Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Smart Home Week
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • Best web hosting
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop

Recommended reading

Images of Spotify's in-app audiobook hub
Spotify Spotify's iPhone app will soon get a useful upgrade for audiobooks fans – here's what's coming
Best free ebook reader
eReaders Best free ebook reader in 2025: read your favorite books online
A close up of a Spotify audiobook and Bloomsbury music books
Spotify I tried Spotify’s new ‘Follow Along’ feature that combines audiobooks with music, but it’s missing one key ingredient
An iPad Pro and Apple Pencil on a violet background.
Phones How to connect and use an Apple Pencil on iPad: tips, tricks, best apps, and more
an image of an iPhone 16 Pro Max on a black table showing the Passwords app
iPhone My favorite iOS 18 app is a tool you're probably not using – and I suggest you try it right away
iOS 18 download icon on an iPhone
iOS How to download iOS 18 on your iPhone – and what to do if it won't install
Kindle Unlimited
eReaders What is Kindle Unlimited? How to sign up, cost, and everything you need to know
  1. Tech

How to download and read books with the iBooks app

How-to
By MacFormat published 12 April 2016

Download great books

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

How to use the iBooks app

How to use the iBooks app

Much as you might expect, iBooks is Apple's alternative to Amazon's Kindle and other ebook readers. It's been available on iPad and iPhone for some time, and is also available in El Capitan as a Mac app.

Best of all, books that you've bought on your iOS device in the past can be re-downloaded to and read on your Mac as well. The iBook Store can be browsed on your Mac, and new books can be purchased and downloaded straight to it.

There's a broad range of books available in the store, and some contain much richer content than a continuous flow of text. Some iBooks are made exclusively for Apple's store to take advantage of interactive features – everything from audio and video content to textbook diagrams that magnify details when you click an annotation.

The Children & Teens and Textbooks categories are particularly good places to find this kind of book. If you've purchased books in the PDF and ePub formats from other online book stores, they can easily be added to your iBooks library provided they're not copy-protected. Go to File > Add to Library… and locate the file for the book you want to add.

Note that while PDFs can be added to your library, they will open in Preview (or whichever app you have assigned to open the file type), hence some features available in iBooks are not available for such publications.

Looking for an iPad to use iBooks on? Check out our video review of the new iPad Pro 9.7 below.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
1. The iBooks Store

1. The iBooks Store

Click on iBooks Store (top left) to open the store. Manage your account under Quick Links on the right. Browse using the category buttons at the top, typing in the search bar, or clicking book covers.

Click 'Free Books' under your account details to view freebies.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
2. Download a sample

2. Download a sample

Click a book's cover to see a description of it, and a star rating compiled from other readers' feedback. Click Ratings and Reviews to read their thoughts in more detail.

Click Get Sample beneath the cover to download an excerpt from the start of a book.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
3. Buy a book later

3. Buy a book later

Next to the Buy Book button is a downpointing arrow. Click it to share a link to the book on social networks and by iMessage and email.

The book can also be added to your wish list, which is accessible under Quick Links on the main store screen.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
4. Read a book

4. Read a book

Click the Library button at the top left to return to your own library. Double-click a book's cover in your library to open it.

If you need to refer to several books at once – perhaps for research – press Command+L while reading one to open the library in a new window.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
5. Fullscreen mode

5. Fullscreen mode

Click the green icon at top left of a window to go fullscreen. Move the pointer to the screen's top edge to see the menu bar and a blue button that switches back.

When reading in a window, Command+1 and Command+2 switch between viewing one or two pages at a time.

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
6. Text appearance

6. Text appearance

In the book's title bar, click the 'AA' icon (top right) to change how text looks. The font can be resized, changed for a range of alternative serif or sans serif typefaces, and set against a white, sepia or black background to make it much easier on your eyes.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
7. Take notes

7. Take notes

Select a range of text and a panel pops up, with which you can mark the text with a highlight colour and, optionally, add a note. Click the square notebook icon at the top left of the window to review your notes.

