EPUB Readers can be hardware or software that meant to support ebook files with .epub extensions and stands for Electronic publication. It is a free and open e-book standard by the International Digital Publishing. The popular example of this is Amazon Kindle which is a hardware + software platform designed specifically to read E-books.
Top epub reader for Windows 10 (2021) 1. Calibre epub reader. The first best open-source software in the list to view and read ePub files is Calibre. It is available on the Microsoft Windows 10 store. Although the software is free to download in both 32-bit and 64-bit version but from its official website. How to Enable thumbnail preview of PDFs in Windows ExplorerHow To Made Your Pc WiFi: To Fix A Codec Required Error In Window. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type cleanmgr and then press Enter. Windows 10 maintains a cache database with thumbnail images for every. How to view EPUB covers in the preview panel Post by nmc » Sat Oct 03, 2015 2:35 am I don't know of any EPUB preview handler, but this allows you to at least see the cover of the epub in Everything's preview panel.
Now, the questions can we view and read Epub format books on Windows?
Yes, as I said there are free Epub reader software available specifically for Windows 10/8/7 platforms. Apart from it, many of them available for smartphone and tablets as well. Basically, the Epub file format consists of a group of XHTML files to carry images, text, and other supported content. So, this file format does not stick to some particular platform, even if you have some knowledge of HTML, CSS, and XML, you can create your own Epub viewer tool.
However, everybody is neither a developer nor has that much time to code something. Therefore, to help those people like you and me, there are some free ePub file viewers available online to download.
Coming back to the main topic of this article. Yes, indeed there are many ebook reader apps available but all of them are not good enough to install on Windows. Moreover, you cannot go and try all of them one by one. Thus, we did some research and created a list of free but 10 best Epub readers for Windows 10 in 2020.
Top epub reader for Windows 10 (2021)
1. Calibre epub reader
The first best open-source software in the list to view and read ePub files is Calibre. It is available on the Microsoft Windows 10 store. Although the software is free to download in both 32-bit and 64-bit version but from its official website. If you try to get Calibre from the Windows store, then it is payable. Those don’t want to install it, they can use the portable version of Calibre to carry it along in a pen drive. Its user interface is quite a user-friendly and clearly visible button makes it easy to manage files. We can view the ebook library on the app in three different ways on the basis of meta-information. Furthermore, it is possible to directly download ePub ebooks on Calibre along with covers and metadata such as author, publisher, title, tags, ISBN, and more…
One of the good features of this Caliber is an eBook converter that lets us convert various document formats into e-books. Therefore, if have Amazone Kinde and want to convert some existing document to read on it, use this app. It can also handle the new KF8 format (Kindle Format 8) and offers support to all Windows platforms such as Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10.
Key features:
- Inbuilt web-server for easy handling of the ePub library.
- We can download ebooks online.
- RSS feeds are supported
- Transfer of ePub files one device to another
- Calibre has a built-in editor
- With a built-in plugin system, users can extend its functionality.
- And more…
Download for free.
2. Adobe Digital Editions
Well, Adobe’s name is not unfamiliar to anyone but do you know they also offer an ebook reader tool. The name of that is Adobe Digital Editions, another popular tool to handle a virtual library of your eBooks on Windows PC. Its interface is crafted nicely and controls are at the right place thus quick to find and easy to use. We can download e-books from an online store to directly read over it. Furthermore, drag-drop features allow users to easily manage documents. Unlike most of the Adobe software, it is free, and we can say, the best reason to go for it. Apart from a simple view, double-page is also there along with support for EPUB 3. According to the ADE, the Adobe digital editions is the best EPUB3 readers that allow the interactive reading, great view of mathematical formulas along with the rendering of audio & video ebook content.
Key features:
- Sample ebooks library
- Interactive layout
- Best possible rendering of media & mathematical content
- Download and Transfer of books between devices
- Support audio and video
- Multi-lingual
- Support various screen readers such as JAWS, Window-eyes, and NVDA in Windows, and Voiceover in Mac OS.
- Multiple file-formats including EPUB, EPUB3, and PDF.
- Printing
- Buying eBooks and more
Download for Free
3. NOOK
It is not only for books but also can use to read various Magazines, Newspapers, and Comics. Just like Amazon, one of the largest bookselling brands Barnes and Nobles had launched the ePub reader app called Nook. Not only the software but also the hardware, yes like Kindle, Nook has its own ebook reader tablet called waterproof NOOK GlowLight with monochrome eInk display. It is a versatile free eReader app that can be installed on Windows 10 directly from the Microsoft app store.
