+HOW TO import your books, shelves, and reviews from GR
Original topic subject: +HOW TO import your books, shelves, and reviews from GR (a +RESOURCE, too)
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1DebiCates
I am going to re-import my GR library this weekend to refresh my memory so I can share any tibits I garner from both the GR export (see the next message) and the LT import (will be coming soon).
Here is the announcement and lots of details from LT when they fairly recently revamped the import. I'll be using this detailed info myself when I re-import.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/374440
Here is the announcement and lots of details from LT when they fairly recently revamped the import. I'll be using this detailed info myself when I re-import.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/374440
2DebiCates
EXPORT FROM GOODREADS
==================
First, exporting your data does not mean exporting it out of Goodreads, in spite of how it might sound. It is just creating a copy of your data, giving you the option to save a copy on your own computer hard drive. It does not change what's on GR the least little bit.
Second, export does not get everything you might want or have done on Goodreads. It only gets your bookshelves, books, and your reviews. No comments given or received, no group info.
You are now ready to do it. It'll take you 15 seconds to start the process. Then GR will work on it for half an hour or so, creating the file. Once its done, it will take you another 15 seconds to save it. A total of no more than 1 minute of your time!
HOW TO step by step
1. Go to https://www.goodreads.com/review/import
2. At the top left of that screen you will see My Books > Import/Export. Then below that, EXPORT and below that a small button that is labeled Export Library. Press that. (Note: it gave me a message today a few times that it could not do that, try again. GR has been having intermittent issues lately. I pressed it several times but still got the error. I refreshed the screen in my browser. It worked the next time after I had refreshed.)
3.Wait. While it is creating your file, it erases the button and there's no indicators how it is coming along. Leave that screen alone.
4. After about half an hour, that Export library button returns and below it is now a link titled Your export from 12/06/2025 - 19:34. Of course your date and time will be different. Click that link.
5. I use Windows and it immediately opened my hard drive file folders to allow me to navigate where I want to store the file. It doesn't matter where you put the file except that you remember where you put it. The file is simply named goodreads_library_export and it is a Microsoft Excel Comma Separated Values type file. Press Save.
Yippee that's done! You now have a copy of your GR's data. You you can use that file to now import into any other book/reading platform like LibraryThing, StoryGraph, Hardcover, etc.
IT IS ALSO A BACKUP OF YOUR BOOKS AND REVIEWS
If you aren't ready to try a new site just yet, this is still a very good idea to do. It's a backup! You'll want to do this regularly to keep that goodreads_library_export file up to date with your most current bookshelves, books, and reviews.
==================
First, exporting your data does not mean exporting it out of Goodreads, in spite of how it might sound. It is just creating a copy of your data, giving you the option to save a copy on your own computer hard drive. It does not change what's on GR the least little bit.
Second, export does not get everything you might want or have done on Goodreads. It only gets your bookshelves, books, and your reviews. No comments given or received, no group info.
You are now ready to do it. It'll take you 15 seconds to start the process. Then GR will work on it for half an hour or so, creating the file. Once its done, it will take you another 15 seconds to save it. A total of no more than 1 minute of your time!
HOW TO step by step
1. Go to https://www.goodreads.com/review/import
2. At the top left of that screen you will see My Books > Import/Export. Then below that, EXPORT and below that a small button that is labeled Export Library. Press that. (Note: it gave me a message today a few times that it could not do that, try again. GR has been having intermittent issues lately. I pressed it several times but still got the error. I refreshed the screen in my browser. It worked the next time after I had refreshed.)
3.Wait. While it is creating your file, it erases the button and there's no indicators how it is coming along. Leave that screen alone.
4. After about half an hour, that Export library button returns and below it is now a link titled Your export from 12/06/2025 - 19:34. Of course your date and time will be different. Click that link.
5. I use Windows and it immediately opened my hard drive file folders to allow me to navigate where I want to store the file. It doesn't matter where you put the file except that you remember where you put it. The file is simply named goodreads_library_export and it is a Microsoft Excel Comma Separated Values type file. Press Save.
Yippee that's done! You now have a copy of your GR's data. You you can use that file to now import into any other book/reading platform like LibraryThing, StoryGraph, Hardcover, etc.
IT IS ALSO A BACKUP OF YOUR BOOKS AND REVIEWS
If you aren't ready to try a new site just yet, this is still a very good idea to do. It's a backup! You'll want to do this regularly to keep that goodreads_library_export file up to date with your most current bookshelves, books, and reviews.
3DebiCates
IMPORT INTO LIBRARYTHING
==================
(last updated with clarifications and a successful import 12/08/2025)
I use a Windows laptop with Chrome browser. There may be variations if you use a different device or browser. I followed the instructions provided by LT here https://www.librarything.com/topic/374440
but in actuality there were slight differences with those set of instructions. I still was able to use them as a guide.
