The Microsoft ebook store had a tumultuous existence when it launched a few years ago. The only way to read the books was with the Edge Browser and Microsoft devoted hundreds of hours to introduce new features and enhancements. When Microsoft shuttered their bookstore a couple of months ago, the writing was on the wall that Edge would lose support to read ebooks and this has finally happened.
Microsoft posted a new support page for the Edge Browser and the elimination of EPUB support. “Microsoft Edge will no longer support e-books that use the .epub file extension. Visit the Microsoft Store to see our recommended .ePub apps. You can expect to see more added over time as we partner with companies like the DAISY Consortium to add additional, accessible apps.”
They also stated that that they have shortlisted a few accessible ePub applications within the Microsoft Store. These apps are expected to be available in the Microsoft Store after September 2019. You can review the current set of recommended apps in the Microsoft Store collection.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
