How to Import Your Goodreads Library and Actually Move On

You've been thinking about leaving Goodreads for a while. Maybe it's the ads. Maybe it's the social pressure to rate every book and update your reading challenge. Maybe you just don't like the idea of Amazon knowing every book you've ever picked up.

Whatever the reason, the thing that kept you from switching was probably this: your data. Years of books logged, ratings assigned, reading dates recorded. You didn't want to lose all of that.

Good news: you don't have to. This guide shows you how to export your entire Goodreads library and import it into Dogear — a free, private, ad-free book tracker — in under five minutes.

Step 1: Export Your Goodreads Library

Goodreads lets you export your library as a CSV (comma-separated values) file. Here's how:

Log into your Goodreads account on a desktop browser (the export feature isn't available in the mobile app).
Go to My Books from the top navigation.
In the left sidebar, click Import and Export.
Under "Export Library," click Export Library.
Wait a moment — Goodreads will generate the file. When it's ready, a download link will appear. Click it to download your CSV file.

The CSV file contains all your books: titles, authors, your ratings, the shelves you placed them on (read, currently-reading, to-read), date read, date added, and more.

Step 2: Create a Dogear Account

If you don't have a Dogear account yet, sign up for free. It takes about 15 seconds — just an email and password. No credit card. No trial period. No catch.

Dogear works on any device as a progressive web app. You can use it on your iPhone, Android phone, tablet, or desktop — all from the browser. There's nothing to install from an app store (though you can add it to your home screen for a native-app feel).

Step 3: Import the CSV into Dogear

Open Dogear and go to Settings.
Find the Import from Goodreads option.
Select the CSV file you downloaded in Step 1.
Dogear will parse the file and show you a preview of what's being imported.
Confirm the import.

That's it. Your books, ratings, reading dates, and shelf assignments are now in Dogear. The import typically takes a few seconds, even for libraries with hundreds of books.

What Gets Imported?

Here's exactly what transfers from Goodreads to Dogear:

Book titles and authors — every book on your Goodreads shelves.
Your ratings — star ratings you assigned to books.
Reading status — books are mapped to "Read," "Currently Reading," or "Want to Read" in Dogear.
Date read — if you recorded when you finished a book, that date transfers.
Page counts — total pages for each book, used for Dogear's reading analytics.

Goodreads reviews (the text reviews you wrote) are not imported, since Dogear doesn't have a public review system. This is by design — Dogear is a private tracker, not a social platform.

What You Gain by Switching

After importing, you immediately have access to everything Dogear offers that Goodreads doesn't:

Camera quote capture. Save highlights from physical books by pointing your phone at the page. AI extracts the text instantly. Read more about this feature.
Vocabulary builder. Save new words with definitions, linked to the book where you found them.
Kindle highlight import. Upload your My Clippings.txt file and all your Kindle highlights are organized by book.
Reading streaks. Track daily and weekly consistency with a visual streak counter.
Consistency calendar. See your reading habits over time in a GitHub-style contribution graph.
No ads. No sponsored books, no promoted authors, no Amazon product links.
No social pressure. No public profiles, no follower counts, no algorithms deciding what you should read next.
Complete privacy. Your reading data stays yours. It's not used for ad targeting or product recommendations.

Do I Have to Delete My Goodreads Account?

No. You can keep your Goodreads account active if you want. Some readers keep it for the community features (reading groups, book discussions) while using Dogear as their primary tracker. There's no conflict.

If you do want to delete your Goodreads account, you can do so from your Goodreads account settings. Just make sure you've exported your library first (Step 1 above), because once the account is deleted, your data is gone.

Common Questions

How long does the import take?

Usually a few seconds. Libraries with 500+ books may take up to 30 seconds. You'll see a progress indicator.

Will my book covers show up?

Yes. Dogear automatically fetches cover images from its book database. In rare cases where a cover isn't found, the app generates a clean, typographic placeholder.

What if I have duplicate books?

The importer detects duplicates and will notify you if a book already exists in your Dogear library. You can choose to skip duplicates or overwrite.

Can I import from other apps too?

Currently, Dogear supports import from Goodreads (CSV) and Kindle (My Clippings.txt). More import sources are planned for future updates.

The Five-Minute Migration

To recap, the entire process is:

Export your Goodreads library as CSV (~1 minute).
Create a free Dogear account (~15 seconds).
Upload the CSV in Dogear Settings (~30 seconds).

Under five minutes. Your entire reading history, preserved. And now you have access to camera quote capture, vocabulary building, Kindle import, and reading streaks — all for free, all private, all without ads.

You've been meaning to do this for months. It takes five minutes. Start now.