Click the page number next to one to jump to it.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
8. Add bookmarks

8. Add bookmarks

Click the bookmark icon at the top right of the window or press Command+D to create a bookmark. You can add as many as you want, making them a useful alternative to notes for marking longer passages.

Click the arrow next to the bookmark icon to see all bookmarks.

  • Enjoyed this article? Get more tutorials, guides, and tips on how to get the most from your Apple devices inside MacFormat. Take advantage of an exclusive offer in our sampler today.
Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
TOPICS
Apple
MacFormat
Read more
Images of Spotify's in-app audiobook hub
Spotify's iPhone app will soon get a useful upgrade for audiobooks fans – here's what's coming
Best free ebook reader
Best free ebook reader in 2025: read your favorite books online
A close up of a Spotify audiobook and Bloomsbury music books
I tried Spotify’s new ‘Follow Along’ feature that combines audiobooks with music, but it’s missing one key ingredient
An iPad Pro and Apple Pencil on a violet background.
How to connect and use an Apple Pencil on iPad: tips, tricks, best apps, and more
an image of an iPhone 16 Pro Max on a black table showing the Passwords app
My favorite iOS 18 app is a tool you're probably not using – and I suggest you try it right away
iOS 18 download icon on an iPhone
How to download iOS 18 on your iPhone – and what to do if it won't install
Latest in Tech
A Tesla car, James Bonds and Samsung's foldable promo image
ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Tesla finally launching robotaxis (kinda) to Samsung's foldables teaser
Collage of LG TV, HP Omnibook, Samsung earbuds and GoPro on a green background
Best Buy drops early 4th of July deals - here are the top 23 offers I'd shop this weekend
The image is split into three sections and shows parts of an RGB keyboard, an orange Motorola phone, and a multicolored rope light.
Good tech doesn’t have to be boring – from headphones to smart lights, here are my top 6 recommendations for colorful tech that'll stand out from the crowd
The Oakley Meta glasses, Alexa+ logo, and the Trump Mobile
ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech news stories from Oakley's next-gen smart glasses to our first week with Alexa+
Ring Battery Doorbell in white on blue background with TechRadar lowest price text
Don't wait for Prime Day: the Ring Battery Doorbell drops to a new record-low price
HP OMEN 16 2K 144Hz Gaming Laptop on pink background with TechRadar don't miss sign
RTX 5060 gaming laptops are starting to drop in price - like this $300 off HP Omen at Best Buy
Latest in How Tos
A woman dances on a friend's shoulders at the Glastonbury Festival held at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset on June 29 near Glastonbury, England. The festival, founded in 1970, has grown into one of the largest outdoor green field festivals in the world.(Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
How to watch Glastonbury on BBC iPlayer (it's FREE)
Jake Paul and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in their face off for their fight on 28 July.
How to watch Jake Paul vs Chavez Jr live on DAZN tonight – best PPV prices, start time
Sione Katoa of the Sharks scores a try during the NRL Preliminary Final match between the Penrith Panthers and the Cronulla Sharks
NRL Premiership live stream 2025: how to watch rugby online, FREE options, streaming guide
Maro Itoje in training for British & Irish Lions
Western Force vs Lions FREE streams: How to watch British & Irish Lions tour live online from anywhere now
Charli XCX playing at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards
How to watch Saturday at Glastonbury: live stream the 2025 festival – ft. Neil Young, Charli XCX & Kneecap
 British rapper Loyle Carner performs live on stage during a concert during day 2 of Lollapalooza 2024
How to watch Friday at Glastonbury 2025: live stream Day 1 ft. The 1975, Loyle Carner, Lewis Capaldi
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    I reviewed the Beelink ME mini - and while it won’t serve as the dual-purpose mini PC it wants to be, it's a great alternative solid-state server
  2. 2
    Apple could finally go all-screen with the iPad Pro, as new leak hints at slimmest-ever bezels
  3. 3
    Candy-colored kitchen appliances are everywhere this summer, and these are 5 of the cutest
  4. 4
    I used to play Marvel Snap every day but I’m so frustrated by its recent changes I’m leaving for my new favorite card game
  5. 5
    After years of using Things 3, iOS 26 could move me to Reminders

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...