How to annotate books in the Books app on iPhone

You can highlight, underline, and take notes as you read books in the Books app, and then share your annotations with others. You can also translate, copy, and share selected text.

All of your highlights and notes appear in Bookmarks & Highlights. You can go from a highlight or note to that location in the book, or share or delete multiple highlights or notes at the same time.

Here’s how to annotate books in the Books app on iPhone.

Note: Apple Books isn’t available in all countries or regions.

Highlight or underline text

1. Start the Books app on your iPhone.
2. Tap a book cover to open it.
3. Touch and hold a word, move the grab points to adjust the selection. Then tap Highlight.

   To remove a highlight or underline, tap the text, then tap Remove.

4. To change the highlight color or switch to underline, tap the text, tap Highlight, and tap an option.

   To see all of your highlights, tap the page, tap the Menu button, tap Bookmarks & Highlights, then tap Highlights. Tap a highlight to go to that location in the book.

Add a note

1. Start the Books app on your iPhone.
2. Tap a book cover to open it.
3. Touch and hold a word and then move the grab points to adjust the text selection.
4. Tap Add Note, enter text, and then tap the Done button.

To see all of your notes, tap the page, tap the Menu button, tap Bookmarks & Highlights, then tap Highlights. Tap a note to go to that location in the book.

Share highlights and notes

1. Start the Books app on your iPhone.
2. Tap a book cover to open it.
3. Tap a highlight or note and tap the Forward button. Then tap Share.

Quick tip: You can share several highlights or notes at once. Tap the Menu button, tap Bookmarks & Highlights, then tap Highlights. Next, tap the Checklist button, tap the items you want to share, and tap the Share button.

Delete a note

1. Start the Books app on your iPhone.
2. Tap a book cover to open it.
3. Tap a note and tap Remove. Then choose Remove Note or Remove Highlight & Note.

Quick tip: To delete several notes or highlights at once, tap the Menu button and tap Bookmarks & Highlights, then tap Highlights. From there, tap the Checklist button, tap each item you want to delete, and then tap the Delete button.

Translate, search, or copy text

Select text as you read, then translate or copy it, or search the book for it.

1. Start the Books app on your iPhone.
2. Tap a book cover to open it.
3. Touch and hold a word and then move the grab points to adjust the text selection.
4. Tap the Forward button and then tap Translate, Search, or Copy.