Microsoft released a new Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14971 today on Nov. 17, 2016. One of the noticeable features is the native support for ePub eBook format. And it works pretty well, as long as the ePub file you open is unprotected.

First of all, the Edge browser is the default app for all .epub files and has a customizable reading view designed for it. Unless you use other apps, you can simply double-click the .epub ebook and start reading.

Navigation

There are a number of ways that you can use to navigate through the book.

First of all, if you are on a touch screen, you can just swipe your finger left or right on the page to flip the page forward or backward. If not, you can still click the Next or Back arrow icon to move the page.

Secondly, you can use the slide bar at the bottom of the edge browser to fast forward or backward.

Then, there is the Table of Content button at the top left corner for you to use as well.

How can one use an eBook reader without the bookmark? The Bookmark icon is right there at the top right corner. Click it to bookmark a page while you read. Then, go to the Bookmark list next to the Table of Content to access them when needed.

Reading Style

You can also customize the reading style to set up an environment you feel most comfortable reading. Click the 2-A icon right next to the Bookmark icon to bring up a small panel where you can change the Text size, Font style, as well as one of three pre-defined themes.

Overall, this is a really nice feature Microsoft has put on Edge, which makes it not only just a web browser but a multi-purpose app that can also open all kinds of files, e.g. PDF, Image files, and now ePub. I hope Mobi will be the next one on the list to be added on the list.

eBook resources

You can download and read unprotected e-books from places like Feedbooks, Project Gutenberg, Free eBooks (requires sign-up), ePubBooks (requires sign-up), Open Library.