Read comics from Google Drive or Dropbox
To read a comic from Google Drive, share the file with anyone with the link, then paste that link into LiveComics with the From a link button in your library. We download the CBZ, CBR or PDF for you, so nothing has to be on your phone, and it opens in any browser, page by page or one panel at a time. Dropbox links work the same way, and importing is free.
How do I read comics from Google Drive?
- In Google Drive, open the Share menu on the comic file.
- Under General access, choose Anyone with the link, then Copy link.
- In LiveComics, open your library and tap From a link, next to Add.
- Paste the link and press Get it. When the download finishes, pick how to import the comic and press Add.
Link one file, not a folder: a CBZ, CBR or PDF of up to 2.6 GB. You need a free account with a confirmed email.
How do I add a comic from Dropbox?
Copy the file's share link and paste it the same way. On the Dropbox website, choose Share and then Copy link; in the Dropbox app, open the file's menu, choose Share and copy the link from there. Then tap From a link in your library and paste it. A Dropbox link opens for anyone who has it, so there is usually no setting to change first.
What happens after you paste the link?
Our servers download the file straight from Google Drive or Dropbox, so it never has to fit on your phone. The download runs on our side, so it won't use your data plan, and if the connection drops it picks up where it left off. We check that the file really is a comic, a CBZ, CBR or PDF, before anything is added. Then the usual import choices open, the same as for a file from your device.
Is it free?
Yes. Importing from a link costs nothing, and so does reading. Choose Pages only to read page by page, or Panel view to read one panel at a time, each framed to fill the screen: both are free on every issue. Voiced adds a synthetic voice cast, sound effects and a score, priced per issue in credits, and you see the price before you press Add. Every comic takes room on your shelf, and the free shelf holds 1 GB, about 20 issues, with no card.
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Can I make the file private again?
Yes, once the comic is on your shelf. LiveComics keeps its own copy of the file in your library, so the link is no longer needed. Set the file's General access back to Restricted in Google Drive, or delete the Dropbox link, and the comic stays where it is.
What can't be added from a link?
Folder links, links from sites other than Google Drive and Dropbox, files that are still private, and EPUB comics, which you add from your device for now. Google Docs and Sheets are not comic files either. Anything that comes as a CBZ, CBR or PDF, comics and manga alike, imports the same way.
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Straight answers
Can Google Drive open CBZ files?
It can store them, but Google Drive is cloud storage, not a comic reader. To read a CBZ or CBR from Drive page by page, share the file with anyone with the link and paste that link into LiveComics, which brings it onto your shelf for you.
Can I read CBR files from Google Drive on my iPhone?
Yes, in your phone's browser: paste the file's Drive link into LiveComics and the download happens on our side, not on the phone. Then read it in Safari, page by page or one panel at a time, with your place kept on every device.
Does it work with Dropbox?
Yes. Copy the file's share link in Dropbox and paste it into From a link, exactly like a Google Drive link.
Why does it say the file isn't shared publicly?
Because the file is still set to Restricted, so only the people it is shared with can open it. In Google Drive, open Share, set General access to Anyone with the link, then copy the link and paste it again.
Can I paste a link to a whole folder?
No, one file per link. Share the comic file itself and paste that link, and for a run of issues, add each issue's link in turn.
How big a file can I add from a link?
Up to 2.6 GB per file, the same limit as any upload. A big file is downloaded in parts, so a dropped connection does not start it over.
Do I have to keep the link shared?
No. Once the comic is on your shelf it has its own copy, so you can set the file back to Restricted or delete the link.