How to Import Your Goodreads Library: A Step-by-Step Migration Guide

You've decided to leave Goodreads. Maybe it's privacy concerns, maybe it's the outdated interface, maybe you're just ready for something new. Whatever the reason, you don't want to lose years of reading history.

Good news: you can take your data with you. Goodreads allows CSV exports that most alternative apps can import. Here's exactly how to do it.

Before You Start

What You Can Export

Goodreads exports include:

• All books in your library
• Shelf assignments (Read, Currently Reading, Want to Read, custom shelves)
• Your star ratings
• Date added and date read
• Your reviews
• Basic book metadata (title, author, ISBN, page count)

What Won't Export Well

Some data doesn't transfer cleanly:

• Reading progress: Page numbers for currently reading books don't export
• Social data: Friends, followers, following lists, likes, comments
• Reading challenges: Your challenge history and progress
• Review formatting: Complex formatting often breaks
• Multiple dates: If you've read a book multiple times, only one date may export
• Half-star ratings: Goodreads doesn't have them, so there's nothing to export

What You'll Need

• Access to Goodreads (desktop browser works best)
• A few minutes of patience
• Your new book tracking app ready to receive the import

Step 1: Export from Goodreads

Desktop Export (Recommended)

1. Log into Goodreads on a desktop browser (not the mobile app)

2. Navigate to My Books: Click "My Books" in the top navigation

3. Find Import/Export: In the left sidebar, scroll down and click "Import and Export"

4. Click Export Library: You'll see a green "Export Library" button at the top of the page. Click it.

5. Wait for processing: Goodreads will generate your export. This can take a few minutes if you have a large library. You'll receive an email when it's ready.

6. Download the CSV: Once ready, you'll see a download link. Click it to get your goodreads_library_export.csv file.

If You Can't Find Import/Export

The location occasionally changes. Alternative paths:

• Direct URL: goodreads.com/review/import
• My Books → Tools & Stats → Import/Export
• Account Settings → Export

Mobile Export Workaround

If you must use mobile:

1. Open Goodreads in a mobile browser (not the app)
2. Request the desktop site (browser menu → "Desktop site")
3. Follow the desktop instructions above

The mobile app doesn't have export functionality.

Step 2: Understand Your Export

Before importing anywhere, open your CSV file to understand what you're working with. You can use any spreadsheet app (Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers).

Key Columns

Common Issues to Check

Missing ISBNs: Some books, especially older or self-published ones, won't have ISBNs. This can cause import failures.

Duplicate entries: If you've added the same book multiple times, you'll see duplicates.

Encoding issues: Special characters in titles or reviews might appear garbled.

Empty ratings: Unrated books show "0" not blank.

Step 3: Clean Your Data (Optional but Recommended)

Before importing, consider cleaning your export:

Remove Books You Don't Want

Delete rows for books you don't want to migrate:

• Books you added by mistake
• Duplicates
• Books you no longer care about tracking

Fix Encoding Issues

If you see garbled characters:

1. Open the CSV in a text editor
2. Save as UTF-8 encoding
3. Re-open in your spreadsheet app

Consolidate Shelves

If you have many custom shelves, some may not transfer. Consider simplifying before import:

• Rename similar shelves to match
• Decide which custom shelves matter in your new app

Step 4: Import to Your New App

Each app handles Goodreads imports differently. Here are instructions for major alternatives:

Importing to Leaflet

1. Open Leaflet and go to Settings
2. Tap "Import from Goodreads"
3. Select your CSV file from Files or iCloud
4. Review the import preview — Leaflet shows what will be imported
5. Confirm import

What Leaflet imports:

• Books with all shelf assignments
• Star ratings (shown as full stars; you can add half-stars later)
• Date read and date added
• Book metadata

What to do after import:

• Review your library for any books that didn't match
• Add half-star ratings where you want more precision
• Set up your reading goals

Importing to StoryGraph

1. Log into StoryGraph
2. Go to Settings → Import/Export
3. Click "Import from Goodreads"
4. Upload your CSV file
5. Wait for processing (can take hours for large libraries)

Importing to Hardcover

1. Log into Hardcover
2. Go to Settings → Import
3. Select Goodreads import
4. Upload CSV
5. Map your shelves to Hardcover's system

Importing to Literal

1. Log into Literal
2. Go to Settings → Import Books
3. Upload your Goodreads CSV
4. Review and confirm

Step 5: Verify Your Import

After importing, check that everything transferred correctly:

Quick Verification

• Book count: Does the number of books match your Goodreads library?
• Shelf distribution: Are books on the right shelves?
• Ratings: Did your ratings transfer?
• Dates: Are read dates accurate?

