Tips to make reading books

Introduction

The Mac may not be as good as the iPad or Kindle for reading ebooks, but with these helpful hints, you can still have a pleasant experience.

As the world becomes more digital, reading on your Mac has become increasingly important. Some people find reading on Mac screens uncomfortable, while others may find it too distracting. Whatever your experience is like, it could be improved with some pointers.

As fellow Mac users who read daily, we've compiled a list of useful tips for you to consider before your next session. We don't expect you to discover everything here for the first time, but it may help you identify a few key elements missing from your digital reading life.

1. Find a Good Reading App

A novel in EPUB format? Is it a textbook? Maybe even a PDF? Perhaps you would like to read offline books more if you avoided the default programs in favor of something more feature-rich—and more visually appealing.

Ebook reading apps may help you organize your book collection, measure your progress, and provide wonderful features such as in-app annotations, highlighting text-to-speech, and much more.

We recognize that there are numerous apps to select from, so we've highlighted some of the finest free Ebook readers on the Mac App Store. Download as many as you like and experiment with them; one of them should be exactly what you're searching for.

2. Adjust the Font

If you find yourself straining your eyes when reading on your Mac, change the font to something your eyes can accept. You can change the font in any typical reading app. With a reading app, look for an AA icon, which usually indicates the accessibility and formatting settings.

For example, on Apple Books, you can change the font size by opening a book, clicking the AA sign on the upper right, and then selecting the bigger or smaller A to make the font bigger or smaller. If you scroll down the menu, you'll see a list of typefaces from which to choose for your ebook.

3. Adjust External Lighting and Screen Brightness

Depending on where you are, bright or dim lighting might make reading uncomfortable. While using your Mac in a dimly light location, one approach to avoid nausea or eye strain is to reduce screen brightness.

You may quickly alter the brightness of your Mac's screen by looking for the sun icons on your Mac keyboard. If you don't have an Apple keyboard, you may alter the brightness of your Mac's screen from the Control Center by dragging the Display slider.

However, increasing the screen brightness necessitates keeping an eye on your surroundings. As a result, alter the brightness of your screen and utilize warmer hues as your ambient lighting.

4. Use Dark Mode

Reading apps frequently show text with a black font on a white background by default. While this has benefits, it is preferable to read in Dark Mode, which inverts the default by displaying light text on a dark background. This minimizes the amount of blue light emitted by your Mac, reducing eye strain in low-light environments.

A Dark Mode option should be available in any decent reading program (or even website). Dark Mode choices for reading apps may be found in the AA settings. But, if Dark Mode is already activated on your Mac, most reading platforms will display it automatically.

5. Enable Focus

One advantage of working on a computer is that we can keep track of everything that is going on by using notifications. But, when trying to read, these messages can rapidly become bothersome interruptions.

If you find yourself continuously distracted from reading due to phone calls, banners, and pings, it's time to utilize Focus to limit distractions on your Mac. Toggling Focus in the Control Center makes it simple to enable.

6. Set Up the Dictionary

Indeed, your Mac includes a dictionary; you don't need to launch a separate software to search for words. You can set up a gesture in macOS's Lookup tool to rapidly search a word while in your reading app or webpage.

It's enabled in System Settings > Trackpad > Look up & Data detectors. Select your gesture from the dropdown menu, and you're ready to start.

If you need more information, we have a specific guide on how to utilize your Mac's dictionary that should be of use.

7. Use a Hot Corner for Note-Taking

If you read more seriously and want to take notes, the Quick Note Hot Corner function may come in handy. Simply move your mouse to a specific corner of your screen, and a note window overlay will appear.

Moving the pointer to the bottom-right corner will start a Quick Note by default, but you can modify this by following these steps:

1. Go down to Desktop & Dock in System Settings.

2. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the Desktop & Dock menu.

3. Choose Hot Corners.

4. A four-cornered illustrated window will appear.

5. Select a location for your Hot Corner and click Quick Note.

6. Click the Done button.

You no longer need to switch windows only to snap a screenshot.

8. Use an Adjustable External Monitor

While Apple's displays are currently fantastic, they may lack the requisite size or some sophisticated reading features. Consider a MacBook; without a stand and an extra keyboard, it can only remain at a particular height, which may be an issue if you want your screen to be at the same level as your head.