How to open CBR and CBZ files on any device
The quickest way on any phone, tablet or computer is your web browser, right on this page. Drop the comic here, or tap Open a CBR or CBZ now and pick it, and it opens page by page. There is nothing to install and no account to make, and the file never leaves your device.
Read CBR and CBZ files online, free · CBR vs CBZ: which is better?
How to open CBZ files
A CBZ opens the same way as a CBR: drop it on this page, or tap Open a CBR or CBZ now and pick it, and it opens page by page in your browser on any phone, tablet or computer. Without a browser it is the easier of the two, because a CBZ is a plain ZIP archive: renamed to .zip, it unpacks into its page images in File Explorer on Windows, in Finder on a Mac, in the Files app on iPhone and iPad, and in most Android file managers. You get a folder of pictures rather than a comic reader, but every page is there. CBR vs CBZ, compared
How to open CBR and CBZ files on iPhone
Open this page in Safari, tap Open a CBR or CBZ now and choose the comic from the Files app: your Downloads, iCloud Drive or anywhere else Files can reach. It opens page by page, right in the browser, with nothing to install. iPhone has no comic reader built in, and the Files app only unpacks ZIP archives, so it cannot show you a CBR on its own.
How to open CBR and CBZ files on iPad
Same as on iPhone: open this page in Safari, tap Open a CBR or CBZ now and pick the file from Files. On the bigger screen a full page reads close to print size. Want your place kept between the iPad, your phone and your computer? Upload the issue to a free shelf instead and it follows you.
How to open CBR and CBZ files on Android
Open this page in Chrome or any other browser, tap Open a CBR or CBZ now and pick the comic, usually from your Downloads folder. It opens page by page with no app to install. Your phone's file manager can usually unpack a ZIP, which shows a CBZ as a folder of page images, but it is not a comic reader.
How to open CBR and CBZ files on Windows
Open this page in Edge, Chrome or Firefox and drag the file onto it, or click Choose a file. It opens page by page in the tab. Windows has no comic reader of its own. A CBZ is a ZIP, so renaming it to .zip lets File Explorer show the page images inside. Windows 11 has unpacked RAR archives in File Explorer since its 2023 update, so a CBR renamed to .rar opens there too; Windows 10 needs extra software for RAR.
How to open CBR and CBZ files on Mac
Open this page in Safari, Chrome or Firefox and drag the comic onto it. It opens page by page in the tab. macOS has no comic reader built in, and Preview does not open CBR or CBZ files. A CBZ renamed to .zip unpacks with a double click in Finder; a CBR is a RAR archive and needs a RAR tool to unpack.
How to open CBR and CBZ files on Kindle
A Kindle e-reader cannot open CBR or CBZ files. To read a comic on one, convert it to PDF first (the steps are in the answers below) and send it to the Kindle with Amazon's Send to Kindle. Expect small lettering on most models, since a whole comic page shrinks to fit the screen. Amazon Fire tablets are different: they have a web browser, so you can open the comic on this page there, in color.
How to open CBR and CBZ files on Kobo
Kobo e-readers open CBZ and CBR files on their own. Plug the Kobo into your computer with its USB cable, copy the comic onto the Kobo drive, eject it, and the issue appears in your library. Color models such as the Libra Colour show comics in color; the rest show them in grayscale.
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What CBR and CBZ files are
A CBR or CBZ file is a comic book archive: every page of an issue saved as an image, usually JPEG or PNG, and packed into one file. CBZ means comic book ZIP and CBR means comic book RAR. The extension is changed so comic readers know to show the images as pages, in file name order. The comic inside looks the same either way. CBR vs CBZ, compared
Big files and PDF comics
A CBZ is read one page at a time, so even a big one opens quickly. A CBR has to be unpacked in your browser's memory first, so one over 600 MB is too big for a browser tab. For those, and for PDF comics, make a free shelf: big CBRs are unpacked on our servers, and PDFs read like any other comic. The free shelf holds 1 GB, about 20 issues, with no card.
Keep it on a shelf
The quick viewer forgets the file when you close the tab. A free account keeps it: upload once and read it in any browser, on any device, right where you left off, with panel view on every issue you upload. Panel view is in beta, with no narration or subtitles.
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Straight answers
How do I open a CBR file?
Open it in your web browser at livecomics.to: drop the file on this page, or tap Open a CBR or CBZ now and pick it, and it opens page by page. There is no app to install and no account to make, and the file never leaves your device.
How do I open a CBZ file?