The Nook ePub app is absolutely free with sample Nook books, however for newspapers or magazines, one has to pay. Well, before doing that you can enjoy the free 14 days trial of it. If we talk about the interface, it’s not going to make you feel bad at all. We can view ebooks with different fonts, line spacing, and themes, turn pages with the flick of a finger or jump to any page. It supports Windows 10 along with Android and iOS platforms.
Key features
- User-friendliness and Interface
- Supports Doc, PDF, ePub and Third-party DRM formats
- NOOK app syncs across tablet and PC
- Read from where you left
- Inbuilt store to buy books from Nook large book database
Download for free
4. Bookviser
In short, I want to say about this great free Epub Reader for Windows platform is “Simple, clean, and intuitive“. If you have a Windows tablet then you must try the Bookviser. It has a classic book interface that gives you a feeling that you are reading some ancient mysterious book. Bookviser supports ePub, txt, fb2 along with other mainstream file formats. If you are its users, then you can transfer books from the local folder, download it in the browser, and send it as an email attachment. Its beautiful interface lets us manage and edit book meta-information too.
Key features:
- Sync books across platforms using OneDrive
- Control screen brightness or switch to night mode
- Select the color scheme to customize reading experiance
- Use text and page search to jump to a new section of the book
- Bookmarking
- Download ebooks from Feedbooks, Project Gutenberg, and Smashwords
- Library management
- OPDS support
- Text selection and sharing
Download for free
5. Freda
This one is for those looking for a very straight forward application to read their ePub format ebooks on Windows 10. It is a slim very good ebook reader available on Microsoft store that offers more than 50k classic books for free. The sources of these free ebooks are Smashwords. Gutenburg, Feedbooks, and more… Apart from it, users can read various Epub, MOBI, FB2, HTML, and TXT format files. Furthermore, if you want to share any ebook collection to read on a smartphone, then it possible via DropBox, OneDrive, or Calibre. Offline reading of books is also possible. In addition to this, the app processes and understand margin, alignment, and other Epub file formattings.
The dark mode of the app perfectly blends into the Windows 10 black interface and also won’t hurt the eyes, while reading for a longer time.
Key features:
Open Epub Windows 10
- More than 50000 free ebooks
- Support various online book catalogs such as Manybooks, Ebooksgratuits and more
- OneDrive and DropBox support
- Support Calibre ebook library manager, text-to-speech, speedread and auto-scroll, and OpenDyslexic font.
- EPUB, FB2, HTML and TXT formats
- Synchronization
- Text appearance and layout customization is possible
- Search
Download for free on Windows store
6. Kobo eBooks
So, like Nook and Kindle, the Kobo is also dealt with in providing a full-fledged eReader system rather than software. Well, if you are not interested in buying the hardware, try its free Kobo Desktop App. It gives you access to its eBook store that offers more than 5 million books including free ones, comics, and kids’ titles. We can install it directly from the Windows 10 App store or get the executable from its official website for Windows 7.
Key features:
- Synchronization between Desktop PC and their E-reader tablets.
- Huge online digital books library
- Bookmarking
- Continue reading where you left it
- Search
- Library Management
- Offers Day, Night, and Sepia themes
- Progress tracking
Pdf Icon Preview Windows 10
Download free on MS Store
7. Neat Reader- free EPUB viewer
As its name suggests, this app offers a similar kind of interface as well, Clean and Clear. Neat Reader is freemium software that can even work in a Web browser. Although it is available as an app for Windows, macOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and iOS, however not for Linux. There you can use its web version. And from my point of view, the web app is the unique feature of this free EPUB viewer. Just visit its online website upload ebook and start reading. Well, it can cache the ebooks, so that you can start reading where you have left your content. However, it would be greater, if you register a free account to sync and read across all supported devices including Chrome.
Key features:
- Supports ePub 2 and ePub 3 standards.
- Annotations
- Store book files, notes, reading progress on cloud
- Cross-platform support
- Web App to view ePubs online/offline in the browser
Download for free
8. Icecream EBook Reader
Another one, the great ePub viewer for Windows 10 and earlier operating system is “Icecream EBook Reader“. The developers of this program promote it as the simplest ePub reader with speed and performance. It has the capability to support all common EBook formats such as EPUB or MOBI files. This app has a beautiful interface where users can easily find out the list of books and other information such as file format and reading progress of each book. In addition to this, you can protect your eyes using the night mode feature on Windows platforms. It is a freemium product that supports Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Key features:
- Supports FB2, EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and other formats.
