Microsoft Reader is a discontinued Microsoft application for reading e-books, first released in August 2000, that used its own .LIT format. It was available for Windows computers and Pocket PC PDAs. The name was also used later for an unrelated application for reading PDF and XPS files, first released with Windows 8 - this app was discontinued in 2018.
E-book Reader
The e-book reader was available for download from Microsoft as a free application for computers running Windows and on PDAs running Pocket PC, where it has been built into the ROM since Windows CE 3.0.1 Microsoft Reader was compatible with Windows Mobile, but was not supported on newer Windows Phone 7 devices.
Microsoft Reader displays books in the .LIT (shortened from "literature") format, an extension of the Microsoft Compressed HTML Help format to include DRM.2 These e-books can be purchased and downloaded from online stores.
The notable features of Microsoft Reader are ClearType for increased readability on small screens, highlighting and doodling designed for quick note-taking, text notes, and searching. The PC version also has an optional plug-in for text-to-speech, enabling books to be read out loud.
Companies such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com partnered with Microsoft to provide books in the format when released in 2000.3
In August 2011, Microsoft announced they were discontinuing both Microsoft Reader and the use of the .lit format for ebooks at the end of August 2012, and ending sales of the format on November 8, 2011.4
Compatibility
| Operating systems | Latest version | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 95 | 1.5 | 2000-08-08 |
| Windows NT 4.0, 98, 2000, Me | 2.1.1 | 2003-06-26 |
| Windows XP, 2003, Vista (with Origami Experience Pack or Touch Pack), Home Server, 2008 | 2.6.1 | 2007-07-10 |
| Pocket PC 2000 | 1.0 (in ROM) | 2000-04-19 |
| Pocket PC 2002 | 2.4 | 2005-03-24 |
| Windows Mobile 2003, 2003 SE, 5.0 | 2.4.1 | 2005-11-23 |
| Windows Mobile 6.0, 6.1 | 2.4.2 | 2009-09-10 |
Copy protection
Books accessible by Reader can be protected, or unprotected, only allowing access to protected books if the user has activated the software. This can be accomplished by registering using their Passport account. Only six Reader installations can be activated per account, after which, Microsoft requires the user to request further activations.
Creating .LIT files
Read in Microsoft Reader is an add-on, available from Microsoft, that can be used with Microsoft Word (versions 2000, 2002 and 2003) to create .LIT extension e-books.5 This software is not fully compatible with Office 2007.
Version history
Desktop
| Version | Operating systems | Release date | Major changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | Windows 95, NT 4, 98, 2000, Me | 2000-08-08 | Initial version for desktops |
| 2.0 | Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP | 2001-10-03 | Major overhaulSupports premium eBooks |
| 2.5 | Windows XP | 2002-06-25 | Support for Tablet PCPen and Ink features |
| 2.1.1 | Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP | 2003-06-26 | Security update |
| 2.6 | Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Vista Ultimate Edition (with Origami Experience Pack or Touch Pack) | 2007-07-09 | Audible support for newer audio formatsSecurity and performance updates |
Pocket PC
| Version | Operating systems | Release date | Major changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Windows Mobile 2000 | 2000-04-19 | Initial version for Pocket PCs. |
| 2.0 | Windows Mobile 2002 | 2001-10-03 | Compatible with Windows Mobile 2002Major overhaulSupports premium eBooks |
| 2.2.1 | Windows Mobile 2002, 2003 | N/A | |
| 2.2.2 | 2003 | Compatible with Windows Mobile 2003 | |
| 2.2.3 | 2004-02-04 | Fixes activation problems | |
| 2.3 | Windows Mobile 2002, 2003, 2003 SE | 2004-07-13 | Compatible with Windows Mobile 2003 SE |
| 2.4 | 2005-03-24 | ||
| 2.4.1 | Windows Mobile 2003, 2003 SE, 5, 6.0 | 2005-11-23 | Compatible with Windows Mobile 5 and 6 |
| 2.4.2 | Windows Mobile 2003, 2003 SE, 5, 6.0, 6.1 | 2009-09-10 | Compatible with Windows Mobile 6.1 |
Read in Microsoft Reader
| Version | Operating systems | Release date | Major changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP | 2001-09-04 | Initial version with support for Word 2000, 2002 |
| 1.1.3 | Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP, 2003, Vista, Home Server, 2008 | 2006-02-21 | Conversion support for Word 2003. Supports Word 2000, 2002, 2003. Incompatible with Office 2007 |
Software Development Kit
| Version | Operating systems | Release date | Major changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP, 2003, Vista, Home Server, 2008 | 2001-10-04 | Initial version |
Text to Speech
| Version | Operating systems | Release date | Major changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Windows NT 4, 98, 2000, Me, XP, 2003, Home Server | 2005-05-19 | Initial version |
Third party
Notable third-party apps and tools to convert and read MS .LIT format on various devices include:
- Calibre; an open source e-book library manager that runs on many environments; it can convert .LIT format files
- Lexcycle Stanza (discontinued); a freeware program for reading eBooks; can read .LIT format, supports iOS.
Document viewer
In 2012, Microsoft released a Microsoft Reader Metro-style app with Windows 8 for reading documents in PDF, XPS and TIFF formats. Reader was included in Windows 8.1 and was a free download from the Windows Store for Windows 10. Support for Windows 10 Mobile ended in 2016 in favor of opening PDF documents within the Microsoft Edge [Legacy] browser.6 Microsoft discontinued the application in February 2018, as PDF reading functionality was moved to Edge [Legacy] on desktops as well.7
References
"Rugged Handhelds and PDAs". Rugged PC Review.com. 2000-04-19. Retrieved 2021-12-02. https://www.ruggedpcreview.com/3_handhelds_pocketpcintro.html ↩
Salomon, David; Motta, Giovanni; Bryant, David (CON) (2009). Handbook of Data Compression (5th ed.). Springer. ISBN 978-1-84882-902-2. 978-1-84882-902-2 ↩
"B&N, RH and S&S in deal with Microsoft | the Bookseller". https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bn-rh-and-ss-deal-microsoft ↩
"Microsoft Reader". Microsoft. 2005-10-12. Archived from the original on 2005-10-12. Retrieved 2023-07-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20051012094653/http://www.microsoft.com/reader/default.asp ↩
"Download details: Word 2002/2000 Add-in: Read in Microsoft Reader 1.1". Microsoft. 2004-08-31. Archived from the original on 2004-08-31. Retrieved 2023-07-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20040831100834/http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=199BE874-1F5E-4FB7-8FE0-6BCA50C7D356&displaylang=EN ↩
"Microsoft to end PDF Reader development, wants you to use Edge - OnMSFT.com". https://www.onmsft.com/news/microsoft-end-pdf-reader-development-wants-use-edge ↩
Waghray, akshay (2017-11-21). "Microsoft to discontinue its PDF Reader App in February 2018". Windows Latest. Retrieved 2023-07-04. https://www.windowslatest.com/2017/11/21/microsoft-to-discontinue-its-pdf-reader-app-in-february-2018/ ↩