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Back up your library

Export your reading history, bookmarks, and collections as a JSON file.

Bookil can save your library to a single JSON file. The file holds your reading state, bookmarks, annotations, and collections — but not the PDF files themselves.

Export

  1. Open Settings.
  2. In the Library section, tap Export reading history.
  3. The share sheet opens with a file named Bookil Library.json. Pick where to save it (Files, iCloud Drive, AirDrop, Mail, or any other destination in the sheet).

The file is plain JSON, formatted for readability.

What’s in the file

The export holds:

  • Books — for each PDF: file name, internal fingerprint, total pages, current page, opened and completed timestamps, reading direction override, bookmarks, and ink pages.
  • Collections — for each collection: name, sort order, lock state, and the list of books inside.

The export does not hold:

  • The PDF files themselves. Re-import them separately to restore the books.
  • Thumbnails. They’re regenerated automatically.
  • App settings (color theme, brightness, sort, filter, etc.).

Privacy note

The export is plain JSON, so its contents can be read as-is. Private collections are written out too, with isLocked: true as a flag. The lock follows the same design as the Hidden album in Apple Photos — it hides books from the library view.

Treat the export the way you treat any backup of your local data: store it somewhere you trust. Bookil doesn’t upload it anywhere.

Re-import

In this release, the import action lives in the developer settings. It’s intended for restoring a backup or moving data between devices, not for routine use.

If you need to import a backup:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap the version number in the app header seven times. A subtle haptic confirms each tap, and a strong one confirms the unlock. A Developer section appears at the bottom of Settings.
  3. In the Developer section, tap Import reading history and pick a Bookil Library.json file.

When you import a backup:

  • Books are matched by fingerprint first, file name second. Existing books are updated; missing books are skipped (the PDF files have to exist on the device separately).
  • Bookmarks and ink pages are merged page by page.
  • Collections are merged by name. If a collection with the same name already exists, books are added to it.
  • Older backups from Bookil 2025.08.1 or earlier can’t be imported by this version.

Open the Bookil folder

Bookil’s storage lives in your device’s Files app, in a folder named Bookil. To open it:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. In the Library section, tap Show files in Files app.

From there you can copy PDFs in, drag them out, or delete files that won’t import correctly. New PDFs you add to this folder appear in the library the next time you open Bookil.