Toolbar Customization

The toolbar is the strip of buttons your readers use to flip pages, search, zoom, share, and more. You can choose exactly which buttons appear, where the toolbar sits on the page, and which buttons are visible per FlipBook.

This article covers every toolbar option and how to use the per-FlipBook override system.

Two levels: global vs. per-FlipBook

Global — set defaults that apply to every new FlipBook at FlipBooks → Settings → Toolbar.
Per-FlipBook — override the defaults for one FlipBook on its Toolbar tab.

The per-FlipBook tab has section-level Override toggles (Global / Custom). Leave on Global to inherit settings; switch to Custom to override.

Toolbar position

Where the toolbar sits on the page. Four options:

Position

Look

Bottom-Center (default)

Compact pill floating at the bottom-center of the viewer

Top-Center

Compact pill pinned to the top-center

Bottom-Fullwidth

Full-width strip across the bottom

Top-Fullwidth

Full-width strip across the top

The compact pill auto-collapses overflow buttons into a More menu. The full-width strip shows more buttons visibly — useful when you have many toolbar items enabled.

Set position under Display → Toolbar Layout globally, or override per FlipBook on the Display tab.

The four button groups

The toolbar's buttons are organized into four groups. Each group has its own Global / Custom override switch on the per-FlipBook Toolbar tab.

Navigation group

Page flipping and navigation buttons.

Button

Default

What it does

Page Indicator

Shows current page out of total (e.g. "5 / 24")

Prev / Next Arrows

Step back or forward one page

First / Last Arrows

Jump to page 1 or the last page instantly

Single Page

Toggle between single-page and spread view

Auto-Play

Off

Auto-advance pages on a timer

Hand Tool

Cursor mode that lets readers grab and pan when zoomed in

Content Tools group

Buttons that interact with FlipBook content.

Button

Default

What it does

Search

Search inside the PDF text

Zoom

Zoom in / out / reset (also pinch on mobile, scroll on desktop)

Thumbnails

Opens a sidebar showing thumbnail previews of every page

Bookmarks

Open the bookmarks sidebar (readers add custom bookmarks; some PDFs have embedded ones)

Notes

Reader-side annotation tool — drop notes on pages

Form Viewer

Off

Switch to a single-page mode optimized for filling PDF forms

Actions group

Buttons that perform an action.

Button

Default

What it does

Share

Open a share popup with social and direct-link options

Download

Download the original PDF (only if not blocked by protection settings)

Print

Open the print dialog

Sound

Toggle Page Flip sound

Fullscreen

Enter / exit browser fullscreen

Reading Mode

Distraction-free reading view (hides all UI except essential nav)

Read Aloud

Start TTS playback (browser or cloud voice)

Interface group

Visual / UI controls.

Button

Default

What it does

Theme Toggle

Switch dark/light at runtime

Logo

Show your site logo in the toolbar

Tilt

Off

Tilt the FlipBook in 3D (cosmetic)

Rotate

Off

Rotate pages 90/180/270°

Always-on buttons (can't be hidden)

A few items are always present because the viewer relies on them:

More Menu — overflow menu that appears when buttons don't fit.
Close — only shown when the FlipBook is in a popup or fullscreen.
FlipBook Styles picker — runtime style switcher (Default, Hardcover, Spiral) for readers.

Buttons that auto-hide

Some buttons are smart about when to appear:

When the source is Image Gallery, PDF-only buttons disappear automatically — Download, Search, Print, Form Viewer, Read Aloud all hide.
View mode switchers (3D, Vertical, Horizontal) are hidden from the More menu by default. You set the default view mode under General → Default View Mode and readers stick with it.

This is intentional: a download button on an image-only FlipBook is useless, and exposing it confuses readers.

Keyboard shortcuts

Readers can navigate without the toolbar using keyboard shortcuts. These work even when buttons are hidden:

Action

Shortcut

Right arrow

Left arrow

First / last page

Home / End

Zoom in / out / reset

Ctrl/Cmd + + / - / 0

Focus search

/

Toggle fullscreen

f

Reading mode

r

Show all shortcuts

?

Close popup

Esc

Hiding buttons doesn't disable the shortcut. To fully disable a feature (not just hide the button), you'd need to disable it elsewhere (e.g. Disable Download on the Protection tab).

Step-by-step: customize the toolbar globally

Go to FlipBooks → Settings → Toolbar.
For each of the four sections (Navigation, Content Tools, Actions, Interface), toggle on the buttons you want.
Set Toolbar Layout under Display → Toolbar Layout.
Click Save Changes.

Every new FlipBook from now on uses these defaults. Existing FlipBooks set to "Global" inherit the new defaults too.

Step-by-step: customize the toolbar per FlipBook

Open the FlipBook for editing.
Switch to the Toolbar tab.
For each of the four sections, flip the Override switch from Global to Custom.
Toggle individual buttons.
Save.

This FlipBook now uses its custom toolbar, ignoring the global defaults.

Recipes

"Minimal toolbar — focus on reading"

Navigation: Page Indicator only
Content Tools: Search, Zoom
Actions: Fullscreen, Reading Mode
Interface: Theme Toggle, Logo

A clean toolbar that lets readers navigate but doesn't distract.

"Full power — every feature visible"

Turn everything on. Use Toolbar Layout: Bottom-Fullwidth so all buttons fit.

"Sales catalog — emphasize CTAs"

Navigation: All
Content Tools: Search, Thumbnails
Actions: Share, Print, Fullscreen — turn off Download (to gate behind a form, see Lead Capture Addon)
Interface: Logo, Theme Toggle

"Reference document — no decoration"

Navigation: Prev/Next, First/Last, Page Indicator
Content Tools: Search, Zoom, Thumbnails, Bookmarks
Actions: Download, Print, Fullscreen
Interface: Logo only

"Mobile-friendly catalog"

The plugin already collapses overflow buttons into the More menu on small screens. To go further:

Turn off Tilt, Rotate (rarely used)
Turn off Auto-Play (consumes attention)
Switch Toolbar Layout to Bottom-Center for max screen real estate

A simpler workflow

Instead of customizing every FlipBook one by one, set your preferred toolbar under Global Settings → Toolbar. Leave per-FlipBook switches on Global. Then every FlipBook on your site uses the same toolbar. If you change your mind, update Global Settings once and every FlipBook follows.

Troubleshooting

A button doesn't appear even though I enabled it.

The source might be Image Gallery — PDF-only buttons (Download, Print, Search, Form Viewer, Read Aloud) auto-hide. Use a PDF source if you need those.
The button may have moved to the More menu because the toolbar pill is full. Switch to Bottom-Fullwidth or Top-Fullwidth to give it room.
Your custom CSS may have hidden it. Inspect with browser dev tools.

Keyboard shortcuts still work after disabling a button. Hiding a toolbar button doesn't disable the feature. The shortcut for zoom (Ctrl/Cmd + +) still works even when the Zoom button is hidden. To fully disable a feature, configure it elsewhere (e.g. Disable Download on Protection tab).

Buttons look squashed on mobile. Toolbar Layout: Top-Fullwidth or Bottom-Fullwidth needs space. On phones, the compact pill (Top-Center or Bottom-Center) is friendlier — overflow buttons go into the More menu.

Custom toolbar doesn't override global. Make sure you flipped the section's Override switch from Global to Custom. The toggle is at the section level; individual buttons only apply when the section override is on Custom.

Next steps

Display and Appearance — colors, theme, Page Flip effect
Settings Overview — global default settings
Protection and DRM — block downloads, prints, etc.