The same way as a CBR: drop it on this page, or tap Open a CBR or CBZ now and pick it, and it opens page by page in your browser, free, with no app and no account. A CBZ is a ZIP archive, so renamed to .zip it also unpacks into its page images on Windows, Mac and iPhone, and with most Android file managers.
What program opens CBR files?
Any comic book reader opens CBR files, and so does your web browser: livecomics.to opens them free, with nothing to install. A CBR is a RAR archive, so a RAR tool can also unpack one into a folder of page images, but it will not turn the pages for you.
What is a CBR file?
A CBR file is a digital comic: its pages, saved as images, packed into one RAR archive with the extension changed to .cbr. CBR stands for comic book RAR. Its twin, CBZ, is the same idea packed as a ZIP.
Is there a free online CBR reader?
Yes, this one: LiveComics opens CBR and CBZ files in any browser for free, with no account and no upload. Make a free account if you want your comics kept on a shelf, 1 GB with no card, with your place synced on every device.
Can I open CBZ files online?
Yes. LiveComics opens CBZ and CBR files online in any browser, free, with no app and no account. The file is read inside your browser and never uploaded, unless you choose to keep it on a free shelf.
How do I open CBR files on iPhone or iPad?
Use Safari: open livecomics.to/open-cbr-files, tap Open a CBR or CBZ now and choose the file from the Files app. It opens page by page with no app to install, and the file stays on your device.
How do I open CBR files on Android?
Open livecomics.to/open-cbr-files in Chrome or any other browser, tap Open a CBR or CBZ now and pick the file from your Downloads. It opens page by page with no app to install.
How do I open CBR files on Windows 11?
Drag the file onto livecomics.to/open-cbr-files in Edge, Chrome or Firefox and it opens in the tab. Windows 11 has no comic reader of its own, though since its 2023 update File Explorer can unpack a CBR renamed to .rar into its page images.
How do I open a CBR file on a Mac?
Drag it onto livecomics.to/open-cbr-files in Safari, Chrome or Firefox and it opens page by page. macOS has no comic reader built in, and Preview does not open CBR or CBZ files.
How do I read comics on a PC?
Open livecomics.to/open-cbr-files in Edge, Chrome or Firefox and drag a CBR or CBZ file onto it: the comic opens page by page in the tab, with nothing to install and no account. To keep a collection, upload your comics to a free shelf, 1 GB with no card, and read them in any browser with your place saved. Pick Panel view at upload to read panel by panel, in beta.
How do I read comics on my phone?
Use your phone's browser: open livecomics.to/open-cbr-files, tap Open a CBR or CBZ now and pick the comic, and it opens page by page with no app to install. On a small screen, panel by panel reads better: upload the issue to a free shelf and pick Panel view, in beta, and the reader shows one panel at a time, framed to fill the screen, with your place kept on every device.
Can I read CBR files on a Kindle?
Not directly: Kindle e-readers do not open CBR or CBZ files. Convert the comic to PDF and send it with Send to Kindle, or open it in the web browser of an Amazon Fire tablet.
Can I read comics on a Kindle Colorsoft?
Yes, as a PDF, but not as a CBR or CBZ file: no Kindle e-reader opens those. Convert the comic to PDF and send it with Amazon's Send to Kindle. Reviewers found the Colorsoft shows a PDF in color when it arrives that way, but in grayscale when it is copied over USB. A whole page shrinks to fit the 7-inch screen, so small lettering can be hard to read.
Can a Kobo read CBR and CBZ files?
Yes. Kobo e-readers open both formats on their own: copy the file onto the Kobo over USB and it shows up in your library.
Can I open a PDF comic here?
Not in the no-account viewer, which opens CBR and CBZ files. Upload the PDF to a free shelf instead and it reads like any other comic, with panel view if you want it.
How do I convert a PDF to CBZ?
Save every page of the PDF as an image, name the images in page order (001.jpg, 002.jpg and so on), compress them into one ZIP and rename the .zip to .cbz. If you only want to read it, you can skip all that: a free LiveComics shelf reads the PDF as it is.
How do I convert CBR to PDF?
Unpack the CBR with a RAR tool, then combine the page images into one PDF in page order. On a Mac, open the images in Preview and print them to PDF; on Windows, select them, choose Print and pick Microsoft Print to PDF.
Why won't my CBR file open?
Often because it is not really a RAR: plenty of CBR files are ZIPs with the wrong extension, and some downloads are incomplete. The viewer here checks what is inside rather than trusting the name, so a mislabeled ZIP still opens, and a damaged file tells you so.
Is my comic uploaded when I open it here?
No. The no-account viewer reads the file inside your browser and it never leaves your device. Nothing is uploaded unless you choose to keep it on a shelf.
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