Calibre is the best ebook library manager there is. But it runs on your desktop, and when you want to read on your phone or tablet, you need a way to get those books across. Calibre Companion used to handle this on iOS, but it was abandoned years ago.
Here are two ways to read your Calibre library on iPhone, iPad, and Mac – plus a third option for KOReader users on macOS.
Method 1: Folder Import (Simplest)
This is the easiest approach and requires no server. Point BookShelves at your Calibre library folder, and it imports everything.
How it works:
Make your Calibre library folder accessible from your phone. The simplest way is to store it in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive. If your library is on a local drive, copy or symlink it to a cloud folder.
In BookShelves on Mac, tap the + button in the toolbar and select your Calibre library folder. On iPhone and iPad, tap + > Import from Folder and navigate to your Calibre library folder.
BookShelves reads the folder structure and pulls in your books with covers and all Calibre metadata intact – authors, series, tags, and descriptions, all from your
metadata.db.If you have multiple formats per book (for example, EPUB + MOBI + PDF), BookShelves picks the best format automatically. The priority order is: EPUB > FB2 > MOBI > PDF for books, and CBZ > CBR > CB7 > PDF for comics.
Ongoing sync: When you update metadata in Calibre (fix a title, add a series, change a cover), BookShelves picks up the changes on the next folder scan. Your Calibre library stays the source of truth.
What you need: Your Calibre library folder in a location accessible from your phone. No server, no port forwarding, no authentication setup.
Method 2: OPDS (No Cloud Needed)
If you run Calibre’s content server or calibre-web, you can browse and download books via OPDS on any device.
How it works:
Start Calibre’s content server: Connect/share > Start content server. Note the server address (usually
http://your-ip:8080).In BookShelves, tap + > OPDS and enter the OPDS URL:
http://your-ip:8080/opds.Browse your library, tap a book, and download it.
This works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. BookShelves is also an OPDS server itself – you can share your BookShelves library with other readers on your network.
What you need: Calibre’s content server running, or calibre-web, or any OPDS-compatible server. Both devices need network access to the server.
Method 3: KOReader Wireless Sync (macOS Only)
BookShelves on macOS includes a built-in Calibre-compatible wireless sync server for KOReader e-ink devices. This is a macOS-only feature – Apple does not allow server mode on iOS.
How it works:
Open BookShelves on your Mac. Go to Settings > Advanced > Calibre Wireless Server and enable it.
On your KOReader device, go to the Calibre wireless connection option and connect to your Mac.
Books transfer over Wi-Fi with metadata and covers. Reading progress syncs back automatically.
This replaces the need to run Calibre desktop just for sending books to your e-reader. For a detailed walkthrough, see our KOReader wireless sync guide.
What you need: A Mac running BookShelves and a KOReader device on the same Wi-Fi network.
After Import: What You Get
Once your books are in BookShelves, you get features that Calibre’s viewer doesn’t offer:
- Reading progress synced across devices via iCloud. Start on your Mac, pick up on your iPhone.
- Highlights and annotations with export to Markdown, JSON, or CSV.
- Typography controls – font weight slider (7 stops), paragraph spacing, line spacing, margins, justify toggle.
- 10 built-in fonts including OpenDyslexic and Atkinson Hyperlegible for accessibility.
- Scroll and paginated modes – choose continuous scroll or traditional page turns.
- Dark mode that works with publisher CSS instead of just inverting colors.
What Calibre Still Does Better
BookShelves is a reader, not a library manager. You’ll still want Calibre for:
- Bulk metadata editing – fixing 50 books at once is a desktop job
- Format conversion – Calibre’s converter handles edge cases nothing else touches
- Plugin ecosystem – metadata download, custom columns, templates
- E-ink device management – sending books to Kobo, Kindle, PocketBook
The workflow that works: Calibre manages your library. BookShelves reads it. They don’t need to be the same app.
Read your Calibre library on iPhone and Mac
Folder import, OPDS, KOReader sync. iCloud sync across devices.