These instructions are designed for your first import from GR. There would be other techniques to do subsequent updates from GR that would catch only new items, but I will not address those steps here. These steps are for your first complete GR import.
LET'S BEGIN!
1. Go to https://www.librarything.com/newimport/goodreads
2. Under the step 2 on that page, click inside the box "Click or drag your Goodreads export file here." It will open a new window where you can navigate to where you stored your exported file named goodreads_library_export. Click on that file and select Open
3. Optional step. In the box Add a label Adding a label does nothing to your data, it simply labels this particular import and you can see that label you assigned it if you go to the review your imports. Nice, but you can leave it blank.
4. Press Upload. It will think a minute then give you a summary of what it found in your GR file (# of books, etc.) and then will ask you questions about how you want your specific GR import handled.
5. Their step 3: Exclusive shelves to upload. I have exclusive shelves I added to the standard 3 default GR shelves (i.e. read, to-read, currently-reading). I have added GR exclusive shelves like "DNF" and "My Cookbooks." LT asks me how to handle those types of shelves. I have 12 exclusive shelves total, So that everything I set up in GR as exclusive will also be exclusive shelves here I selected Collections. (Exclusive shelves are closest in meaning to "Collections" in LT parlance.)
6. Their step 3:Import Bookshelves as. These are the other shelves you have, the non-exclusive ones. I bet you have a number of them. I have many, like "animals," "favorites", "poetry." (I have one book that is on all three of those shelves.) I selected tags. Tags work as non-exclusive shelves on LT: one book, possibly many tags.
7. Their step 3: Add books to these collections. Because I am not yet very sophisticated in my LT shelving desires, I just want all my books, ha, I selected Your Library which is where all my books will live, the master umbrella, so to speak.
8. Their step 3 Add these tags to all books. I figure they ask this so if you import from multiple places or multiple times, you would add a tag identifying your various imports. I entered "fromGR" but you could easily leave it blank with no ill-effects.
9. Press Submit to which LT will respond, "Status: Queued". And then, if you refresh that page, you can see the progress it is making as it bops along. I suggest that you keep that page open, I find it is the easiest way to monitor it, although there are notifications and other ways (like check "Your Books") to see how it is coming along. The benefit of keeping it open, is when it is complete, you can get information there about possible books that it was unable to bring over. More about that after mine is done.
LATER....
Bummer. The import got stuck after just 4 books. :( It's a Sunday afternoon so I'm going to wait until Monday to try again when LT staff would be more available to help if need be. In preparation for that, I opted to stop the import and also to remove added books because I didn't want duplications of those 4. I reported the issue on the Bug Collectors group*
LATER...
It's Monday morning. LT immediately to the rescue! Early this morning there was the reply that others were stuck too and a problem was fixed. I started the import again (from step 1) and it's bopping along beautifully now. I expect it will take an hour as previous imports I have done took.
10. Done. My 2,159 books import took 1 hour 15 minutes 54 seconds. Next it's time to see details about the import. I'll be investigating how it went and will discuss that in another message below.
SUCCESS!!!
It's rather good that I had an error so I could also report to you how well LT handled it. LT is not like GR where a help ticket is usually far from helpful and a solution far from timely. I have yet to have a question or problem go unanswered on LT, and the answers are quick.
*The Bug Collectors group link is https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/897/Bug-Collectors
==================
(last updated with clarifications and a successful import 12/08/2025)
I use a Windows laptop with Chrome browser. There may be variations if you use a different device or browser. I followed the instructions provided by LT here https://www.librarything.com/topic/374440
but in actuality there were slight differences with those set of instructions. I still was able to use them as a guide.
These instructions are designed for your first import from GR. There would be other techniques to do subsequent updates from GR that would catch only new items, but I will not address those steps here. These steps are for your first complete GR import.
LET'S BEGIN!
1. Go to https://www.librarything.com/newimport/goodreads
2. Under the step 2 on that page, click inside the box "Click or drag your Goodreads export file here." It will open a new window where you can navigate to where you stored your exported file named goodreads_library_export. Click on that file and select Open
3. Optional step. In the box Add a label Adding a label does nothing to your data, it simply labels this particular import and you can see that label you assigned it if you go to the review your imports. Nice, but you can leave it blank.
4. Press Upload. It will think a minute then give you a summary of what it found in your GR file (# of books, etc.) and then will ask you questions about how you want your specific GR import handled.