Manual Spot-Check

Pick 5-10 books you remember well and verify:

• Correct title and author
• Correct rating
• Correct shelf
• Correct read date

Find Missing Books

Some books may not import due to:

• Missing or incorrect ISBN
• Book not in the new app's database
• Import parsing errors

For missing books:

1. Search for them manually in your new app
2. Add them and transfer details by hand
3. Report import issues to the app's support

Troubleshooting Common Problems

"Import failed" or no books imported

Causes:

• Corrupt CSV file
• Wrong file format
• File too large

Solutions:

• Re-export from Goodreads
• Check that the file extension is .csv
• Try importing in smaller batches (split the CSV)

Books on wrong shelves

Cause: Different apps map shelves differently

Solution: Manually move books after import. Most apps make this easy.

Missing ratings

Cause: Ratings of "0" (unrated) sometimes import as missing data

Solution: Add ratings manually for important books

Duplicate books

Cause: Multiple editions, re-reads, or Goodreads data issues

Solution: Merge or delete duplicates after import

Strange characters in titles/reviews

Cause: Encoding mismatch

Solution: Open CSV in text editor, save as UTF-8, try import again

Import stuck or taking forever

Cause: Large library, server issues

Solution: Wait longer (some imports take hours), try off-peak hours, split into smaller files

After Migration: Clean-Up Tasks

Week 1: Core Organization

• Delete any duplicate entries
• Move misplaced books to correct shelves
• Rate any unrated books you care about
• Set your currently reading books

Month 1: Enhanced Data

• Add half-star ratings for books that need precision
• Create any custom shelves/tags you want
• Add notes to important books
• Set up your reading goal

Ongoing: Build New Habits

• Add new books directly to your new app
• Use your new app's features (reading timer, statistics, etc.)
• Consider deleting Goodreads if you're not going back

Should You Delete Your Goodreads Account?

After successful migration, you might consider deleting Goodreads. Considerations:

Reasons to delete:

• Privacy: Stop Amazon data collection
• Clean break: Avoid confusion about where to track
• Principle: Don't support a platform you've abandoned

Reasons to keep:

• Social connections: Friends who still use it
• Reviews: Your reviews help others
• Backup: Second copy of your data
• Community: Book clubs, groups you're in

Middle ground:

• Delete your reading history but keep the account
• Stop adding new books but preserve existing data
• Set profile to private

How to delete Goodreads:

1. Go to Account Settings
2. Scroll to bottom
3. Click "Delete Account"
4. Confirm (this is permanent)

Consider exporting one final time right before deletion, just in case.

Tips for a Smooth Transition

Don't try to replicate everything

Your new app will be different. That's okay — it's probably why you switched. Embrace the new features rather than trying to recreate your exact Goodreads setup.

Give yourself time

Any new tool feels awkward at first. Commit to using your new app exclusively for 30 days before judging it.

Join the community

Most Goodreads alternatives have communities — Discord servers, Reddit communities, or in-app social features. Connecting with others helps the transition.

Keep your CSV

Save your Goodreads export permanently. It's your data, and you never know when you might want to migrate again or reference the original.

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Migrate to Leaflet

Leaflet makes Goodreads migration simple with built-in CSV import that preserves your reading history.

What transfers:

• Complete book library
• All ratings (with option to add half-stars)
• Shelf assignments
• Read dates and date added
• Book metadata

After import, you get:

• Privacy-first tracking (your data stays in your iCloud)
• Half-star ratings
• Reading session timer
• On-device AI recommendations
• Beautiful reading statistics

How to import: Settings → Import from Goodreads → Select your CSV → Done

Your reading history. Your privacy. Zero data left behind.

Download Leaflet — Bring your Goodreads library home.