FocalReader – ADHD Focus Reader by Ajit Soni

A focus reading tool that dims everything except where you're reading —
from a single paragraph down to one line. Works on web pages and PDFs.
Built for ADHD, dyslexia, or anyone who gets distracted.

Everything that dims and focuses the page is free. The one optional extra
is Explain (AI) — and that still gives you 5 free explanations every day.

NEW IN v1.11.3

Protected PDFs now recover when a repository or academic site requires an
authenticated browser session. FocalReader retries the request through the
site's own session, then loads the returned PDF directly into the reader.
Signed links keep their query parameters intact. If login or verification is
still required, FocalReader keeps the original browser fallback available.
Local PDFs and ordinary online PDFs continue to open directly.

NEW IN v1.11.2

Sharper focus in PDFs. The focus window used to respond only near the
middle of a paragraph, so clicking toward its start or end did nothing.
The whole block is live now. Focus also stays locked to the text as you
zoom, and re-aligns the moment you open the thumbnail sidebar or the
find bar.

Papers read in the right order. Two-column documents now go down one
column at a time instead of zig-zagging across the page, and a full-width
title or abstract stays ahead of both columns. Justified single-column
text is no longer mistaken for two columns, and a sentence that happens
to end at the right margin no longer starts a new paragraph.

Rotated and cropped pages work. Scanned pages and journal PDFs with a
crop box put focus in the wrong place before. Figures finishing loading
no longer reshuffle the paragraphs around them, and a paragraph that is
only half on screen is clipped instead of the window sliding off its own
text.

These improvements are specific to the PDF viewer. Web page reading is
unchanged in this release.

NEW IN v1.11.1

A more precise reading window: Window focus now picks up short paragraphs,
headings, table cells, and text in div-based reading layouts. Mouse and
keyboard navigation use the same reading-block rules, so moving through
an article feels more consistent.

Better boundaries: Widening keeps nearby paragraphs in the same column
and avoids spanning unrelated controls. The window follows text as reading
panes scroll, images load, and the page reflows, staying clipped to the
pane you're reading in.

These improvements apply to web pages. PDF reading features are unchanged.

NEW IN v1.11.0

Focus, in three settings: The popup's new Focus switch picks how tightly
the dim closes in — Window snaps to the paragraph you're on, Line narrows
to a single line, and Band is the free rectangle you size and place
yourself. Line focus used to be reachable only by a keyboard gesture most
people never found; now it's one click. Shift+Right and Shift+Left still
step between Window and Line, and the switch follows along.

Explain has a button now: The sparkle on the toolbar above the focus band
rewrites the paragraph you're reading in plain language — no shortcut to
remember, and no setting to turn on first. It works the same on web pages
and on PDFs. Alt+Shift+E still does the same thing.

Drag handle on the band: In Band mode the band always could be dragged, but
nothing said so. There's now a visible grip on its top edge.

Opacity is back in the popup: How dark the page goes was buried in
Settings. It sits beside the Haze slider again, and it edits whichever
dim level is actually live, so it never sits there doing nothing.

NEW IN v1.10.1

Notes: Write a note on any paragraph. Set Focus to Window, focus a
paragraph, and click the pen in the little toolbar above the band. An
indigo rule marks every paragraph you've annotated, and the note reveals
itself when you come back to that paragraph and puts itself away when you
move on. Notes are re-found by the paragraph's own text, so they survive
the page being re-laid out. Everything stays on your device — export or
import the lot as a JSON file from the popup. Chrome 105+.

NEW IN v1.9.0

Community: A Discord button in the popup takes you straight to the
FocalReader server — share feedback, get help, and vote on what gets
built next.

NEW IN v1.8.0

Guided tour: New installs get a quick walkthrough of every control —
Enable, Follow Mouse, Focus mode, Auto Dim, Haze, Opacity, Explain, and
where shortcuts live. Replay it anytime from the ? icon in the popup's
top-right corner.

NEW IN v1.7.0

Explain (AI): Hit a dense paragraph? Focus it and click the sparkle above
the band — or press Alt+Shift+E — and FocalReader rewrites it in plain
language, right where you're reading. Works on web pages and PDFs. 5 free
explanations a day — sign in and upgrade to Pro for unlimited.

Haze: A frosted-glass dim that's softer on the eyes than a flat shade.
Set the strength with the Haze slider, or turn on Auto haze to deepen it
when you pause to read.

ALSO RECENT

• Site Control (v1.6.0): Choose where FocalReader runs — block specific
  sites, or flip to "run only on the sites I choose."
• Line Focus (v1.5.0): Focus can narrow all the way to a single line.
  Shift+Right drills in; Shift+Down / Shift+Up read line by line. As of
  v1.11.0 it's also a click on the Focus switch.

