How to Open and Read Comics in Windows 11
Comics, much like their bigger book brothers, are available in both paper and digital forms. Unfortunately, Windows 11 doesn’t have any kind of comic book reader app installed on it by default.
However, you’re able to read digital comics in Windows 11 with third-party software that can open common comic file formats, such as CBZ and CBR. This is how you can read comics with the Cover and YACReader apps.
First, Download Some Comics
Firstly, download a few comic books to open and read in YACReader and Cover. TheGetComics websiteis a good place to download some freely available comics. Click a cover image for a comic to download there. Then select theDownload Nowoption to save the file for it to a folder.
There are also many other similar websites you can get comics. Some comic libraries have freely available downloads, but others are storefronts selling them. Check out ourbest comic book website guidefor details about alternative sources.
When you’ve downloaded comics, it’s a good idea to set up a new, empty folder to store them. Right-click the desktop area of Windows 11 and select theNew>Folderoptions. Then input Comic Books for the directory’s title. Move your downloaded comics into that folder by dragging and dropping their files within File Explorer.
How to Read Comic Books With Cover
Now you’ve got some comics to read; it’s time to open them in Windows 11. Cover is a Microsoft Store app with which you can open and read comics. That app supports all major comic file formats, which makes it a good enough choice. Cover is freely available up to a point, as the free app version comes with a 25-comic limit. These are the steps for installing and opening a comic in Cover:
It’s best to read comics in a maximized Cover window since the text might otherwise be a bit small. Click the comic and select itsTwo PageandFit widthoptions to view double pages across the full width of the window. Then you could scroll down the pages with the mouse and flick through pages by pressing the arrow keys.
Cover has aNight Modeoption you can adjust brightness with and enable a night filter. Click the comic and press theNight modebutton to bring up theBrightnessbar. Then you can drag the bar’s slider down. Or click theNight filterbutton to dim the light for comics in Cover.
As you’re limited to a 25-comic library in Cover, you’ll probably need to erase some comics you’ve read to view new ones at some stage. To do that, open a comic’s source folder in File Explorer. Right-click a comic file in that folder and selectDelete. Then click theSee morebutton at the top right of the Cover app to selectRefreshlibrary.
How to Read Comic Books With YACReader
YACReader is a good alternative freeware comic reader to Cover for Windows platforms dating back to Vista. Unlike Cover, YACReader doesn’t restrict you to a 25-comic library. It also incorporates some nice unique features. This is how you can open up comics with YACReader:
The comics will also be a little small in a non-maximized YACReader window, as in Cover. So, it’s recommended to maximize the app’s window. Click theDouble-page modebutton to view two pages in a single window. Selecting theFit to Widthoption will give you a view of the comic that’s not too small or big.
You can save pages in YACReader by clicking theSetbookmark button. Select theShow bookmarksoption to view thumbnails for your saved pages. You can select a bookmarked page to open from there.
YACReader’sShow go to flowoption is one of its more unique features. Pressing that button brings up a box that displays page thumbnail previews you can flick through and open pages with. That’s a useful feature for selecting specific pages in a comic.
Page flow has five transition effect presets you may choose in the Options window. ClickOptionson the right side of YACReader’s toolbar. Select thePage Flowtab, and choose one of the five preset options. You can also tweak each preset by clickingShow advanced settingsand dragging the bar slider options. Press theSavebutton and restart YACReader to apply a new preset.
How to Read Comics in Your Web Browser
You don’t have to install third-party software to read comics in Windows 11. Instead, you’re able to view and read them in a browser. Some comic book websites include options for viewing comics on them. Alongside thebest ways to read comics online for free, you can also try:
You can read comics on those websites by scrolling down their pages in your browser or clicking the next/previous page buttons. However, the page view options for comics on websites are more limited than those in YACReader and Cover. Nor can you select to bookmark pages. So, most users will probably prefer to download and read comics in Cover and YACReader.
Get Stuck Into Comics in Windows 11
Now you can get stuck into a multitude of freely available comics in Windows 11 with Cover and YacReader. Those apps have all the options and tools you’ll need to open and read comics. However, you can also open comics in Windows with the likes CDisplay Ex MComix, which are two of the best alternatives.
Want to read comics on Windows 10? Here are a few worthy programs to consider for your comic collection.
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