Bring your own books

Bokumi comes as an empty, well-lit shelf. It has no books of its own, so everything on it is something you bring. Here is every way in, from a single file to a whole collection.

What Bokumi opens#

PDF, CBR and CB7 are not supported yet. Most comic tools can save a copy as CBZ.

Files with DRM (copy protection) can't be opened. Bokumi won't try to get around it, and the terms ask you not to remove it with other tools either. Read those books in the app you bought them in.

Import from the Files app#

1. Open Browse and tap Local files, then Import. You can also choose Import local files from the ⋯ menu in your library, or from More → General.
2. Pick one or more files, or a whole folder. They can come from your iPhone, iCloud Drive, a USB drive or any storage that appears in Files.
3. Bokumi copies them in and puts each one on your shelf, ready to read.

From another app: in Files, Mail, Safari's downloads or AirDrop, share a CBZ, ZIP or EPUB to Bokumi, or open it in Bokumi, and tap Import to Local files.

On iPad: drag files or folders from Files straight onto Local files.

How folders become series#

Bokumi reads a folder the way you would shelve it.

Hokusai Manga/
  cover.jpg
  Volume 01.cbz
  Volume 02.cbz
  Volume 03/
    001.jpg
    002.jpg

• The folder becomes one series, named after the folder.
• Every subfolder of images and every CBZ, ZIP or EPUB inside it becomes one chapter.
• Images sitting directly in the folder become one chapter of their own.
• An image called cover, folder or poster becomes the series cover. Without one, Bokumi uses the first page.
• Order is natural: Chapter 2 comes before Chapter 10, so there is no need to pad numbers.

A single CBZ, ZIP or EPUB on its own becomes a series with one chapter, named after the file.

Where your files live#

Imported files are copied into Bokumi on this device, so you can delete or move the originals. They are not part of iCloud sync or Bokumi backups, and not part of your iCloud device backup either, so keep the originals somewhere safe. You can see how much space they take in More → General → Storage with Bokumi Plus.

Coming from another reader app#

If you already keep a library in another reader app, you can bring the list with you: your series, chapters read, categories, history and trackers.

1. In the other app, create a backup and save it to Files.
2. In Bokumi, open More → Backup & restore and tap Restore from backup.
3. Pick the file. Bokumi shows what is inside before it changes anything.

Restoring only adds to your library and never deletes anything. A backup carries your list and your progress, not the pages or books themselves.

When an import doesn't work#