Search Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »
Sign in

What are the ways that I can view books?

Our user interface allows you to browse the titles on Google Books in several ways. All of the controls described here are located in the blue bar just above the page image.

Using the zoom feature

You can increase the size of the text in a book you're browsing by using the zoom controls. In order to zoom in, simply click the '+' button until the text is the desired size. When you zoom in on a book page, you can click and drag with the mouse in order to view more of the page. To zoom out, click the '-' button. (Please note that there's a limit to how far you can zoom in on a page.)

Page view options

By clicking the icon that looks like two pages side by side, you can change the viewing panel to display facing pages, as you'd see in a printed book. Please note that this option is only available for books added to Google Books through our Library Project. Click the single-page icon to return to the scrolling view. You can move from page to page, using the arrow buttons ('<' and '>'), scroll bar or keyboard – try the space bar, Page Up, Page Down and the arrow keys. You can also expand the book viewing area to your entire browser window by clicking the button with four expanding arrows.

Partner Programme

Do you have questions about our Partner Programme? Visit our Partner Help Centre.

Learn from other Google users

Find answers, ask questions and share your expertise with other users in the Books Help Forum.