5. Their step 3: Exclusive shelves to upload. I have exclusive shelves I added to the standard 3 default GR shelves (i.e. read, to-read, currently-reading). I have added GR exclusive shelves like "DNF" and "My Cookbooks." LT asks me how to handle those types of shelves. I have 12 exclusive shelves total, So that everything I set up in GR as exclusive will also be exclusive shelves here I selected Collections. (Exclusive shelves are closest in meaning to "Collections" in LT parlance.)
6. Their step 3:Import Bookshelves as. These are the other shelves you have, the non-exclusive ones. I bet you have a number of them. I have many, like "animals," "favorites", "poetry." (I have one book that is on all three of those shelves.) I selected tags. Tags work as non-exclusive shelves on LT: one book, possibly many tags.
7. Their step 3: Add books to these collections. Because I am not yet very sophisticated in my LT shelving desires, I just want all my books, ha, I selected Your Library which is where all my books will live, the master umbrella, so to speak.
8. Their step 3 Add these tags to all books. I figure they ask this so if you import from multiple places or multiple times, you would add a tag identifying your various imports. I entered "fromGR" but you could easily leave it blank with no ill-effects.
9. Press Submit to which LT will respond, "Status: Queued". And then, if you refresh that page, you can see the progress it is making as it bops along. I suggest that you keep that page open, I find it is the easiest way to monitor it, although there are notifications and other ways (like check "Your Books") to see how it is coming along. The benefit of keeping it open, is when it is complete, you can get information there about possible books that it was unable to bring over. More about that after mine is done.
LATER....
Bummer. The import got stuck after just 4 books. :( It's a Sunday afternoon so I'm going to wait until Monday to try again when LT staff would be more available to help if need be. In preparation for that, I opted to stop the import and also to remove added books because I didn't want duplications of those 4. I reported the issue on the Bug Collectors group*
LATER...
It's Monday morning. LT immediately to the rescue! Early this morning there was the reply that others were stuck too and a problem was fixed. I started the import again (from step 1) and it's bopping along beautifully now. I expect it will take an hour as previous imports I have done took.
10. Done. My 2,159 books import took 1 hour 15 minutes 54 seconds. Next it's time to see details about the import. I'll be investigating how it went and will discuss that in another message below.
SUCCESS!!!
It's rather good that I had an error so I could also report to you how well LT handled it. LT is not like GR where a help ticket is usually far from helpful and a solution far from timely. I have yet to have a question or problem go unanswered on LT, and the answers are quick.
*The Bug Collectors group link is https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/897/Bug-Collectors
5DebiCates
REVIEW YOUR IMPORTED BOOKS
=====================
We need to review our import. The import might not catch every book. That's because GR sometimes has books in their catalogue that are not unique, not available outside of GR, not "as is" anyway. Thus, we need to check if any of ours didn't make it over.
WHAT DIDN'T IMPORT?
To see details of your import, specifically the books that did not successfully import:
1. Go to https://www.librarything.com/newimport/list
2. Select "View"
3. Select "▶ See Details"
4. Scroll down to Step 4 Processing to see books that were imported. Click on "Status" heading that will change the sort where "failure" books will show up first.
5. Of the 2,159 books I had in GR, only 10 failed. To get those books into LT I will now go to Add books at the top navigation bar and for each book follow the steps.
ADD THOSE MISSING BOOKS
1. In another window tab I opened Add Books https://www.librarything.com/addbooks.
2. Before entering a title, below that search box, there are some options I filled out first. I entered the tag "grfailed" as a default so that I can identify those books later in order to go through them to put the tags I want. (I'm being lazy. I don't want to worry about their specific tags right now, I just want to get the books in my books.) I also left the default of Your Library as the primary Collection to put it in and Amazon.com books as the source it should search.
2. I went over to failure list window, copied a title and then went back to the Add books tab and pasted the title in the first box and pressed Search
3. On the right is now a list of books with that title. Click on the one you want.
4. VOILA! The right side changes to a list of your "Recently added" books with the book you just selected added at the top. Time to do another one. 10 books took me maybe 30 seconds each to do.
THE SEARCH DIDN'T FIND MY BOOK
I had one book that wasn't found using the Add books search. I tried a couple of other sources and even added a new source, the Library of Congress. (See the top right side "search elsewhere," click on that to be shown a zillion sources you could add).
The book title from GR was this whopper:
"Thomas Hart Benton : a restrospective sic exhibition ... presented under the patronage of the Honorable Harry S. Truman and Mrs. Truman of Independence, Missouri : April 12 to May 18, 1958, The Univ/Benton, Thomas Hart"
ha! No wonder it couldn't find it. I tried again, correcting the GR misspelling and entered just "Thomas Hart Benton a retrospective" and whadyaknow, LT search found that. It's now added.
