How to enable EPUB reader on Microsoft Edge

Microsoft is bringing back the ability to view EPUB books on Edge, and here's how to enable an early preview of the feature.

Microsoft Edge EPUB reader
Microsoft Edge EPUB reader
  • To enable EPUB support on Microsoft Edge, open the app’s icon properties, click the “Shortcut” tab, add “–enable-features=msEdgeEPUBReaderEnabled” to the target path, click “Apply” and “OK,” and drag and drop a “.EPUB” file on Edge.

On Microsoft Edge, you can once again open and read EPUB files, and in this guide, you will learn how to enable the feature. Support for EPUB files has been available before, but it was removed for some reason. Now, starting with version 117, Microsoft is bringing the support back to Microsoft Edge.

EPUB is an open XML-based standard for electronic books (ebooks) that supports formatting, text reflow, font embedding, and multimedia content. It is supported by a wide range of e-readers and applications for Windows 11, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux, making it a popular format for distributing and reading ebooks.

On version 117 (Canary Channel) of Microsoft Edge, the company is finally bringing back the support, but it’s still a work in progress since you have to enable the feature manually.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to enable the new EPUB support on Microsoft Edge.

Enable EPUB reader on Microsoft Edge

To enable the EPUB reader hidden on Microsoft Edge, use these steps:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge (Canary).

  2. Click the Settings and more (three-dotted) button.

  3. Click on Settings.

  4. Click on System and performance.

  5. Under the “Startup boost” section, turn off the Startup boost toggle switch.

    Microsoft Edge disable Startup boost

  6. Close Microsoft Edge.

  7. Right-click the browser shortcut, right-click the app name, and select the Properties option.

    Microsoft Edge shortcut properties

    Quick note: You may have to pin the browser to the Taskbar to follow this step. Alternatively, you can right-click the desktop icon and select the “Properties” option.
  8. Click the Shortcut tab.

  9. In the “Target” setting, append the following option after the path:

    --enable-features=msEdgeEPUBReaderEnabled

    The target should look like this:

    "C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge SxS\Application\msedge.exe" --enable-features=msEdgeEPUBReaderEnabled

    Microsoft Edge enable EPUB reader

  10. Click the Apply button.

  11. Click the OK button.

  12. Open Microsoft Edge.

  13. Drag and drop a “.EPUB” file onto the browser.

Once you complete the steps, you will be able to view and interact with EPUB files. On the top, you will find the controls to navigate the table of contents, bookmark pages, change pages, and zoom in and out.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].