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Sometimes even an easy-to-use application leaves some questions. But don't worry! We're here to help with a big bunch of tips commonly known as the "Frequently Asked Questions". :-)

General questions:
Platform specific questions
Newsfeed related questions
Blogroll related questions
Miscellaneous questions:

Is there any tutorial available?

Yes! Just select "Tutorial" from the "Help" menu or press "F1" (this one goes for Windows, consult your OS for an equivalent shortcut).
Alternative you'll find the tutorial online under


I am not sure if I use the latest RSSOwl version.

To make sure you run the latest version of RSSOwl you might check for an update (just click "Help" > "Check for update")

By default RSSOwl automatically performs an update check after startup.
This setting may be changed (just unselect "Tools" > "Preferences" > "Workbench" > "Check for Updates after startup").


Updating from previous versions

Updating an existing RSSOwl is very easy!

All settings and favorites should be stored in your user-home directory in a folder called ".rssowl" that is independent from RSSOwl's installation folder.

On Windows ".rssowl" should be located in "/Documents and Settings/user.name/.rssowl".

On Linux / Solaris take a look at "~/.rssowl", from the console by typing "cd ~/.rssowl".

On Mac the folder is located in "~/Library/Preferences/rssowl".

In the case you are able to locate that folder simply copy the new RSSOwl into the same folder of the old RSSOwl, overwriting it.

In the case you are not able to locate that folder simply run the old RSSOwl, goto "Preferences" and perform "Export Settings". That export also includes your favorites. In the new RSSOwl goto "Preferences" and select "Import Settings".


What are the requirements to use the internal browser view?

To use the internal browser just make sure you have one of the following browser installed:

  • Windows: Internet Explorer 5 and above
  • Linux: Mozilla 1.4 GTK2 and above
  • Mac OS X (Panther 10.3): Safari
  • Solaris: Not supported as of now.

What arguments are accepted by 'rssowl.exe'?

To specify the Java Virtul Machine that should be used to execute RSSOwl, use the optional parameter "-vm=". For example

rssowl -vm=C:/j2sdk_1_4_1

The exe will then look into the folder "bin" searching for the "javaw.exe".

To set the path RSSOwl should use to store its profile, use the -profile [directory] argument. The [directory] must point to an existing directory.

To hide the splash-screen that shows up on startup of RSSOwl, pass -showSplash false to the executable.

To let RSSOwl open a newsfeed on startup, simply append the location. For example

rssowl http://www.myrss.com/rss.xml

How do I specify the path RSSOwl should use to store the profile?

To specify a custom path do the following (using the commandline):

javaw -Duser.home=[Path to Dir] -Djava.library.path=. -jar rssowl.jar

The [Path to Dir] must point to an existing directory. Windows users are able to use the "-profile [Path to Dir]" (where [Path to Dir] is the location of the executable (e.g. C:\Program Files\rssowl_dir\).


What does "Save As" do?

RSSOwl lets you save entire newsfeeds as an XML files. Later on, you'll be able to open the file using "Open File" in "Quickview" or by adding a favorite using the path to the XML file.


How do I quickly close tabs?

Simply double-click on the tab or single-click with the middle-button of your mouse to make it go away.


How to hide the splashscreen on startup?

To hide the splashscreen that automatically shows up when starting RSSOwl, pass

-showSplash false

to the rssowl.exe on Windows and

-Dnet.sourceforge.rssowl.noSplash

on other operating systems to the java executable call.


What's the difference between creating a subcategory and creating a category?

Creating a subcategory will create a new category as a child of the selected one.
Creating a category will create a new category on the same level of the selected one.


The language I've chosen doesn't get displayed properly!

Make sure that the font that is selected in "Tools" > "Preferences" > "Workbench" > "Fonts" supports the special characters of the selected language. In case of Japanese or Chinese please select a Unicode Font, for example Arial Unicode MS.


What do I need to run the Internal Browser on Linux?

For a very detailed answer, please refer to the official Eclipse FAQ

A supported version of Mozilla must be installed (1.4 GTK2 or above 1.4).

Set the environment variable MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME to your Mozilla installation folder, e.g.

setenv MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME /usr/lib/mozilla

Set the environmnent variable LD_LIBRARY_PATH to include MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME, e.g.

setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH ${MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME}:
${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}

On Mandrake 9.1, use:

export MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME=/usr/lib/mozilla
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:
${MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME}:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}

RSSOwl can now use the Browser widget. If the Browser is still not working, please refer to the official Eclipse FAQ


Windows: Howto disable click sounds of internal browser?

Disabling the click sound when using the internal browser is possible from within the control panel. Goto sounds and find "Start Navigation" and "Complete Navigation" and set the sound to "none".


Is it possible to use RSSOwl on a different PC and keep my settings?

All settings and favorites are saved in the "user.xml". Usually this file is stored in your home directory in ".rssowl/".

The easiest way is to export the settings and import them in RSSOwl on your other computer ("Tools" > "Preferences" > "Export Settings", "Import Settings").


How to use the context-menus on Mac?

Normally the only way to open the various context-menus in RSSOwl is with using the right mouse-button. As the Mac mouse has only one button, please hold the Ctrl-Key pressed while clicking with the mouse-button and the desired context-menu will open.


Which newsfeed formats are supported?

RSSOwl is supporting RSS versions 0.91, 0.92 and 2.0, RDF version 1.0, Atom Syndication Format 0.3, 1.0 and OPML.


Where do I find RSS / RDF / Atom Newsfeeds?