KEY FEATURES

• Focus modes: One switch in the popup, from loosest to tightest. Window
  snaps to readable blocks such as paragraphs, headings, and table cells
  — free, with Window selected for new installs. Line narrows to a single line. Band is a
  free rectangle you size and drag yourself. Step through blocks with
  Shift+arrow keys. Web pages and PDFs (Window and Line).
• Line Focus: The tightest setting — one line at a time, ideal for dense
  text. Pick it from the Focus switch, or Shift+Right to drill in and
  Shift+Left to back out; Shift+Down / Shift+Up move line by line.
• Notes: Annotate any paragraph and find your notes waiting when you
  return. Marked paragraphs carry an indigo edge rule; notes reveal on
  arrival and hide when you move on. Stored on your device only, with
  JSON export and import. Free. Web pages (PDFs not yet).
• Explain (AI): Turn the focused paragraph into plain language — click
  the sparkle on the toolbar above the band, or press Alt+Shift+E. 5 free
  per day; Pro for unlimited. Web pages and PDFs.
• Haze: Frosted-glass dimming with an adjustable level and an Auto haze
  option that deepens while you read.
• Follow Mouse Mode: The focus window follows your cursor as you read.
• Manual Mode: In Band mode with Follow Mouse off, position the band
  anywhere and drag it by the grip on its top edge (web pages).
• Double-Tap Mode: On PDFs, double-click any paragraph to anchor focus.
• Full Width Mode: Spans the screen width for comfortable line reading.
• Auto Dim: Increases dimming when you stop moving, for a calm read.
• Adjustable size, opacity, and tint color.
• Site Control: Block FocalReader on specific sites, or run it only on
  the handful of sites you choose.

PDF SUPPORT

FocalReader replaces Chrome's built-in PDF viewer with its own, so the
dim band, Window and Line focus, haze, Auto Dim, and Explain (AI) — the
sparkle included — all work on PDFs just like on web pages. Built-in toolbar with page navigation, zoom,
find, outline sidebar, and download.

• Works on local and online PDFs, including authenticated repository PDFs,
  arxiv.org, and URLs without a .pdf extension
• Two-column academic papers detected automatically
• Running headers, footers, and page numbers skipped, so focus follows
  the body text only

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

• Alt+Shift+F (Option+Shift+F on Mac): Toggle extension on/off
• Alt+Shift+E (Option+Shift+E on Mac): Explain the focused text (AI)
• Alt+Shift+M (Option+Shift+M on Mac): Toggle Follow Mouse — switching it
  off moves Focus to Band, the one mode you place by hand
• Alt+Shift+A (Option+Shift+A on Mac): Toggle auto dim
• Alt+Shift+P (Option+Shift+P on Mac): Open popup
• Alt+Shift+C (Option+Shift+C on Mac): Re-center the band on your cursor
  (Band mode)
• Alt+Shift+Up / Alt+Shift+Down: Adjust band height (Band mode)
• Shift+Down / Shift+Up: Move between paragraphs — or lines, in Line Focus
• Shift+Right / Shift+Left: Narrow to a single line / widen back — the
  popup's Focus switch follows along

EXPLAIN (AI) AND PRO

Explain (AI) is the only optional paid feature. There is nothing to turn
on: click the sparkle above the band, or press Alt+Shift+E, on any
paragraph you want rewritten. The free tier gives you 5 explanations a day
with no account. When you reach the limit, the card tells you and offers
Pro. For unlimited explanations, sign in with your email and upgrade to
Pro ($4.99/month), billed securely through Lemon Squeezy. The
focused text and a short amount of nearby context are sent to our server
and an AI provider to generate the explanation — that's the only time reading text
leaves your browser, and it never happens on its own.

PERFECT FOR

• People with ADHD who struggle to focus on text
• Readers with dyslexia who benefit from reduced visual clutter
• Students studying long PDFs and academic papers
• Researchers reading lengthy reports
• Anyone who gets overwhelmed by busy web pages
• Night readers who want reduced eye strain

PRIVACY

The focus, dim, Focus modes, haze, notes, and PDF features run entirely on
your device. They inspect page text and layout locally to position the
window and restore notes, without sending that reading content to our
servers. Server-backed features run in response to your actions:

• Explain (AI): runs only on the paragraph you ask about, and only when
  you ask — the sparkle above the band, or Alt+Shift+E. The focused text
  and limited nearby context are sent to our Cloudflare Worker and an AI
  provider to produce the explanation. It never runs on its own, and
  your data is never sold.
• Pro sign-in: stores your email so we can manage your subscription.
  Free users need no account. Payment is handled by Lemon Squeezy; we
  never see your card details.
• Feedback: only what you type, and only when you click Send.

Settings sync through your own Chrome account if Chrome Sync is enabled.

HOW TO USE

1. Click the FocalReader icon or press Alt+Shift+F to enable
2. Move your mouse to where you want to read; focus snaps to the
   paragraph under your cursor
3. Use the popup's Focus switch — Window, Line, or Band — to choose how
   tightly it closes in; Shift+Down / Shift+Up move between paragraphs
   or lines
4. Click the sparkle above the band (or press Alt+Shift+E) to explain a
   dense paragraph in plain language
5. For PDFs: open any PDF link — FocalReader's viewer opens automatically
6. Adjust size, opacity, haze, and auto-dim timing in the popup

Simple, lightweight, distraction-free reading starts now.