Readkave › EPUB reader
EPUB reader for Chrome
Chrome downloads EPUB files instead of opening them. Readkave is a free extension that opens EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 books in a browser tab, with real pages, a table of contents, search, bookmarks, highlights and read aloud.
Add to ChromeHelpWorks in Chrome and other Chromium browsers such as Edge and Brave. Desktop only: Chrome for Android and iOS has no extensions.
Open an EPUB file in Chrome
- Install Readkave from the Chrome Web Store (free, no account).
- Click the Readkave icon in the toolbar to open your library.
- Drop the .epub file onto the page, or click Add books. The book opens straight away.
Prefer a double-click? Turn on "Open ebook files in Readkave" in the library settings and EPUB files open in the reader instead of being downloaded (here is the setup). On any website you can also right-click an EPUB link and choose "Open in Readkave". There is a longer walk-through on toolkave: how to open EPUB files in Chrome.
What you can do with an EPUB in Readkave
- Read page by page, or scroll. Pages turn one at a time and never skip a chapter.
- Jump around with the contents panel, search the whole book with every match marked, and come back with the Back button after a footnote.
- Add bookmarks, highlights in four colours and notes, and download them all as a text file.
- Choose a light, sepia or dark theme; it also works on books with their own styling.
- Listen with your browser's voices, from any sentence.
- Read right-to-left (Arabic, Hebrew) and vertical Japanese text.
- Pick up where you stopped: your place is saved in every book, even after a restart.
Where to find EPUB books
Free, legal EPUB files are at Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, Wikisource and the Internet Archive. Right-click an EPUB link on any of them and choose Open in Readkave.
Books that will not open
Many EPUB files bought in shops or borrowed through library apps are protected by DRM (Adobe DRM or Readium LCP) and can only be read in the app they came from. Readkave says so clearly instead of showing a blank page, and does not try to remove the protection.
Questions
Can Chrome open EPUB files without an extension?
No. Chrome has no built-in EPUB reader; it downloads the file. You need an extension such as Readkave.
Is this a free EPUB reader?
Yes. Readkave is free, with no account, no ads and no subscription.
Does Readkave upload my EPUB files?
No. Your books stay in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you ask for a word definition or open a link.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Books in your library open without an internet connection.
Can I read EPUB on my phone with it?
No. Readkave is a desktop Chrome extension, and Chrome for Android and iOS does not support extensions.
Which other formats does it open?
FB2, MOBI, AZW3 and CBZ. See the FB2, MOBI and AZW3 and CBZ pages.