KOReader's status bar, and the Bookends plugin
KOReader's built-in bottom status bar already shows progress, time and battery, and it is highly configurable. The community Bookends plugin goes further with corner overlays. Here is what each does.
Last updated September 2026
The strip along the bottom of a KOReader page — progress, page numbers, clock, battery — is the status bar (KOReader also calls it the footer). It is one of the most configurable parts of the app, and for most people the built-in options are enough. A third-party plugin called Bookends adds more if you want it.
The built-in status bar
Tap it, or open the reading menu and find the status-bar settings. You can:
- Choose which items show and in what order: percent read, pages left in chapter, pages left in book, current time, battery, chapter title, book title, reading-time estimates, and more.
- Switch the progress readout between a bar, a percentage, page
x of y, or a combination. - Set it to one or two rows, or hide it entirely and show it only on a gesture.
- Change alignment and separators so it does not look cluttered.
- Toggle it quickly — a two-finger tap or a corner swipe by default — to get a completely clean page and bring it back when you want a status check.
A common setup: one row, showing chapter progress, pages left in the chapter, and the time, with battery hidden until it is low.
The Bookends plugin
Bookends is a community plugin (not part of KOReader) that places configurable text overlays in the corners and edges of the page, above and beyond the bottom bar. Each position can show multiple lines with its own font, size and style, and the text is built from tokens that expand to live values — progress, time, battery, chapter, book metadata, a custom label. It ships with a gallery of community presets.
It is genuinely nice if you want, say, the chapter name top-left, the time top-right, and a thin progress line along the bottom edge in your own styling.
The caveats
- It is unofficial. You install it by copying the plugin folder into
koreader/pluginsand it updates itself or via a manual download. - It can break on a KOReader update. A plugin that hooks into the reader UI is exactly the kind of thing a KOReader release can disturb. Expect to reinstall or wait for the plugin author occasionally.
- The built-in bar covers most needs. Try the native settings first; reach for Bookends only if you specifically want corner overlays.
The short version
Spend five minutes in the built-in status-bar settings — one row, the two or three items you actually check, a gesture to hide it. Add the Bookends plugin only if you want styled corner overlays and can live with an unofficial add-on.