KOReader gestures: taps, swipes and multiswipes explained
KOReader lets you bind almost any action to almost any tap, swipe or corner. Here is the model, the defaults worth knowing, and the few custom gestures most people end up setting.
Last updated September 2026
Every reader has tap zones. KOReader has a full gesture manager: you can assign any action — page turn, bookmark, dictionary, screen refresh, toggle status bar, jump to a chapter — to a tap in a screen region, a swipe from an edge, a diagonal swipe, or a “multiswipe” shape drawn with one finger.
Where it lives
Tap the top of the screen for the menu, then the gear icon, then Taps and gestures, then Gesture manager. Actions are grouped by where they apply: the reader, the file browser, and everywhere.
The defaults worth knowing
- Tap left third to go back a page, right two-thirds to go forward. Tap the top-centre strip for the menu.
- Swipe left or right anywhere to turn pages — more reliable one-handed than aiming for a tap zone.
- Swipe down from the top opens quick settings (brightness, warmth, refresh).
- Swipe up from the bottom opens the “bottom menu” with font and layout controls.
- Diagonal swipe from a corner: by default the bottom-left/right corners toggle the status bar and do a full refresh.
- Two-finger tap toggles the status bar; two-finger swipe adjusts brightness.
Custom gestures most people set
- Corner taps for chapters. Bind top-left to “previous chapter” and top-right to “next chapter” so you can skip around without opening the menu.
- A multiswipe for the bookmark list. Draw an “L” or a ”⌐” shape and bind it to “toggle bookmarks” or “show bookmarks”.
- A gesture for the dictionary. If you look words up a lot, a short swipe or a corner tap set to “show dictionary” beats the long-press each time.
- Full refresh on a swipe. On devices that ghost, a bottom-edge swipe bound to “full screen refresh” is quicker than the quick-settings panel.
- Toggle bookends / status bar. If you use the progress overlay, put its toggle on a two-finger tap so you can hide it for a clean page.
Physical buttons
If your device has page-turn buttons, they are configured in the same place under Physical buttons (or “Key remap”). KOReader ignores the stock reader’s button settings and uses its own — long-press actions included.
The short version
Learn the swipe-to-turn and the two swipe menus first. Then set corner taps for chapter jumps and one multiswipe for bookmarks, and you rarely open the menu while reading.