How do you delete your Goodreads account without losing your reading history?
Best Book Tracker Apps editors · Data refreshed 3 November 2026 · Editorial assessment
Bottom line.Export your library before you do anything else, because deleting the account removes your entire library and history, and Goodreads cannot restore it. Import the export file into your next tracker and check it. Then delete from Account settings: on the web, click your profile photo, Account settings, the Profile tab, then Delete my account and Confirm.
Facts checked 3 November 2026
What do you lose when you delete a Goodreads account?
Everything stored in the account: your shelves, ratings, reviews, reading dates, Reading Challenge history, friends and group memberships. Goodreads' help centre says that if you delete your account you can create a new one with the same email address, but your library and history from the old account will be lost. There is no undo.
You keep only what you exported. The export file holds your books, shelves, ratings, dates and review text. It does not hold friends, comments, likes or challenge history.
Step 1: Export your library
On the Goodreads website (the export is not in the apps): go to My Books, then Import and export under Tools on the left, then Export Library. The file can take a few minutes to generate; download it when the link appears. Exporting does not change or empty your library. Our export guide shows what to check in the file, and Goodreads export columns explains every field.
Keep the file somewhere safe, even after you import it elsewhere. It is the only complete copy of your Goodreads history.
Step 2: Import it into your next tracker, and check it
| Next tracker | How it imports Goodreads | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| The StoryGraph | Upload the CSV; imports read, currently-reading, to-read and did-not-finish shelves, and turns custom shelves into tags | Moving to StoryGraph |
| Hardcover | Goodreads import | Moving to Hardcover |
| Literal | Reads your public Goodreads profile, no CSV needed (so import before you delete) | Import and export table |
| BookBuddy | CSV import | Import and export table |
| Fable | In-app Goodreads import or CSV | Import and export table |
Check three things before you delete: the number of books matches, your read dates came across, and your reviews are attached to the right books. If you use Literal's profile import, it needs your Goodreads profile to exist, so run it first.
Step 3: Delete the account
These are Goodreads' own steps, from its help article updated 21 July 2026.
| Where | Steps |
|---|---|
| iPhone app | More menu, Settings, Account Settings, Account, Delete my account, Confirm |
| Android app | More menu, Settings, Settings, Account, Delete my account, Confirm |
| Mobile web | Tap your profile photo, Account settings, Account, Delete my account, Confirm |
| Desktop web | Click your profile photo, Account settings, Profile tab, Delete my Account (below your profile photo), Confirm |
You need to be able to sign in. Goodreads says it cannot delete an account for you if you no longer have the login details, for security and privacy reasons, so recover access first if you have lost it.
What about a linked Kindle or Amazon account?
Deleting Goodreads does not delete your Amazon account, your Kindle library or your Audible books. If you linked Kindle to Goodreads, that connection ends with the Goodreads account.
Should you delete, or just stop using it?
Deleting is final. If what bothers you is clutter, privacy or notifications, you can also make your profile private, turn off emails and simply stop logging. Readers who keep a Goodreads account only for friends or a book club often log their actual reading elsewhere. Our page on whether Goodreads is free and what it costs you sets out the trade-offs, and Goodreads alternatives lists where to go.
Questions
Q1Can I recover a deleted Goodreads account?
No. Goodreads' help centre says your library and history are lost when you delete the account, though you can open a new account with the same email address.
Q2Does exporting my Goodreads library delete anything?
No. Exporting creates a copy and leaves your library unchanged.
Q3Can I delete my Goodreads account from the app?
Yes, on iPhone and Android, under More, Settings, Account. You cannot export from the app, so export on the website first.
Q4I forgot my Goodreads password. Can Goodreads delete the account for me?
Not without access. Goodreads says you must be able to sign in to delete an account, so reset your password first.