How to import a Readwise Reader CSV into Save This One
By Save This One · Published
Prices and product details checked against the sources listed at the end of this page on 21 September 2026.
Reader has several exports with very different purposes. For a bookmark migration, use Export Library as CSV: it is the index of saved documents. OPML is for feed subscriptions, Markdown is for annotations, and the full-content ZIP is for preserving files and article bodies. Save This One imports public links from the CSV; it does not reproduce Reader.
Generate the correct Reader export
Use either official route:
- Open Reader's Command Palette and search for Generate CSV export, or
- Visit the Reader profile page, find Export account data, and choose Export Library as CSV.
Readwise documents both methods in its Reader export guide. Generate the CSV after recent saves have finished syncing, and keep the original unchanged for your first import.
Do not substitute these neighboring commands:
| Reader export | Intended job | Use here? |
|---|---|---|
| Export Library as CSV | Index of saved documents | Yes |
| Export Feeds as OPML | Feed subscription list | No |
| Export Full Files and Articles ZIP | Uploaded files and stored article content | No |
| Document/tag Download annotations | Notes and highlights as Markdown | No |
| Readwise highlights CSV/Markdown export | Highlight archive from the Readwise side | No |
If leaving Reader matters, download the full-content and annotation exports separately before cancelling. They are backups to retain elsewhere, not files Save This One can ingest.
What the CSV can—and cannot—become
Reader's library CSV may include more metadata than a bookmark service needs. Save This One finds fields by recognizable headers: url/link, title, notes/summary, tags/categories, and common created-date names such as created_at. The import preview is authoritative because Reader can change or add columns.
| Reader concept | Result |
|---|---|
| Public document URL | Imported when it uses http or https |
| Title | Imported, up to 300 characters |
| Recognized note or summary column | Imported as a description, up to 2,000 characters |
| Recognized tags/categories column | Converted to normalized tags, at most 20 per bookmark |
| Recognized created date | Preserved when valid |
| Location: inbox/later/archive/feed | Not recreated as Reader workflow state |
| Highlights and highlight notes | Not imported from the library CSV |
| Uploaded PDF/EPUB or email content | File/content is not uploaded; a non-web internal URL may be skipped |
| RSS subscription | Not imported; preserve it with Reader's OPML export |
| Reading progress, read state, TTS | Not imported |
| Existing URL | Skipped without merging Reader metadata into the existing bookmark |
This distinction is especially important for PDFs and EPUBs. A CSV row can describe a document without containing that document. If an item has a normal source URL, that link may migrate; an uploaded file itself does not. Reader's Export Full Files and Articles is the appropriate preservation export.
Preview like a data migration
- Open the Save This One importer and select the CSV.
- Confirm the preview discovered approximately the expected number of public links.
- Check sample titles, distinct tags, skipped-row reason, and save-date range.
- Press Import only when those fields look credible, then read the final imported/skipped totals.
If the preview reports No url column found, do not import a different Reader export and hope for the best. Open a copy of the CSV, inspect its header row, and confirm that the document URL column is actually present. Preserve the original file. If tags or notes are absent from the preview, assume they will not appear after import.
The parser supports quoted commas and multiline quoted fields, but the file must be no larger than 25 MB and only the first 5,000 valid bookmarks are imported. The raw CSV is read locally; normalized bookmark records are sent after approval. Duplicate URLs—including duplicates within the export—do not get merged, so tag differences between duplicate Reader records can be lost.
Verify across document types
Pick one web article, one feed item moved into the Library, one tagged item, and one uploaded document. Search each by title or URL. Check the web links, expected tags, and an old save date. For the uploaded document, verify separately that you retained the full-content ZIP; seeing a CSV title is not proof the file migrated.
Keep Reader active and the exports backed up until this check passes. The import neither changes Reader nor establishes ongoing sync.
Decide based on the job, not the import button
Save This One fits when Reader is mostly serving as a link inbox and you want a smaller bookmark library with notes, tags, search, and no attempt to manage reading. Keep Reader when feeds, PDFs/EPUBs, highlights, annotations, full-text article storage, text-to-speech, or Readwise/note-app sync are central. Those are product categories, not migration details Save This One can imitate. See the Readwise Reader alternatives guide before moving if any of them matter.