  1. Use the Newsfeed search engine to search by keywords ("Tools" > "Search for Newsfeeds")
  2. Use the Discover Newsfeed search engine to search on a website ("Tools" > "Discover Newsfeeds on Website")
  3. Search at Newsfeed search sites and archives such as:

Is it possible to read Newsfeeds from a source that needs authentification?

If RSSOwl attemps to open a newsfeed from a site that is protected with a username and password it opens a dialog for you to authenticate. After a successfull authentification the newsfeed is displayed.


Is it possible to load a newsfeed on startup?

There are several ways to have RSSOwl open newsfeeds on startup:

1.) Right-click on any favorite and select "Open on startup" in the properties dialog. Any favorites with this option selected will open after startup automatically.

2.) Select "Re-Open last opened feeds on startup" in "Tools > Preferences > Workbench". This will automatically reopen the feeds that where opened after exit on startup.

3.) The application is accepting one argument. If the parameter is a valid URL or an existing local file, RSSOwl will open it as newsfeed. For example:

java -jar rssowl.jar http://www.myrss.com/rss.xml

If you use a script to start RSSOwl, please edit it and add the parameter.


Is it possible to read the news after going offline?

One way is described in "What does "Save As" do?". You may also use each newsfeed offline that you have opened while being online. RSSOwl saves each opened newsfeed in memory.


Is it possible to update feeds automatically in a certain period?

Right-click on a favorite and select an update interval in "Auto Reload" of the properties dialog. You may also select to update the feed on startup of RSSOwl.


Is it possible to open the news of an entire category in one tab?

Rightclick on a category and select "Aggregate Favorites". You may also perform a fulltext search on all favorites of the category and sub-categories using "Search".


How does RSSOwl indicate unread news are available?

Any unread news are displayed with a bold font-style in the list of news-headers. In addition, any favorite containing unread news will indicate this by having a blue-colored lens (instead of a white one) left to its title in the tree and a bold font style. All parent categories of that favorite will change to an icon with a small letter filled folder and bold font style too. This allows to easily see which categories contain favorites with unread news. Additionaly if RSSOwl is minimized to tray, the icon changes to an Owl overdrawn by a green arrow.


How do I manage my favorite newsfeeds?

Just rightclick on an element in the tree on the left side and use the popup menue. You may also use the "File" > "New" menu. All elements of the favorites tree support Drag and Drop. That allows an easy management of favorites and categories.


One of my newsfeed favorite's icon has changed to a lens with a red cross in it

If RSSOwl was unable to load the favorite, the icon changes to indicate that you should check the URL / Path you entered. When the favorite was loaded successfully, the icon changes back to the normal lens again.


What are "empty news"?

An empty news is a news with no description. Select "Open empty news in browser automatically" in "Tools" > "Preferences" > "Workbench" to open the URL of the news directly when selecting it.


What are "Newsfeed infos"?

Newsfeed infos are informations about the newsfeed. Those may be language, description, image, link to the newspage, and so on. They show up when clicking on the title of the newsfeed.


What is the meaning of "Aggregate Favorites"

The "Aggregate Favorites" feature appears in the popupmenu on the tree holding the favorites after right-click on any category. RSSOwl will aggregate all news from all sub-categorys of the selected category into one tab. You may also search in the list of aggregated news. An export to PDF, RTF or HTML is possible too.


What are Blogrolls in RSSOwl?

A Blogroll is a file that stores RSS / RDF / Atom newsfeeds. The file may be accessed from RSSOwl with entering the path into the new Blogroll. After successfull loading of the Blogroll it displays the favorites (and categorys if existing) in the tree on the left side. Blogrolls allow sharing of favorites with other people.


How do I export Blogrolls?

Just rightlick on a category in the tree on the left side and choose "Export" > "To OPML File" and select a path where to save the file. The file will contain all subcategorys and favorites of the selected category. Place the file for example on a webserver and give the URL to your friends. They will be able to subscribe to that file and see the favorites in RSSOwl.


How do I import an OPML file into RSSOwl?

Please choose "File" > "Import From OPML..." and enter the file into the dialog. RSSOwl will create a new category filled with all newsfeeds from the OPML.


I miss the possibility to print newstext

The graphic library that RSSOwl uses supports printing only on Windows and Mac. As SWT is developed to new versions, printing will be possible in the future and then activated in RSSOwl on Linux.

Until then, please use the export feature to print PDF or RTF documents with your favorite reader.


Is it possible to use a proxy server with RSSOwl?

Please goto "Tools" > "Preferences" > "Connection" and enter host, port and if required username and password of your proxy server. The proxy server is now used for every Newsfeed you open.

See topic "Is it possible to disable the usage of a proxy for some favorites?" how to disable the usage of the proxy for certain favorites.


Is it possible to disable the usage of a proxy for some favorites?

Yes. Just rightclick on a category or favorite in the tree displayed on the left side and select "Properties" > "Use proxy". Click once to remove the check mark. If you (de-)check the "Use proxy" setting in a category all favorites in all subcategorys are affected.

To disable use of the proxy for a Blogroll, simply rightclick on one of the categorys that the Blogroll holds and (de-)check the "Use Proxy" setting in "Proxy".


I get an error after I try to open an XML file. What might be the problem?

Several things may go wrong when trying to open a XML:

- Please make sure that the URL / Path you entered leads to an existing file
- Please make sure that the file is a valid and wellformed RSS, RDF or Atom XML document


I have a question that is not answered in this FAQ. What can I do?

Please visit the RSSOwl forum:

or the public mailing-list:

Feel free to post any questions.