About Google Books – Free books in Google Books (2024)

Free books in Google Books

Did you know that Google Books has more than 10 million free books available for users to read and download? And we're adding more all of the time!

Google's free books are made available to read through careful consideration of and respect for copyright law globally: they are public-domain works, made free on request of the copyright owner, or copyright-free, e.g. US government documents.

Search the full set of free books here:

Here are some sample queries to get you started:

More information on downloading PDFs and EPUBs for the free books you discover can be found in the Google Books Help Center.

About Google Books – Free books in Google Books (2024)

FAQs

Is Google Books completely free? ›

Did you know that Google Books has more than 10 million free books available for users to read and download?

How to read full books on Google Books for free? ›

Click a title. Under the title, you can read or preview the book: Read: If the book is available on Google Books, click Read free of charge. Preview: If only part of the book is available, click Preview.

What is the difference between Google Play Books and Google Books? ›

There may be some confusion around these two, so let's see what they are. Google Play is an online store where people can purchase apps, games, music, movies, and books. Google Books is the most comprehensive index of full-text books that Google has scanned and converted for its digital database.

Does Google Books have full books? ›

If you find a book that's out of copyright, we're also able to display the Full Book View.

Do you need a Google account to use Google Books? ›

Users will need to have Google Accounts in order to purchase books because such information is necessary to provide access to the user who bought the book.

How are Google Books legal? ›

In the case, the court found that Google's scanning, as well as the search and snippet display functions, were transformative because the service “augments public knowledge by making available information about [the] books without providing the public with a substantial substitute for . . . the original works.” This ...

What is Google Books and how does it work? ›

On Google Books, you can read books and magazines, download them, cite them, and translate them. Some books are provided by publishers, while others are scanned as part of the Library Project.

How many books are available on Google Books? ›

As of October 2019, Google celebrated 15 years of Google Books and provided the number of scanned books as more than 40 million titles. Google estimated in 2010 that there were about 130 million distinct titles in the world, and stated that it intended to scan all of them.

Why are some books free on Google Play? ›

Some Books on Google Play are completely free of digital rights management - they are either public-domain books or the rights holder has chosen to provide their readers with full access to the content. In these cases, you will be able to download DRM-free ePubs or PDFs.

Why are Google Play Books so expensive? ›

Google Play Books readers are said to be willing to pay higher prices than Amazon readers. Google Play Books pays authors high royalties (70 percent) on ebooks in most countries (click here to learn more) and, unlike Amazon KDP, charges authors no delivery fees on books priced below $2.99 or above $9.99.

How many books can I have in Google Play Books? ›

In May 2013, Play Books started allowing users to upload PDF and EPUB files for free through the Play Books website, with support for up to 1,000 files. The Android app was updated in December 2013 with support for uploading files.

What is the advantage of Google book? ›

The advantages: access to free, public domain e-books. you're searching Google's database of books rather than websites searched by Google. it's a good "discovery tool" - if the book is out of copyright, or the publisher has given permission, you'll be able to see a preview of the book, and in some cases the entire ...

Can I read books on Google Books for free? ›

Under the title, you can read or preview the book: Read: If the book is available on Google Books, click Read free of charge.

Does Google Books let you download? ›

You can download ebooks from Google Play Books so you can read them anywhere, even when you don't have an internet connection.

How to download paid Google Books for free? ›

How do I get Google Play Store paid e-books for free? Just google the books you require, and most of the times you would be able to download them in PDF format for no charges. Although some uncommon books might need harder scrounging on the web, common and famous ones are easily available.

Does Google Books cost money? ›

Google Play Books doesn't have subscription plans. Instead, it has a pay-per-book pricing model. In addition, it hosts free content. Its users can buy and rent audiobooks in browsers and the Android app.

Do you have to pay to read books from Google Play Books? ›

Some Books on Google Play are completely free of digital rights management - they are either public-domain books or the rights holder has chosen to provide their readers with full access to the content. In these cases, you will be able to download DRM-free ePubs or PDFs.

How can I download Google Play Books for free? ›

Download books for offline reading
  1. Open the Google Play Books app .
  2. Go to your library.
  3. Next to the book you want to download, tap Download .
  4. Once the book is downloaded, a Downloaded icon displays .

Where can I read online books for free? ›

Free E-Book Sites
  • Project Gutenberg - Download 70,000+ free epub and Kindle eBooks, or read them online. ...
  • Folger Shakespeare Library - Access full-text plays by William Shakespeare.
  • HathiTrust Digital Library - While SPL is not a member library, many "full view" items are still accessible.

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