How to Export Your Goodreads Data in 2026: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

If you've been tracking books on Goodreads for years, you've probably accumulated a decent chunk of your reading life there. Ratings, reviews, shelves, reading dates - it's all stored in Amazon's servers. Whether you're switching to a different platform, creating a backup, or just want control over your own data, knowing how to export your Goodreads data is essential.

The good news: Goodreads makes it relatively straightforward to export your library. The less good news: you'll need to use a desktop browser, and the file you get has some limitations. Here's everything you need to know about exporting your Goodreads data, what you'll actually receive, and what to do with it afterward.

Why Export Your Goodreads Library?

Before we get into the mechanics, let's talk about why you might want to export your data in the first place.

Common Reasons People Export

Most readers export their Goodreads data for one of these reasons:

Switching platforms. If you're moving to another book tracking app, you'll need your data. Popular alternatives like StoryGraph, Bookwise, LibraryThing, and Literal all accept Goodreads CSV imports. This makes migration much easier than manually re-entering hundreds of books.

Creating backups. Your reading history has value. Years of ratings, reviews, and reading dates represent a significant investment of time and thought. Regular backups ensure you won't lose this data if something happens to your Goodreads account.

Privacy concerns. Since Amazon acquired Goodreads in 2013, some readers have become uncomfortable with how their data might be used. Exporting gives you control over your reading information outside of Amazon's ecosystem.

Personal analysis. Data nerds (we say this affectionately) like to analyze their reading habits. The CSV format makes it possible to create custom visualizations, track trends, or integrate your reading data with other personal metrics.

What Data Does Goodreads Actually Export?

Before you export, it helps to understand what you'll actually receive. The Goodreads export gives you a CSV (comma-separated values) file, which basically looks like a spreadsheet.

What's Included in the CSV

Your export file contains these fields for each book:

Basic book information: Title, author, additional authors, ISBN, ISBN13, publisher, and binding type. This covers the fundamentals of identifying each book.

Your personal data: Your rating (if you rated it), date read, date added, bookshelves (your custom shelves), and your review text. These fields capture your actual interaction with each book.

Goodreads metadata: The book's average rating on Goodreads, number of pages, year published, and original publication year. This gives you context about how others rated the book.

Reading progress: Whether you marked it as read, currently reading, or to-read. If you've tracked reading progress, that information is included too.

The file exports everything from all your shelves in one go. You can't export just one shelf or do partial exports - it's all or nothing.

What's NOT Included

Here's where it gets a bit disappointing. Several types of data you've created on Goodreads won't appear in your export:

Highlights and annotations. If you've highlighted passages or added notes while reading ebooks, these don't export. This is one of the most frustrating omissions for serious readers.

Social data. Your friends list, group memberships, and discussions aren't included. Your reading activity and status updates also stay behind.

Some metadata. Series information can be incomplete or inconsistently formatted. Book cover images don't export either (though you get URLs to them on Goodreads).

Lists and recommendations. Any custom lists you've created or recommendations you've made to others won't appear in the export file.

This means your export is really just your core library data. It's enough for most migration purposes, but you'll lose some of the richer content you've created.

How to Export Your Goodreads Library (Step-by-Step)

Now for the actual process. It's straightforward once you know where to look.

Before You Start

You need to use Goodreads on a desktop browser. The mobile app doesn't have export functionality, and the mobile website redirects you to the app. Open Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or whatever browser you prefer on a computer.

The export typically takes a few minutes, but larger libraries (think thousands of books) can take an hour or more. You won't sit there waiting though - Goodreads emails you when it's ready.

The Export Process

1. Log in to Goodreads at goodreads.com using your desktop browser.

2. Click "My Books" in the top navigation bar. This takes you to your library view.

3. Find the Tools section in the left sidebar. You'll need to scroll down a bit. It sits below your shelves list.

4. Click "Import and export" within the Tools section. This opens the import/export page.

5. Click the "Export Library" button near the top of the page, under the Export heading. This starts the export process.

6. Wait for the email notification. Goodreads will send you an email when your export file is ready. The subject line will be something like "Your Goodreads export is ready."

7. Download your CSV file. Click the download link in the email, or return to the Import and Export page where a download link now appears.

That's it. The file downloads to your computer's default download folder.

What the Export Email Looks Like

The email from Goodreads will come from no-reply@goodreads.com. It includes a direct download link and warns you that the link expires after 30 days. Don't wait too long to grab your file.

If you have a small library (under 100 books), the export might be ready in just a few minutes. Larger libraries can take 30-60 minutes. Really massive libraries (5,000+ books) occasionally take several hours, though this is rare.

Common Export Issues (And How to Fix Them)

Most exports work smoothly, but here are the issues people run into and their solutions.

Mobile App Limitations

The most common complaint: "I can't find the export option!" This happens when you're using the mobile app or mobile website. Goodreads simply doesn't offer export on mobile.

The fix is simple: grab your laptop or desktop computer. If you absolutely must use a mobile device, you can request the desktop site in your mobile browser (look for this option in your browser's menu), though the experience isn't great on a small screen.

Export Taking Too Long

If you've waited several hours and still haven't received your export email, here's what to do:

Check your spam folder. Automated emails from Goodreads sometimes get filtered incorrectly.

Try again during off-peak hours. If Goodreads is experiencing high traffic, exports might queue up. Late night or early morning (US time zones) tends to work better.

Contact Goodreads support. If it's been over 24 hours, something probably went wrong. Goodreads support can manually generate your export.

