How To See Page Numbers On Kindle Books (And Why They Aren't Always There)
Every book has page numbers to help readers know how far along in the story they are, but when it comes to reading on an Amazon Kindle, how in the world can users find these precious page numbers? There are some people out there who swear by physical books and nothing more. From jotting down notes right on the paper, dog-earing pages to easily find them later on, and appreciating how a book wears after years of ownership, there's a lot to love about the physicality of an actual book.
Will all of that said, it's also difficult not to appreciate the convenience of an e-reader. They're lightweight, can hold thousands of books at once, and are often very affordable. Plus, with e-ink technology used on all Kindles, reading on them is every bit as comfortable as looking at a traditional book.
Another way Kindles preserve the traditional reading experience is by showing page numbers. While digging through a good book, select Kindle titles show the current page someone is on. It's the same page number as what's found in the physical copy of a book, so sharing progress with friends regardless of how they're reading is a cinch. To see page numbers on a Kindle, all users have to do is the following: Open a book on the Kindle and tap the bottom-left corner of the screen. This cycles through a few different reading progress options. If a book supports it, it'll eventually show the page number.
While that's technically all there is to it, there is one big caveat to consider: Not all Kindle books support page numbers. If someone keeps tapping the left corner of their screen and doesn't see normal page numbers, there's a good chance the book they're reading doesn't support them. To confirm this, open a book on the Kindle, tap the top area of the screen, and tap the 'Aa' icon towards the top-right. From here, tap 'More' and tap 'Reading Progress.' This shows users a few options, including 'Time left in book,' 'Time left in chapter,' and 'Location in book.' If the 'Page in book' option is grayed-out and says 'Not Available,' it means that book cannot show normal page numbers.
Users can also confirm this before downloading or buying a Kindle book. Head to Amazon, search for a book, and select its Kindle version. If under 'Print length' it shows the number of pages, that means users can see normal page numbers as if they were reading the physical book. Most Kindle books should support traditional page numbers, though users are likely to come across certain titles that don't.
In these situations, it may be helpful to use the 'Location in book' option. This is basically the standardized way of tracking reading progress on Kindles. Since Kindles (and all e-readers) come with varying display sizes and customizable font, location numbers use lines of text to help readers track where they are in a book. For example, instead of seeing a book as having 350 pages, it may have 3420 locations numbers. It's the same basic idea as a page number, and it can actually be more accurate for finding a specific page/location thanks to how much text size can vary from Kindle to Kindle. Some readers will always be most comfortable seeing the traditional page number, but the point is that other options are out there if you want to give them a chance. If not, finding page numbers on a Kindle remains as easy as possible.
Source: Amazon