How to Back Up Your Reading List Without Losing Context

List what you would actually miss

Your reading library contains more than URLs. You may care about the titles you corrected, the notes you wrote, who recommended a piece, or the distinction between planned and finished reading. Some items also have saved article text. Start by naming the parts you would want to recover if you changed tools tomorrow.

A backup that contains every link but none of your notes may still be useful, but it solves a narrower problem than you expected. Conversely, a folder of article files without recognizable titles or source URLs can be difficult to navigate. The goal is to preserve enough context for a future version of you to make sense of the collection.

Create the export while the service is available

Use the app’s documented export option and keep the original exported file unchanged. Create a separate working copy if you want to reorganize or inspect the data. Include the service name and export date in the filename so you can distinguish it from older versions.

Pocket is a concrete reminder to act while an export is available. Mozilla’s current closure notice says Pocket closed on July 8, 2025, and exports ended on November 12, 2025. An old guide telling you to export from Pocket today is no longer actionable.

If you already have an old Pocket export, retain that file while evaluating another tool. ReadRex does not currently provide a bulk Pocket importer. A saved export and a supported import path are separate requirements; do not delete your original file simply because you have chosen a new reading app.

Understand the difference between records and files

An export can be a list of links, structured data about your library, downloaded content, or some combination. The format name alone does not tell you which parts are included. HTML can hold bookmark links without article bodies; JSON can contain rich records without being directly importable into another product.

For example, Google documents Chrome bookmark export as an HTML file that can be imported into another browser. That is a bookmark-transfer workflow, not a claim that the pages themselves were downloaded.

In ReadRex, the JSON export includes library information and the owner’s ready hosted article copies where available under the current policy. It does not turn every saved link into a text copy. Device-only downloads are separate, and an export is not a promise of a one-click restore or a universal importer.

Inspect a small sample before calling it a backup

Open the file with an appropriate local viewer or text editor and look for several known items. Choose a recent save, an older item, one with a private note, one marked Finished, and one you know has a hosted copy. You do not need to understand every field to check that recognizable information exists.

For the item with a note, confirm that your wording survived. For the article copy, inspect more than the title and preview. For a gift link, confirm that the original usable URL is present. Do not upload a private library export to an unfamiliar online conversion service just to make it easier to inspect.

If you are evaluating an importer elsewhere, test a small working copy first and compare the results. Check reading states and dates as well as item counts. Matching counts can hide lost notes, altered links, or a different interpretation of “archived.”

Keep a separate copy with a clear name and location

Store the export somewhere you already back up and can access independently of the reading app. If the library matters to you, keep another copy in a separate appropriate location. Protect it as private data: reading interests, notes, and saved text can be personal even when the original articles are public.

Choose a simple naming convention such as “reading-library-2026-10-28.json.” Retain at least the previous useful export when creating a new one, so a recent mistake does not immediately replace your only older record. You can decide how often to export based on how quickly your library changes; a major device move or service change is a sensible prompt.

Verify recovery before deleting the original

Before removing an account, clearing a device, or replacing a reading system, verify the destination you expect to rely on. Can you open the export outside the app? Can you identify your important items? If you imported elsewhere, did the fields you care about survive? Keep the original until those answers are clear.

Backing up your library and preserving a publisher’s content are related but different tasks. Your export may preserve the fact that you wanted to read an article even when no body was captured. For irreplaceable sources, use the additional checks in saving articles before they disappear. For ordinary future reading, keep the process small enough that you will actually do it.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

• Mozilla: Pocket has shut down
• Google Chrome: Import and export bookmarks