LocalRead — Local Novel Reader

LocalRead is a Chrome extension for novels you keep on your device—import to a private shelf and read calmly, without a cloud library. Import & library Import EPUB, TXT, HTML, or PDF by drag-and-drop or the import button. Covers, progress, and continue-reading live on your machine. A welcome sample book is included so you can try themes and page turns immediately. Reading Choose paper themes (ivory, parchment, night, eye-care, ink, sepia), paginated turning or continuous scrolling, and gentle page effects. Dual page, tap zones, bookmarks, in-book search, reading stats, and export are available. PDF supports original-page rendering and text mode. Typography Adjust font size, line height, tracking, paragraph spacing, first-line indent, column width, and text color—or add custom CSS. Preferences can be set from the library or the reader and apply globally. Open as & languages Open as a side panel, a dedicated window, or a normal tab. UI languages: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean (follows the system by default). Privacy & ads Book files and reading progress stay in the browser (IndexedDB). Nothing is uploaded for cloud sync. The extension may show third-party ads (PlayaYield) inside its own UI (toolbar popup and library / side panel). Ads are not injected into websites you browse and do not modify search. v1.4.5 Fixed TXT chapter detection. Titles—such as "Chapter 1"—can now be correctly identified even when they include indentation, full-width (double-byte) numerals, or book-title marks (《》), or when they appear on the same line as the body text. This prevents the entire book from being incorrectly segmented into generic "Section N" entries. If a title appears at the very beginning of a document but the same chapter name recurs later, that initial instance will no longer be treated as a separate chapter. In cases where no chapter titles exist at all, the text will be segmented based on line breaks, with each segment labeled as "Part N." For previously imported TXT files that are still segmented as "Section N," the app will now prompt you—upon opening the book from your bookshelf or the reading screen—to re-process the file using the original source. You do not need to delete the book; your reading progress will be mapped to the beginning of the corresponding chapter, and any existing bookmarks that align with the new structure will be preserved. Fixed an issue where black boxes would appear in the left, center, or right click zones when using the left/right arrow keys to turn pages. Arrow keys will no longer trigger page turns when the language selection dropdown menu in the settings is in focus.