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Reading tips, keyboard shortcuts, and advanced usage.
Reading tips
Supported files
Common image formats, EPUB and PDF books, and comic or archive formats including CBZ, ZIP, CBR, RAR, 7Z, and TAR.
System requirements
Leaf requires macOS 15 or later. Download it from the Mac App Store. No account is needed to use Leaf.
EPUB reading
Read in pages or scroll, navigate by chapter, and resume where you left off. Reading Settings lets you adjust fonts, text size, spacing, margins, themes, and custom styles. Set defaults for your library or tailor the typography for an individual book.
Reading modes
- Automatic Pairing
- Pairs portrait pages when they fit. Covers, square pages, and landscape pages stay single. Adapts to the window size.
- Single Page
- Shows one page at a time.
- Reading Direction
- Sets paired-page placement and navigation to LTR or RTL.
- Fit and Cover
- Fit shows the whole page or spread. Cover fills the Reader for panning and zooming.
- Remembered choices
- Leaf remembers layout and direction per book or image folder. Change the defaults in Settings.
Keyboard shortcuts
⌘ Command · ⌥ Option · ⌃ Control · ⇧ Shift. Arrow aliases work throughout navigation: ← H/S · ↓ J/D · ↑ K/E · → L/F. Use letters without Shift unless shown; text fields and VoiceOver keep their own navigation.
Windows
- ⌘ + 0 / ⌘ + 1–9
- Show Library / focus an open Reader in Window-menu order.
- G / ⌘ + F
- Toggle full screen. In EPUB, use G; ⌘F searches the book.
- Esc
- In a Reader, dismiss the active popup or panel first, then close the Reader; EPUB leaves full screen before closing. In Library, leave full screen.
Library
- ← / ↑ / ↓ / →
- Navigate folders and items. In the sidebar, ← collapses or selects the parent; → enters the grid. At the grid’s left edge, ← returns to the sidebar.
- Tab / ⇧ + Tab
- Switch sidebar/grid. ⌘↑ also returns to the sidebar and moves up one row.
- Return / Space
- Open a grid item or toggle a sidebar folder.
- I
- Show selected-item details.
- ⌘ + O / ⌘ + R
- Add a folder / refresh the current folder or Library roots.
- ⌘ + K
- Toggle Library search.
- ⌃ + K / ⌃ + J
- Select the previous / next search result from the search field, wrapping at either end.
Reading
- ← / →
- Turn pages in reading direction; hold to repeat in image/PDF/comic Readers. In EPUB scroll mode, switch sections.
- ↑ / ↓
- Scroll; hold for continuous movement. Also pan in image/PDF/comic Cover mode or an enlarged EPUB image.
- Space / ⇧ + Space
- Move forward. In image/PDF/comic Readers, Shift moves backward; scroll mode moves by most of a window.
- ⌘ + ← / ⌘ + →
- Images/PDF/comics: jump to the beginning / end, regardless of reading direction. Also Home / End.
- C
- Toggle paged / scroll mode.
- W / T
- Toggle contents / annotations. Annotations are available for Library EPUB books.
- Z / ⇧ + Z
- Reading history back / forward.
- V
- Toggle reading information. EPUB also accepts I.
- A
- Fit window width to the page/spread or EPUB cover, outside full screen.
- R / P
- Images/PDF/comics: toggle LTR/RTL direction / Automatic Pairing or Single Page.
- ⌥
- Images/PDF/comics: tap to switch Fit/Cover; hold to preview, release to return.
- / / ⌘ + F
- EPUB: search the book.
- ⇧ + /
- Show Keyboard Help (? on a US keyboard).
Panels & annotations
- ← / → / Tab / ⇧ + Tab
- Switch contents tabs.
- Delete
- EPUB: delete an existing annotation in its selected-text popup; edits text while typing a comment.
Advanced usage
EPUB Custom CSS
- Open your EPUB in Leaf, then enable Safari → Settings → Advanced → Show features for web developers.
- In Safari’s Develop → Inspect Apps and Devices, find Leaf’s EPUB web view and open Web Inspector.
- Use the Elements tab to inspect the book’s text and test CSS in the Styles panel. These changes are temporary.
- Copy your CSS into Leaf’s Custom Styles · This Book → Edit CSS… and click Save to apply it to this book.