Bionic Reading now available for Edge and Chrome, here's how to get it

Edge Dev
(Image credit: Future)

Your brain reads faster than your eyes, or so says Bionic Reading. The company creates a tool that highlights certain parts of words to allow you to read more quickly. Bionic Reading went viral when it launched on a handful of iPhone and Mac apps. I got envious and pleaded with Microsoft to add the feature to Edge. While Bionic Reading isn't built into Edge yet, it is now available as a Chrome extension.

Bionic Reading recently launched an extension for Chrome. It also works on Edge, since Microsoft's browser is based on Chromium. In our brief testing, the extension works as you'd expect. It takes the text of a webpage and emphasizes specific parts of each word to drive your eyes along the text.

Bionic Reading vs Microsoft Edge Reading Mode

Standard rendering (left) vs Edge Reading Mode (center) vs Bionic Reading (right). (Image credit: Future)

Bionic Reading's extension has some limitations in its current state. It only shows text, meaning that any images on the original page are hidden. You can still read the text, but Bionic Reading doesn't render any images or other content from a webpage. In contrast, Microsoft Edge's Reading Mode shows images.

The extension also seems to have mixed results depending on which website you try to convert the text of.

While it has limits, Bionic Reading is customizable. You can select how much you want the tool to emphasize per word. You can also choose font size, line spacing, and page width. You can even send a converted website to a Kindle.

First impressions of the Bionic Reading extension are positive. I'll have a full review of Bionic Reading in the near future, in which I'll compare it to Microsoft Edge Reading Mode and other text enhancement tools.

The makers of Bionic Reading want it available across a wide range of apps, so there's still a chance that Microsoft could add the feature to Edge. In the meantime, Bionic Reading's free extension is available through the Chrome Web Store.

Bionic Reading

Bionic Reading

This free tool emphasizes specific parts of words to help you read quickly. The extension is customizable, allowing you to select how much of each word you want to be emphasized and how you want text spaced out. Remember that Edge supports extensions from the Chrome Web Store, so Bionic Reading is available on both browsers.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.