Moving from Windows to Mac

[radamo]

What do I need to do in order to migrate my windows Calibre library to Mac?

[kovidgoyal]

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...ter-to-another

[radamo]

Thanks... My searches had come up with this but I was not sure it ALSO applied to cross platform moves. Really appreciate all your hard work on this wonderful tool.

[CharlierlieNewby]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...ter-to-another

Hi
I hope yo can help me please as I have encountered difficulties following your above guide.

On the windows pc I copied the folder, created as you instructed, to SD card. When I follow your instructions on the MacBook I get this message "calibre, version 6.10.0
ERROR: Not valid: The folder /Volumes/Untitled/Calibre Library is not valid: No exported data found in: /Volumes/Untitled/Calibre Library

Can you help me resolve this please?

unfortunately I am not very technically minded, so may just have done something stupid!

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by CharlierlieNewby

Hi
I hope yo can help me please as I have encountered difficulties following your above guide.

On the windows pc I copied the folder, created as you instructed, to SD card. When I follow your instructions on the MacBook I get this message "calibre, version 6.10.0
ERROR: Not valid: The folder /Volumes/Untitled/Calibre Library is not valid: No exported data found in: /Volumes/Untitled/Calibre Library

Can you help me resolve this please?

unfortunately I am not very technically minded, so may just have done something stupid!

Did you export your Calibre library (and settings) using the import/export tool or did you simply copy your calibre library folder to a SD card and then plugged that SD card into your Mac?

If you simply copied the folder, Import will not find the files it is expecting. You would try Switch/Create library and browsing to the location of your copied library with the Use the previously existing library at the new location radio button selected.

[Comfy.n]

My preferred method of moving/backuping Calibre Libraries is the Export/import tool. It's goof-proof.

Attached screenshots show its location in the toolbar and the UI main dialogs:

[CharlierlieNewby]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Did you export your Calibre library (and settings) using the import/export tool or did you simply copy your calibre library folder to a SD card and then plugged that SD card into your Mac?

If you simply copied the folder, Import will not find the files it is expecting. You would try Switch/Create library and browsing to the location of your copied library with the Use the previously existing library at the new location radio button selected.

Thanks David. I used the import/export tool.

[CharlierlieNewby]

Originally Posted by Comfy.n

My preferred method of moving/backuping Calibre Libraries is the Export/import tool. It's goof-proof.

Attached screenshots show its location in the toolbar and the UI main dialogs:

Thanks. I used the import/export tool, but got the message in my original post.

[theducks]

That message leads me to believe your Library EXPORT went someplace else, because it is not there.
You should see 1 or more files starting the set with:
part0001.calibre-data

That is the first in a possible spanned archive that contains everything exported.

[CharlierlieNewby]

Originally Posted by theducks

That message leads me to believe your Library EXPORT went someplace else, because it is not there.
You should see 1 or more files starting the set with:
part0001.calibre-data

That is the first in a possible spanned archive that contains everything exported.

Thanks.

Just looking at the Windows PC now as thinking I would rerun the export/import tool again to a new folder. When I open Calibre there are no books.
When I open the folder I created for the original export/import there are lots of files for authors and on opening those files are that author’s books.

However that folder does not contain anything with part0001.calibre-data or similar. Just the author names.

Do you have any idea how I can fix this please?

[Quoth]

On the machine with books
Open Calibre.
Go Library and Export
Create a new local directory /folder. Do not pick a Network share. A USB device may or may not work.
After it's completed that new location will ONLY have files like part0001.calibre-data etc, the number depends on how big the library is.
Copy that new folder/directory to Mac local folder, either on network or USB device.
Open Calibre on mac (install same revision)
Go Library and Import
You choose the destination (open File manager and delete anything in it) and the source folder with the part0001.calibre-data, and if library is needing more part0002.calibre-data etc.

Then all the ebooks, plugins and settings are imported.

[CharlierlieNewby]

Originally Posted by Quoth

On the machine with books
Open Calibre.
Go Library and Export
Create a new local directory /folder. Do not pick a Network share. A USB device may or may not work.
After it's completed that new location will ONLY have files like part0001.calibre-data etc, the number depends on how big the library is.
Copy that new folder/directory to Mac local folder, either on network or USB device.
Open Calibre on mac (install same revision)
Go Library and Import
You choose the destination (open File manager and delete anything in it) and the source folder with the part0001.calibre-data, and if library is needing more part0002.calibre-data etc.
Then all the ebooks, plugins and settings are imported.

Thanks. Please see my reply to theducks yesterday.
So not sure that I can do as you suggest as the ebooks are now in the folder I created instead of in Calibre. Any suggestions to reverse what I have done please?

[Quoth]

Copy them to what ever folder calibre says is the Library, usually "Calibre Library"

Or in Calibre on Choose Library, browse the new location.

It seems like you moved the books rather than using Calibre Export.

[CharlierlieNewby]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Copy them to what ever folder calibre says is the Library, usually "Calibre Library"

Or in Calibre on Choose Library, browse the new location.

It seems like you moved the books rather than using Calibre Export.

Thanks. Whilst I’m not good with technology I’m sure I used Calibre export/import.

Two photos of what happened when I tried to find the library.

Also looked at Library Maintenance where there is option to “restore database” but was afraid to click ok in case I lost all the books in the library!

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by CharlierlieNewby

Also looked at Library Maintenance where there is option to “restore database” but was afraid to click ok in case I lost all the books in the library!

Restore database is a bit misnamed; it looks for OPF files in the book folders then rebuilds the db based on the data in them. As long as the OPFs are in there, it should be fine. (I'm not sure whether books without OPFs are ignored or deleted.)