Read books in Books on Mac
After you get books from the Book Store or download books you purchased on other devices, you can start reading them.
Note: To sync your progress in a book across all your Apple devices signed in to the same Apple Account, you need to set up iCloud. See Use iCloud to read and listen on all your devices. For more information about reading books on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Vision Pro, see the user guide for your device.
If you’d rather have a book read to you, you might enjoy listening to audiobooks.
See what you’re currently reading
In the Books app, Home is the place to pick up where you left off, or to start reading a new book or listening to a new audiobook.
Go to the Books app
on your Mac.Click Home in the sidebar.
Books you’re currently reading appear in the Continue section. If you haven’t started reading a book, click All—below Library in the sidebar—to see a list of purchased books.
Open and move around in a book
Go to the Books app
on your Mac.Click Books (or another collection) below Library in the sidebar.
If you don’t see collections below My Collections, hold the pointer over My Collections in the sidebar, then click
.Double-click a book to open it.
If the book has
below it, you can double-click the book to download it from iCloud (you might need to sign in first).Move around the book:
See the table of contents: Move the pointer to the top of the book, then click
or 
, depending on the book.Go to the next or previous page: Move the pointer to the right or left edge of the book, then click the arrow that appears.
You can also swipe right or left across a trackpad or Magic Mouse or use the arrow keys on the keyboard. See View and customize mouse or trackpad gestures.
Search in the book: Move the pointer to the top of the book, click
, then enter a word, phrase, or page number. You can also select text, Control-click it, then choose Search.See the last page you viewed: Click
at the lower-left corner of the page after a multipage jump. This is useful if you’re viewing search results or different sections in the book’s table of contents.To return to the page you started on, click
in the lower-right corner of the page.
Save your place with a bookmark
You can save multiple spots in a book with bookmarks.
Tip: Click 
to see all the bookmarks in a book.
Go to the Books app
on your Mac.Click Books (or another collection) below Library in the sidebar, then double-click a book to open it.
On the page you want to bookmark, move the pointer to the top of the page, then click
.If the page is already bookmarked, the Bookmark button is solid. To remove the bookmark, click
again.
Have a book read to you
Go to the Books app
on your Mac.Click Books (or another collection) below Library in the sidebar, then double-click a book to open it.
Do one of the following:
For books that include the Read Aloud feature: Click
in the toolbar at the top of the book. Click the pop-up menu next to the Play button, then choose a page-turning option.For any book: Go to the page you want to hear, then choose Edit > Speech > Start Speaking. See Have your Mac speak text that’s on the screen.
Read information about a book or audiobook
You can view descriptions and details for content that you purchased from the Book Store or Audiobook Store.
Go to the Books app
on your Mac.Click a collection below Library in the sidebar.
Click
for the item, then choose View in Store.Click
next to Book or Audiobook to view more details about the edition.
Delay the display sleep settings while reading
You can adjust the time before your display goes to sleep so it doesn’t disrupt you while you’re reading.
Go to the Books app
on your Mac.Choose Books > Settings, then click Reading.
Select or deselect “Extend by 10 minutes while reading.”
Translate text in a book
Go to the Books app
on your Mac.Select the text you want to translate.
Control-click the selection, then choose Translate [selection]. (If you don’t see this option, you can’t translate this text in Books.)
Choose the current language, then choose the language you want to translate to.
To find books in a different language, see View books and audiobooks by language, country, or region. To manage languages or change your primary language, see Change Language & Region settings.