- Users can manager ebook library directly on the software
- Search algorithm to find some ap[articular text in ebooks
- Reading progress show how much you have read so far.
- Copy, Translate or Search words directly on Google
- Annotation, Highlight the important text.
- Resume reading where you left
- Fullscreen & Night screen mode, Bookmarks and custom categories
Download for free.
9. Readium Open Source
After Calibre, this is the second ePub viewer app in the list that is open source. Readium is an extension for Mozilla Firefox & Chrome or chromium-browsers such as Microsoft Edge. This means it is usable on all major platforms such as Windows 10/8/7, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. What you have to do, is to download and install the Readiumextension on your Chrome browser or Microsoft edge (know how to install extensions in Edge browser). After that, whatever the book you want to read, upload the soft copy of that it to the browser. You can customize the text format, font size, background color, and Display format.
Key features:
- Supports EPUB 2.x and 3.x formats
- open-source project
- Based on HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and SVG.
- Basic customization of font and layout
- Support a wide range of platforms
- Lightweight
Download its free extension for Chrome and Firefox.
10. Liberty Book Reader
The last EpubReader in the list is the Liberty that is also available on Windows 10 App store and liked by many people. Just as the above-mentioned most of the free apps, this offers search, bookshelf categories, and ePub support. The app is quick and responsive, users won’t need to wait for the reading.
Key features:
- Offer comfortable reading
- Support popular e-book formats: ePub, FB2, and PDF.
- Advanced typesetting.
- Hundreds of books to read
- Simple and easy interface
- Night mode
- Table of content
- Bookmarks
- Search and Quick jump to another page
Download via Win Store
Verdict- Which one to choose to open ePub on Windows?
I already have Amazon Kindle to read ebooks and when it comes to Windows 10, for me the Freda because of the huge free books library of it. However, for an extensive feature and those that want to convert ePub files, this is not for them. They should go Calibre or other mentioned apps. Actually, nothing is best it all depends on the user choice, hardware, and requirement. So, my job was to list them and yours is to find the most suitable Windows’ Epub reader in that to full your needs. So, go through it and let me know which one worked in all the best possible ways for you.
Thumbnails in Windows Explorer
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[edit]Overview
When browsing in Windows it is often nice to be able to see the cover pages for your eBooks. User Scruffy has found a way to GREATLY help with the task.
[edit]How to do it
[edit]Win XP
First of all, get CDisplayEx - http://sourceforge.net/projects/cdisplayexInstalling this, and using the included batchfile adds CDispShell.dll to your system. This will generate thumbnails of .cbr and .cbz files (which are comic formats, but really are rar and zip formats with images inside)
Now, let's add real zip and rar archives:
Create a file named thumbs.reg and put into itCode:
This adds .zip and .rar, but let's take a step further, because .epub is really a zip file too:Code:
[edit]Windows 7
For Windows 7 use CBX Shell (CBR, CBR - thumbnails) as a alternative to CDisplayEx - Thumbnails function. It is likely that this tool will work on earlier Windows versions as well.
Is easy is just install the CBX Shell and create a thumbs.reg with this code:
if this code does not work use regedit to look for '.cbz' and then replace/rename the '.cbz' to '.epub'
[edit]Common comments
(obviously, you see the pattern, if you have other extensions you wish to 'cover', which are really 'hidden in a zip' formats, such as .odt, just use the above, changing the .epub)
Enable Thumbnails Windows 10
Clicking on the .reg file will ask you if you want to install these entries into your registry. Be warned, you could hurt your windows install doing the wrong thing if you don't know what you are doing. Not that the above will, but a disclaimer is in order here!!!! All the above does is point Windows to the DLL above (installed by CDisplayEx) for each of these extensions. (If you don't have winrar, but use 7zip for example, you might want to also do .rar instead of Winrar in the above)
The net effect is that the 'first' image will now be the thumbnail... so make sure the cover image is named with 00Cover, or otherwise numerically+alphabetically first.
Magically: covers when looking at the files in explorer!
[edit]Windows 10
After unsuccessfully trying everything for windows 10 64 bit and it still not working, the following finally worked for me ComputerHKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.epubShellEx, adding the following keys and their values
[edit]File icon
It is also possible to make a unique icon for Windows in the icon view. For more information see the MobileRead thread on this subject.
[edit]See Also
- MobileRead forum thread comment here