Reader Mode removes everything except text and images from a web page. This makes it easy to read articles and websites. To use Reader Mode on Chrome, click the article icon.

The best part is, you no longer need an extension to use Reader Mode.

Enable Reader Mode

If you do not have this new feature on Chrome yet, enable it from the list of experimental features.

1. Open a new tab and go to chrome://flags/#enable-reader-mode
2. From the drop-down, select Enabled.
3. Restart Chrome.

This enables Reader Mode on Chrome. Now, let us see how to use this on a website.

Note: If you do not have this flag yet, make sure that you are using the latest version of Chrome.

Turn on Reader Mode

When the Reader Mode feature is enabled, you will see a Reader Mode icon on the addressbar on supported pages.

For example, look at the adress bar for this article, right next to the star icon for bookmarks.

Click the Reader Mode icon to convert any web page into a simple reading-friendly format.

Chrome will remove ads and other page elements like related articles, and newsletter widgets etc.

You can now read the article without any distractions. When you are done, click the same icon to go back to normal web page view.

Read Mode does not have a keyboard shortcut yet. However, this will be a very useful feature if available.

Chrome’s Reader Mode offers a few customization options. Let us take a look at these options.

Change Font

Websites display articles in different fonts. While you are using Reader Mode, you can change the font used to display articles.

You can read articles using your favorite font and also enjoy the consistency of this experience.

To change the font, click “A” above the article title and select the new font from the fonts dropdown.

Here is the list of fonts currently available on Chrome:

It is not a very long collection of fonts. However, we hope to see more fonts on this list in the feature. You could submit feedback to the Chrome team to request more fonts.

Change Font Size

To change the font size while reading an article, click the “A” icon and then use the font size slider.

Move the slider towards the right to increase font size. Move it to the left to reduce the font size.

Use Dark Mode

You have three different mode for reading:

• Light
• Sepia
• Dark

Click “A” above the article title and click the circle to select the mode.

That covers reading on your computer or Chromebook. What about your smartphone?

Reader Mode on Android

Reader Mode is still an experimental feature on Android. You must enable a flag to get started.

1. Open a new tab and go to chrome://flags
2. Search for “Reader mode triggering”
3. Select one of the following:
   1. With article structured markup: Displays Reader Mode option only for pages identify themselves as articles.
   2. Non-mobile-friendly articles
   3. Always: Displays this option for all pages
   4. All articles
4. Restart Chrome.

You are now ready to use Reader Mode on your Android phone.

Open an article and based on the option that you selected from the flag’s dropdown, you should see an icon to turn on Reader Mode.

Tap the Show simplified view icon to trigger Reader Mode. Chrome for Android will now display the converted simple version of the article.

Change Theme, Font and Font Size in Reader Mode (Android)

You have the same options to change theme, font and font size on Android too. To open these options:

1. Click the three-dots icon on the top-right corner.
2. Tap Appreacnce.
3. Choose a theme, font, and fon-size from the customize menu.

If your phone is using Dark Mode, the Reader Mode will also use it by default. You can override this from the Appearance menu.

Questions related to Reader Mode? Let us know in the comments section.