Most import problems show up before anything is written: the review screen lists every row Book Tracker couldn’t read, with the line and the reason. Fix the file, choose it again, and import.
1. The file isn’t recognized
Cause: the file comes from an app Book Tracker knows, but its column names are in another language, or the file was edited and its column names changed.
Fix:
- Pick the app from the list anyway. Book Tracker tells you to set the app to English and export again, and links to its guide.
- For an app Book Tracker doesn’t know, pick Another App and check which column holds what. See Migrating from other apps via CSV Import.
2. Messages about the file
No Books in This File. The file has no rows, or only the column names. Export it again from the app it came from.
File Can’t Be Read. The file isn’t a CSV or text file, or can’t be opened. Choose the CSV or text file your old app exported.
File Not Well Formed. Book Tracker can read the file, but parts of it are irregular: an unusual encoding, misplaced quotes, rows with a different number of columns. The import goes ahead; check the books on the review screen before importing.
Your Library Couldn’t Be Read. Book Tracker couldn’t read your library when the import started. Nothing was changed: try again in a moment.
File Damaged
Cause: some characters were lost when the file was saved, usually because a spreadsheet app saved it in the wrong encoding.
Fix: export the file again from the app it came from, and import it without opening it in a spreadsheet. If you must edit it, save it as CSV UTF-8.
3. “Line 12 has no title”
Cause: the row has no title, or, for Another App, the title column isn’t matched.
Fix: add the title in your file, or match Title on the What’s in Your File screen. Empty rows are listed separately and can be ignored.
4. “Line 12 could not be saved”
Cause: the row was read, but your library refused it when the books were being added. If every row is refused, the summary says Nothing was saved.
Fix: save the import report and send it to us from the app, so we can see what happened.
5. “…is not a code any more. A spreadsheet turned it into a number.”
Cause: the file was opened in Excel or Numbers, which turned an ISBN like 9780261103573 into 9.78026E+12. The missing digits can’t be recovered. Book Tracker shows this message for Goodreads and Book Crawler files; in other files a damaged ISBN is simply left out.
Fix: export again from your old app and import that file directly. If that’s not possible, the book still comes in, without an ISBN, and you can add it later.
6. Everything has the same format
Cause: the file has no format, or uses words Book Tracker doesn’t recognize.
Fix:
- Book Tracker understands the usual words, like paperback, hardcover, ebook, Kindle, and audiobook, and its own values like PAPERBACK or AUDIOBOOK. The full list is in Migrating from other apps via CSV Import.
- Books with no recognized format get the default format. Set it before you import in Settings → Configurations → Default Format. See How to change the default book format in Book Tracker.
- Some apps, like Reading List and Bookmory, don’t export a format at all.
7. Page count is 0
Cause: the file has no page count for that book, and Book Tracker couldn’t find one from the ISBN.
Fix: see Why are some books showing 0 pages after import?
8. Covers are missing
Cause: a CSV file can’t hold images. Covers come from an image link in the file or from the ISBN.
Fix: see Why are covers missing after import?
9. Dates are wrong by months
Cause: a date like 03/06/2024 can mean 3 June or 6 March. Book Tracker looks for a day above 12 to decide, and reads the whole file the same way.
Fix: write dates as YYYY-MM-DD, which is never ambiguous. Dates with a time and the day first, like 12/03/2015 14:08, may still be read with the month first: check them on the review screen.
10. A column went to the wrong field
Applies to Another App. Cause: Book Tracker matched a column by its name, and the name meant something else in your file.
Fix: on What’s in Your File, look at the example under each item. If it’s wrong, tap it and choose the right column, or Not in This File.
Best practices
- Import the file exactly as your old app made it.
- Read the review screen before tapping Import: every warning is there.
- Save the import report at the end. It lists every row that couldn’t be read or written, and why.
- Book Tracker backs up your library before every import. If something goes wrong, restore that backup.