Missing or Incomplete Data

Occasionally, users notice books missing from their export or fields that should have data but don't. This usually happens because:

The book was added to a private shelf. Private shelves sometimes don't export properly. Change the shelf to public, wait a day, then try exporting again.

Special characters in reviews cause problems. If you've used unusual Unicode characters or emojis extensively in your reviews, these can occasionally cause export issues. Unfortunately, there's no easy fix for this beyond editing problematic reviews.

Series information is incomplete. This is a known Goodreads limitation, not really a bug. Series data is often missing or inconsistently formatted in exports.

CSV File Won't Open Properly

When you open your CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets, it might look garbled or have formatting issues. This typically happens with review text that contains commas or line breaks.

The solution: use a proper CSV viewer or import wizard. Both Excel and Google Sheets have "Import" functions (rather than just double-clicking the file) that handle CSV files more intelligently. Select "comma" as the delimiter and "UTF-8" as the encoding for best results.

What to Do With Your Exported Goodreads Data

Now you've got this CSV file. What next?

Import to Another Platform

Most modern book tracking apps accept Goodreads CSV imports. This includes:

StoryGraph accepts Goodreads imports directly. Upload your CSV and StoryGraph preserves your ratings, reviews, and reading dates while adding its mood and pace tracking on top.

Bookwise offers seamless Goodreads import that maintains your reading history while giving you quarter-star ratings, reading sessions, and an AI companion for discussing books. Your reviews and dates carry over perfectly.

LibraryThing has been accepting Goodreads imports for years. It's particularly good if you want detailed cataloging features.

Literal, Hardcover, and Oku are newer social reading platforms that all support Goodreads CSV imports, each with their own unique features and communities.

The import process varies by platform, but generally involves uploading your CSV file through an import tool in the app's settings.

Create Your Own Backup System

Even if you're not switching platforms, regular exports create a personal backup. Store your CSV files in:

Cloud storage like Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud. This protects against both Goodreads data loss and local computer failures.

Multiple locations. Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule if you're serious: three copies, two different media types, one offsite. Sounds excessive for a reading list, but if you've got a decade of reading history, it's worth protecting.

Version control. Name files with dates (like "goodreads_export_2026_01.csv") so you can track when you created each backup. Export quarterly or yearly to capture new additions.

Analyze Your Reading Habits

If you're comfortable with spreadsheets, your CSV file opens up interesting analysis possibilities. You can:

Track reading trends over time. How many books did you read each year? Has your average rating changed? Do you finish more books in certain months?

Identify your most-read authors. Sort by author and count entries to see who you've read most.

Compare your ratings to Goodreads averages. Are you generally harsher or more generous than the community?

Find rating patterns. Do you rate books higher that you read in summer? Are there genres you consistently rate lower?

For the spreadsheet-phobic, you can use the CSV to feed reading tracking dashboards in tools like Notion or Airtable.

How to Import Your Goodreads Data to Bookwise

Since we mentioned Bookwise as an import option, here's the quick process for bringing your Goodreads data over.

Visit bookwiseapp.com and create an account if you haven't already. The app is available on web, iOS, and Android.

Navigate to your profile settings. Look for the "Import" or "Import from Goodreads" option. On the web version, this is typically in your account settings.

Upload your CSV file. Click the upload button and select the Goodreads export file you downloaded earlier.

Review the import preview. Bookwise will show you a summary of what it found in your CSV - how many books, how many with ratings, how many with reviews.

Confirm and import. Click confirm and Bookwise processes your import. This usually takes a minute or two.

Once imported, you'll see all your Goodreads books, ratings, and reviews in Bookwise. The app preserves your reading dates and shelf organization while adding features Goodreads doesn't offer. You can start tracking reading sessions, using quarter-star ratings for more precise reviews, or chatting with the AI book companion about books you're reading.

Unlike Goodreads, Bookwise also captures data about mood and pacing for every book in its catalog, helping you discover your next read based on what you're in the mood for. It's the kind of nuanced book discovery that a basic CSV export can't capture, but that becomes available once you're on a platform built for it.

Should You Export Your Goodreads Data Regularly?

If you're staying on Goodreads, occasional exports still make sense.

For peace of mind: Export every 6-12 months to maintain an up-to-date backup. This is especially wise if you write detailed reviews or have years of reading history on the platform.

After major reading milestones: Just finished a reading challenge? Completed a big classics reading project? Export when you've added significant new data.

Before and after bulk changes: If you're reorganizing shelves or updating a bunch of ratings at once, grab an export first. This creates a restore point if something goes wrong.

When privacy concerns arise: If Amazon changes Goodreads' privacy policy or data handling practices, having a recent export means you can leave quickly if needed.

On the other hand, if you've already migrated to another platform, you probably don't need to keep exporting from Goodreads unless you're maintaining dual accounts.

Final Thoughts

Exporting your Goodreads data takes about five minutes of actual work and a bit of waiting time. The CSV file you get is comprehensive enough for most purposes, though it has some frustrating gaps (looking at you, missing highlights).

Whether you're creating a backup, analyzing your reading patterns, or preparing to switch to a modern Goodreads alternative, having your data in hand gives you options. Your reading history belongs to you, and you shouldn't feel locked into any single platform.

Once you've got that CSV, you can explore what today's book tracking apps offer beyond what Goodreads provides. Features like quarter-star ratings, reading session tracking, and AI-powered book discussions show how much the category has evolved. Your exported Goodreads data is the starting point, but there's a lot more you can track and discover about your reading life than a simple CSV can capture.