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Version: Unreleased

Reading and Playback

Users with Books Read permission and access to a book's library can open supported files directly in Shisho. Select Read for EPUB, KePub, MOBI, AZW3, CBZ, and PDF files or Listen for M4B files.

Reader preferences are saved to your Shisho account and follow you between browsers. Reading and listening positions are not saved as progress records.

EPUB, MOBI, and AZW3 Reader​

EPUB, KePub, MOBI, and AZW3 files open in the same reader, which provides:

  • Table-of-contents navigation
  • Previous and next page controls
  • A progress bar that can jump within the book
  • Paginated and Scrolled flow modes
  • Light, Dark, and Sepia themes. Light keeps the book's own text and background colors; Dark and Sepia replace them.
  • Font sizes from 50% to 200%
  • Optional automatic hiding of the header and footer

Use the Settings button inside the reader to change font size, theme, flow, and control visibility. These settings apply to all of these formats, so a theme chosen while reading a MOBI also applies to EPUBs. In paginated mode, click or tap the left and right sides to change pages. The Left Arrow or A moves back; the Right Arrow or D moves forward. When controls are hidden automatically, move the pointer to show them, or tap the middle of the page (paginated) or the text (scrolled).

Reading position is not persisted. Reopening a book starts from the beginning.

CBZ and PDF Readers​

CBZ and PDF use the same page-based reader. It provides:

  • Page and chapter navigation
  • A clickable page progress bar
  • Fit Height and Fit Width display modes
  • Configurable preloading of nearby pages
  • Optional automatic hiding of controls

A CBZ or PDF file's page shows its pages as a grid; select one to open the reader on that page.

The current page is stored in the URL as ?page=, so refreshing or bookmarking that URL returns to the same page. It is not stored as account-level reading progress.

Use the Left Arrow or A for the previous page and the Right Arrow or D for the next page.

M4B Player​

The audiobook player provides:

  • Play, pause, and seek controls
  • 30-second skip controls
  • Chapter navigation when chapters are available
  • Playback speeds from 0.5x to 3x

The selected playback speed is saved to your account. Listening position is not saved, so reopening an audiobook starts from the beginning.

Browser audio support depends on the file's codec, and some audiobooks play only in certain browsers. See Audiobook Browser Compatibility.

Reader Settings​

Open the user menu and select Preferences for shared reader preferences such as Auto-hide controls. Format-specific settings are available from the reader itself.