How do I add a flipbook?
Edit a page, open the block inserter, search for Flipbook and add the block. Pick a PDF from your Media Library or upload one, and the live book appears right away. Watch the 36-second tutorial.
How do I get the hardcover look?
Select the flipbook, open the Style tab and choose Hardcover book under Design. The pages get a cover, page edges and a shadow at the spine, with large arrows beside the book; you can pick the cover color there too. See it in the Hardcover video.
Can the flipbook open in a popup?
Yes. Select the flipbook, open the Style tab and turn on Open in a lightbox under Display. Choose what shows on the page – the book’s cover, a button or a text link – and a click opens the book in a popup over the page. The cover is the PDF’s first page, or any image you choose. The book loads only when it is opened, so a page can list many books and stay fast. Watch the lightbox video.
Does it work with a PDF hosted on another website?
Only if that website allows it (CORS). Browsers block reading PDFs from other sites otherwise. Upload the PDF to your Media Library and it always works.
Is there a page or file size limit?
The plugin adds no limit of its own; your site’s upload limit still applies. Pages are drawn as the reader gets near them, and on servers that support range requests (most do) large PDFs are fetched in parts instead of all at once.
Does it slow down my pages?
The front end loads a 35 KB script (12 KB compressed). The PDF engine is loaded only when a flipbook comes near the screen, or for a lightbox only when it is opened.
Does it work with caching and minify plugins?
Yes. The block tells its script where the plugin’s files are, so combining or moving scripts does not break the flipbook.
Does it work with the Classic Editor or page builders?
Yes. In the block editor add the Flipbook block. For the Classic Editor, Elementor, Divi or a widget, go to Flipbook → All Flipbooks, click Add a flipbook and set it up in the block editor, then publish it. The list shows its shortcode, such as [softicon_flipbook id="123"]; paste it where the flipbook should be. Change the flipbook there later and every page with its shortcode shows the change. Watch the shortcode video.
How do I link to a specific page?
Add #page= and the page number to the address of the page with the flipbook, for example https://example.com/catalog/#page=12. The first flipbook on the page opens at that page; if it is a lightbox, the popup opens there. Links like <a href="#page=8"> on the same page turn the book to that page, so you can write your own table of contents. The reading features video shows it.
Do the links inside my PDF work?
Yes. Web and email links in the PDF can be clicked, web links open in a new tab, and links to another page (like a contents page) turn the book to that page. If the PDF has bookmarks, a Table of contents button in the toolbar lists them. You can turn off either one in the block settings.
Can visitors download the PDF?
Yes, from the download button in the toolbar. You can hide the button in the block settings.
Is the PDF text readable on phones?
On small screens the book shows one page at a time at the full width of the screen. Visitors can pinch to zoom into a page and drag to move around it, and fullscreen redraws the pages at a higher resolution.
Does the plugin collect any data?
From your visitors: nothing. The flipbook sets no cookies, tracks no one and sends nothing anywhere.
From you, the site admin: only if you say yes. After activation, a short screen asks if you would like to opt in. Click “Skip” and nothing about you or your site is ever sent; the plugin works exactly the same either way. If you allow it, Freemius may email you a confirmation link (it can land in your spam folder); nothing is sent until you click it.
If you click “Allow & Continue”, this is shared with us through Freemius, the service we use to manage our users:
- Your profile: your first name, last name and email address.
- Your site: the site address, title and language, and an anonymous site ID (a one-way code made on your site, so the same site is not counted twice).
- Versions: your WordPress, PHP and Flipbook versions.
- Plugin events: when Flipbook is activated, deactivated, updated or deleted.
We never collect your posts, pages or PDFs, anything about your visitors, or the list of your other plugins and themes.
Why we ask: to email you about security fixes and important new features, to know which WordPress and PHP versions we must keep supporting, and to learn what to improve.
Changed your mind? Click “Opt Out” under Flipbook on the Plugins page and nothing more is sent. To have your data deleted, email us at softiconai@gmail.com.
When you deactivate the plugin, a short form asks why. Answering is optional (“Skip & Deactivate” is always there). If you choose a reason, it is sent only when you delete the plugin. If you never opted in, only the reason and the anonymous site ID are sent, never your name or email.
Why a small built-in opt-in instead of the Freemius SDK?
Earlier versions included the full Freemius SDK. Since we only need the opt-in, Flipbook now uses its own small client in the vendor/fs-lite folder:
- A lighter plugin: about 0.8 MB smaller to download and about 3.6 MB less on your server.
- Easy to check: one plain PHP file (vendor/fs-lite/fs-lite.php) that shows exactly what is sent and when.
- Only Freemius: it connects to wp.freemius.com and api.freemius.com and nowhere else. Anything about you or your site is sent only after you click “Allow & Continue”.
- Works on strict hosts too: if your server is not allowed to reach Freemius, your browser sends the same opt-in to wp.freemius.com instead, and Freemius sends you back to your site.
- Nothing extra in your admin: no added menus, and its scripts load only on the Plugins page and the Flipbook dashboard.
If you opted in or skipped with an earlier version, your choice is kept and you are not asked again.
Which outside services does the plugin use?
- Freemius (wp.freemius.com, api.freemius.com) for the optional opt-in described above, only if you allow it. Terms, privacy policy.
- Freemius plans (api.freemius.com): when you open the Demos, Pricing or Free vs Pro tab of the Flipbook dashboard, it reads the Pro features and prices we set in Freemius. The answer is kept for 12 hours (1 hour if Freemius could not be reached or has no Pro plan yet). Only the plugin’s public ID is sent, nothing about you or your site, and this happens even if you skipped the opt-in.
- Freemius Checkout (checkout.freemius.com) opens in a window only when you click a “Get Pro” button on the Flipbook dashboard, so you can buy Pro. Nothing is sent before you click, and what you type in the checkout goes to Freemius, which handles the payment. Same terms and privacy policy.
- YouTube (youtube-nocookie.com): a video tutorial plays in a popup only when you click it on the Flipbook dashboard. YouTube terms, Google privacy policy.
What if Pro is not right for me?
Every Pro plan comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Email softiconai@gmail.com within 14 days of your purchase and we refund you in full, no questions asked. The same address works for any question or problem with Pro.
Where can I get help?
Ask in the support forum and we will reply there, so the answer can help others too. For anything you would rather not post in public, such as a site you cannot share, email us at softiconai@gmail.com. Tell us your WordPress version, the page with the flipbook and what you see, and we will get back to you.