How to Preview Your E-Book
The preview on the right of the editor shows your book on a real e-reader. Pick a device, turn its pages, and see every change you make a few seconds later.
How to choose a device
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Click the device list at the top of the preview.
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Choose a device. Your book redraws in its frame.
| Choose | To see your book |
|---|---|
| Kindle Tablet | On a Kindle tablet, in color. |
| Kindle E-reader B&W | On a black-and-white Kindle. |
| Apple iPhone | In Apple Books on a phone. |
| Apple iPad 11-inch | In Apple Books on a tablet. |
| Kobo Clara BW B&W | On a black-and-white Kobo. |
| Kobo Clara Colour | On a color Kobo. |
| Nook Simple Touch B&W | On a black-and-white NOOK. |
| Android Tablet | In Google Play Books on a tablet. |
| eBook PDF Preview | As an e-book PDF: no page numbers, the same margins on every page, and links you can click. |
Each device lays your book out the way that reader does, and black-and-white screens show it in gray. The print modes are at the bottom of the same list: see How to Preview Print.
Lacuna remembers the last device you used for each book.
How to turn pages
Hover the preview and click the Previous page or Next page arrow at its edge, or turn pages with your mouse’s scroll wheel.
| Do this | To |
|---|---|
| Click a section in the sidebar | Open its first page in the preview. |
| Click the open section again | Go back to its first page. |
| Click the list button at the top right of the preview | Choose any section. It opens in the editor too. |
| Go to previous Section / Go to next Section | Jump to the section before or after (the arrows on each side of the list button). |
How to change the reader settings
Readers choose their own font size, font and page color on their devices. Try their choices here: they change only the preview, never your e-book.
Click Font settings (Aa):
| Choose | To |
|---|---|
| Font Size | Make the text bigger or smaller: four sizes, from small to extra large. |
| Font Family | Read in Charis SIL, Baskerville, EB Garamond, OpenDyslexic, TeX Gyre Pagella or Tinos. |
Click Preview settings:
- Page Color: Light, Dark or Sepia changes the color of the page in the preview. Choose Dark to check your book in dark mode. Your e-book is unchanged.
- Show Edit Buttons: turn the edit buttons on or off.
How to use the edit buttons
Hover part of your book in the e-reader preview, such as a section title or a blockquote, and edit buttons appear on it. Click one to open that part’s style settings: the quickest way to restyle what you’re looking at.
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Hover the part you want to change in the preview.
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Click its button. Its settings open, and the preview shows your changes before you click Apply.
A section title has a button for each part of it:
| Click | To open |
|---|---|
| Spacing | Heading Spacing: the space around the title. |
| Image | Heading Image: a picture above the title. |
| Background | Heading Background Image: a picture behind the title. |
| Title | Heading Title: the title’s font, size and look. |
| Number | Numbered Chapter Settings: the chapter number (numbered chapters only). |
| Subtitle | Heading Subtitle: the subtitle’s font, size and look. |
Other parts, such as blockquotes, lists and tables, show one Edit button. To hide the buttons, turn off Show Edit Buttons in Preview settings.
When the preview updates
The preview redraws about three seconds after you stop typing. Formatting, adding or moving something shows sooner. The spinner beside the device list turns while it redraws.
While a style panel is open, the preview shows your changes before you click Apply.
Preview looks stuck? Click the spinner (Force refresh device preview) to redraw it now.
How to jump between the editor and the preview
| Choose (Preview menu) | Or press | To |
|---|---|---|
| Show Editor Content in Preview | Ctrl/Cmd+]⌘ Cmd+]Ctrl+] | Turn the preview to the paragraph your cursor is in. It flashes so you can spot it. |
| Show Preview Content in Editor | Ctrl/Cmd+[⌘ Cmd+[Ctrl+[ | Move the editor to the first paragraph on the page the preview shows. |
Clicking a search result moves both the editor and the preview to it. You can change these keys in keyboard shortcuts.
Questions
How do I sync the editor and the preview on Windows?
Press Ctrl/Cmd+]⌘ Cmd+]Ctrl+] to turn the preview to the paragraph your cursor is in, or Ctrl/Cmd+[⌘ Cmd+[Ctrl+[ to move the editor to the page the preview shows. Both are in the Preview menu.
Why won’t my preview show next to the editor?
It’s hidden: click Toggle Preview Panel at the top of the menu on the right, or press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+PCtrl+Shift+P. If it shows Device Incompatibility or Section Hidden, the section is set to print only or hidden: right-click it and change Set Device Type.
How do I make the Kindle preview bigger on the screen?
Make the Lacuna window bigger, or full screen: the device fills the preview’s height, up to 40% of the window’s width. The preview can’t be dragged wider. To make the text bigger, choose a larger Font Size in Font settings.
Why does my book look off-center in the preview?
Kindle, Kobo and NOOK don’t center a page top to bottom, so a title page sits near the top there; Apple Books and Google Play center it. The preview shows what each reader really does. In print, see How to Preview Print.