their message.

Ad copy: Bloggers can utilize ChatGPT to create compelling ad copy for their sponsored content or advertising campaigns. By inputting their target audience or call-to-action, ChatGPT can suggest different ad copy that encourages clicks and conversions.

Newsletter content: It can assist bloggers in creating newsletter content that is informative, engaging, and valuable. By inputting their topic or key points, ChatGPT can suggest different sections or segments that provide insights or updates to their subscribers.

Content outlines: Bloggers can use ChatGPT to generate outlines for their blog posts, providing a framework for their writing and ensuring that they cover all necessary topics.

Generate headlines: ChatGPT can help bloggers generate catchy, attention-grabbing headlines for their blog posts, increasing the likelihood that readers will click through to read more.

Conduct research: It can assist bloggers in researching different topics or industries, providing additional insights and statistics to include in their blog posts.

Improve SEO: Bloggers can use ChatGPT to generate keywords and optimize their content for search engines, increasing the visibility of their blog posts.

Write summaries: ChatGPT can assist bloggers in summarizing long articles or reports, providing readers with a quick overview of the most important points.

Provide translations: Bloggers can use this tool to translate their blog posts into different languages, expanding their reach to a global audience.

Create personas: ChatGPT can help bloggers create detailed personas of their target audience, providing insights into their interests, pain points, and behaviors.

Create quizzes: Bloggers can use ChatGPT to create interactive quizzes that engage readers and provide valuable insights into their knowledge or preferences.

Email subject lines: This tool can assist bloggers in crafting catchy email subject lines that encourage readers to open and read their emails. Bloggers can input their email content or key topics, and ChatGPT can suggest subject lines that are attention-grabbing and personalized.

Blog outlines: Bloggers can use ChatGPT to generate outlines for their blog posts, providing a framework for their writing and ensuring that they cover all necessary topics. By inputting their main topic or keyword, ChatGPT can suggest different sections or subtopics to include in their blog post.

H2 subheader suggestions: ChatGPT can help bloggers come up with creative and engaging H2 subheaders for their blog posts. By inputting their blog post content or key topics, it can suggest subheaders that are informative and attention-grabbing.

Meta descriptions: Bloggers can use ChatGPT to generate meta descriptions that accurately summarize their blog post content and encourage readers to click through to their website. By inputting their blog post content or key topics, ChatGPT can suggest different meta descriptions that capture the essence of their content and highlight its value.

Overall, ChatGPT can be a powerful tool for bloggers to create various types of content, from social media captions and email subject lines to blog outlines and meta descriptions. By leveraging the power of AI, bloggers can save time and resources while creating engaging and valuable content that resonates with their audience.

 

How to play YouTube in the background on iPhone or iPad

YouTube is a great place to listen to music, but you’ll have noticed a big limitation when using it on your iPhone: the music stops when you turn off the screen or when you return to the home screen and open another app.

Being able to turn off the screen is pretty important and not just for saving battery power: it also stops the touchscreen working while the phone’s in your pocket and accidental taps which can skip to the next video.

Since you reading this, you already know that the YouTube app won’t let you turn off the screen while watching a video so you can listen to music in the background.

That’s because Google wants you to pay for YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium, both of which add this useful feature.

The easy answer, then, is to pay for YouTube Music or YouTube Premium and you’ll be able to play music with the screen off or while using another app.

But what if you don’t fancy shelling out for yet another monthly subscription? Well, good news: here are a couple of workarounds that will do the same job, but for free!

Method 1: Use a web browser

If you’ve already tried this in Safari or Google Chrome you may have concluded this workaround doesn’t work any more, but you’d be wrong.

You can use Firefox or Opera instead. Install one of these apps and browse to YouTube.

Be careful that you’re not redirected to the official YouTube app if it’s installed on your iPhone. If that happens, then type m.youtube.com into the address bar in Firefox or Opera and you should see the mobile site load.

If you want to listen to playlists you’ve already created, sign into your YouTube (Google) account by tapping the three vertical dots at the top-right corner and then tap Sign In.

1.Find something to listen to

Search for the music or whatever you want to listen to and tap on the video. Wait for any adverts to finish and the video itself is playing.

2. Make the video full-screen

Tap the full-screen icon (bottom-right of the video, arrowed) to hide the rest of the web page.

3.

Use control centre to continue playback

Return to the home screen or switch to another app. Swipe down to access Control Center and press the play button in the music controls to resume playback.

The music should continue to play. You can either use another app while listening, or turn off your iPhone’s screen and save your battery power.

Method 2: Use an app

Search the App Store for an app which can play YouTube as a picture-in-picture (or floating window). One example is YubePiP, which was available and working well when we wrote this.

Simply install it – it’s free, but will nag you to upgrade to Pro – and you should find yourself on the YouTube sign-in screen. You don’t have to sign in – just choose your cookie preference and you can then use the search function to find the song you want to listen to.

As above, if you do sign in, you can play your usual playlists and find music you like.

Tap on the video, wait until any adverts have finished (or skip them, if you really don’t want to support the artist) and wait until the actual video is playing.

Now tap the icon arrowed to put the video in a floating window.

You can then swipe up to return to the home screen. The video will keep playing and you can drag the video to wherever it’s not in the way.

You can even swipe it off the screen so it takes up virtually no space at all: you’ll see a small arrow that you can use like a pull tab to bring it back later. The sound will keep playing in the background.

You can launch any other app you like, but you can also listen with the screen off as well.

Press the sleep/wake button to turn your iPhone off and the audio should continue to play. If it doesn’t, then press the power button again and tap the play button on the lock screen to restart the audio (you can also skip between songs in a playlist too).

Now when you turn off your iPhone or iPad, the audio will keep playing.