Can I export my Goodreads library from the app?

No. The Export Library button is on the Import and export page of the website. On a phone, open goodreads.com in the browser, switch to the desktop site, and follow the same steps.

The export link never appears. What can I do?

A large library takes a few minutes: leave the page open, then reload it and look for the "Your export from" link under the button. If it still does not appear, try another browser or later in the day; the file is built on the Goodreads side.

Why do the ISBNs look like ="0439023483"?

Goodreads writes them that way so a spreadsheet keeps the leading zeros instead of turning the ISBN into a number. ReadTally does not use ISBNs; a spreadsheet shows them as text.

Does the export include my reading history for re-reads?

Only in part: Date Read holds the last date you finished the book and Read Count how many times you read it. Earlier read dates are not in the file.

How to export your Goodreads library to CSV (2026)

Goodreads exports your whole library as one CSV file from its website: 4 steps, a few minutes for a large library. The file has 31 columns, one row per book on any shelf.

Open the reading stats

The steps

Open goodreads.com in a desktop browser (the export is not in the app) and sign in.
Go to My Books, then click Import and export under Tools on the left.
Under Export, click Export Library. A large library can take a few minutes.
When the link "Your export from <date>" appears, click it to download goodreads_library_export.csv.

Then drop goodreads_library_export.csv on the reading stats page: the file is read in your browser and never uploaded.

What is in the file

One row per book, every shelf included (read, currently-reading, to-read and any custom exclusive shelf). Dates are written yyyy/mm/dd, My Rating is 0 when you did not rate the book, and Bookshelves lists your other shelves separated by commas. ReadTally keeps 13 of the columns and drops the rest, reviews and private notes included.

The 31 columns of the Goodreads export
Column	ReadTally uses it for	Format
Book Id	Not kept	—
Title	Book title; the series in brackets stays part of it	Text
Author	Top authors	First author only; co-authors are in Additional Authors
Author l-f	Not kept	—
Additional Authors	Not kept	—
ISBN	Not kept	—
ISBN13	Not kept	—
My Rating	Your average rating, your rating vs the average	0 to 5 whole stars; 0 = not rated
Average Rating	Your rating vs the Goodreads average	Decimal, e.g. 3.90
Publisher	Not kept	—
Binding	Format (paperback, Kindle, audio)	Text
Number of Pages	Pages per year and month, longest and shortest	Whole number; empty when the edition has none
Year Published	Edition year	yyyy
Original Publication Year	Oldest and newest book you read	yyyy
Date Read	Which year and month a book counts in	yyyy/mm/dd, the last time you read it
Date Added	When the book went on your shelves	yyyy/mm/dd
Bookshelves	Your shelves counted as genres	Comma-separated shelf names
Bookshelves with positions	Not kept	—
Exclusive Shelf	Read, currently reading, want to read (TBR), any custom exclusive shelf	read, currently-reading, to-read or your shelf name
My Review	Not kept	—
Spoiler	Not kept	—
Private Notes	Not kept	—
Read Count	Re-reads	Whole number
Recommended For	Not kept	—
Recommended By	Not kept	—
Owned Copies	Not kept	—
Original Purchase Date	Not kept	—
Original Purchase Location	Not kept	—
Condition	Not kept	—
Condition Description	Not kept	—
BCID	Not kept	—

What you can do with it

Stats by year and month: books, pages, your rating vs the average, authors, shelves, pace.
A share card with your year in books.
A reading tracker spreadsheet already filled in from the file.
Import it into The StoryGraph or another tracker, which read this same file.

Sources

Export steps: Goodreads Help, Import or export your books — https://help.goodreads.com/s/article/000001100 (export page: https://www.goodreads.com/review/import), read on 2026-09-29
Columns and value formats: A real Goodreads library export published by its owner (header row and 4,400 rows: dates yyyy/mm/dd, My Rating 0 when not rated, ISBN written as ="...") — https://gwern.net/doc/personal/goodreads.csv, read on 2026-09-29

Frequently asked questions

Can I export my Goodreads library from the app?: No. The Export Library button is on the Import and export page of the website. On a phone, open goodreads.com in the browser, switch to the desktop site, and follow the same steps.
The export link never appears. What can I do?: A large library takes a few minutes: leave the page open, then reload it and look for the "Your export from" link under the button. If it still does not appear, try another browser or later in the day; the file is built on the Goodreads side.
Why do the ISBNs look like ="0439023483"?: Goodreads writes them that way so a spreadsheet keeps the leading zeros instead of turning the ISBN into a number. ReadTally does not use ISBNs; a spreadsheet shows them as text.
Does the export include my reading history for re-reads?: Only in part: Date Read holds the last date you finished the book and Read Count how many times you read it. Earlier read dates are not in the file.

How to see your Goodreads stats by year
Books and pages per year and month from your own export, why Year in Books can disagree, and what counts as a read in a given year.
StoryGraph vs Goodreads export: what is in each file
Field by field: dates, ratings, pages, shelves and tags in the Goodreads and StoryGraph CSV exports, and what each one lets you count.
How many pages a day to read 52 books a year?
Pages a day for 12, 24, 52 and 100 books a year at 200 to 400 pages a book, and what changes when you start late.
Reading tracker spreadsheet from your Goodreads export
Turn the Goodreads or StoryGraph CSV into a tracker that is already filled in: the sheets, the formulas, and how to keep adding books.

Last updated 2026-09-29. Works with the CSV you export from Goodreads or The StoryGraph. Not affiliated with Goodreads, Amazon or The StoryGraph. Your file never leaves your browser.