FocalReader – ADHD Focus Reader

Dim the page around what you're reading. Smart Window snaps focus to paragraphs and headings. Built for ADHD & dyslexia.

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 v1.11.0 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 is element-aware focus that snaps to paragraphs, headings, and articles — free, and on by default. 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 arxiv.org and other 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. Only the paragraph you ask about is sent to our server and an AI provider to generate the explanation — that's the only time any of your 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 don't read or transmit your page content or browsing history. Two features involve a server, and only in response to something you do: - Explain (AI): runs only on the paragraph you ask about, and only when you ask — the sparkle above the band, or Alt+Shift+E. Only that paragraph is sent, to our Cloudflare Worker and an AI provider, to produce the explanation. Nothing else is sent, 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.