At some point, I'll also go back to GR to copy and paste my reviews, note my rating for any of the failed books that I have read in order to get them here.
CHECK THE NUMBERS
Now that I think I got everything, time to check if I have exactly 2,159 books in my library. Do that by going to "Your Books" on the top navigation bar. Make sure that the blue drop down menu on the top left is set to either "All Collections" or "Your libraray." Mine tells me the number of books I have is 2,159!
You could now immediately make changes, like those "grfailed" tags if you were lazy like I was when I added them. There are edit icon options for each book over on the right side. Editing books is beyond the scope of these instructions, but it likely will be a future introductory +HOW TO topic in this group at a later date.
CHECK SOME REVIEWS
Next you might want to check some books that you have read and reviewed. Use the blue drop down to select just "Read" books. Not everything in a GR review is legitimate in LT because of GR's own way of doing things (and LT has their own way of doing things). There might be some cleanups needed, like if you included images which are not allowed in reviews on LT, or the changes to GR's internal inks for titles and authors that need an LT internal link instead, called "touchstones" in LT.
But I say it's time to relax. You've got your library filled with your books, your reviews, your ratings, and the read dates you had set.
CALLOOH! CALLAY!
You have done it, my friend, you've got your GR books imported.
=====================
We need to review our import. The import might not catch every book. That's because GR sometimes has books in their catalogue that are not unique, not available outside of GR, not "as is" anyway. Thus, we need to check if any of ours didn't make it over.
WHAT DIDN'T IMPORT?
To see details of your import, specifically the books that did not successfully import:
1. Go to https://www.librarything.com/newimport/list
2. Select "View"
3. Select "▶ See Details"
4. Scroll down to Step 4 Processing to see books that were imported. Click on "Status" heading that will change the sort where "failure" books will show up first.
5. Of the 2,159 books I had in GR, only 10 failed. To get those books into LT I will now go to Add books at the top navigation bar and for each book follow the steps.
ADD THOSE MISSING BOOKS
1. In another window tab I opened Add Books https://www.librarything.com/addbooks.
2. Before entering a title, below that search box, there are some options I filled out first. I entered the tag "grfailed" as a default so that I can identify those books later in order to go through them to put the tags I want. (I'm being lazy. I don't want to worry about their specific tags right now, I just want to get the books in my books.) I also left the default of Your Library as the primary Collection to put it in and Amazon.com books as the source it should search.
2. I went over to failure list window, copied a title and then went back to the Add books tab and pasted the title in the first box and pressed Search
3. On the right is now a list of books with that title. Click on the one you want.
4. VOILA! The right side changes to a list of your "Recently added" books with the book you just selected added at the top. Time to do another one. 10 books took me maybe 30 seconds each to do.
THE SEARCH DIDN'T FIND MY BOOK
I had one book that wasn't found using the Add books search. I tried a couple of other sources and even added a new source, the Library of Congress. (See the top right side "search elsewhere," click on that to be shown a zillion sources you could add).
The book title from GR was this whopper:
"Thomas Hart Benton : a restrospective sic exhibition ... presented under the patronage of the Honorable Harry S. Truman and Mrs. Truman of Independence, Missouri : April 12 to May 18, 1958, The Univ/Benton, Thomas Hart"
ha! No wonder it couldn't find it. I tried again, correcting the GR misspelling and entered just "Thomas Hart Benton a retrospective" and whadyaknow, LT search found that. It's now added.
At some point, I'll also go back to GR to copy and paste my reviews, note my rating for any of the failed books that I have read in order to get them here.
CHECK THE NUMBERS
Now that I think I got everything, time to check if I have exactly 2,159 books in my library. Do that by going to "Your Books" on the top navigation bar. Make sure that the blue drop down menu on the top left is set to either "All Collections" or "Your libraray." Mine tells me the number of books I have is 2,159!
You could now immediately make changes, like those "grfailed" tags if you were lazy like I was when I added them. There are edit icon options for each book over on the right side. Editing books is beyond the scope of these instructions, but it likely will be a future introductory +HOW TO topic in this group at a later date.
CHECK SOME REVIEWS
Next you might want to check some books that you have read and reviewed. Use the blue drop down to select just "Read" books. Not everything in a GR review is legitimate in LT because of GR's own way of doing things (and LT has their own way of doing things). There might be some cleanups needed, like if you included images which are not allowed in reviews on LT, or the changes to GR's internal inks for titles and authors that need an LT internal link instead, called "touchstones" in LT.
But I say it's time to relax. You've got your library filled with your books, your reviews, your ratings, and the read dates you had set.
CALLOOH! CALLAY!
You have done it, my friend, you've got your GR books imported.
