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 three ways to read your Calibre library on iPhone, iPad, and Mac – from simplest to most flexible.
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, go to Library > Import > Folder. Navigate to your Calibre library folder and select it.
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: Wireless Sync (No Cloud Needed)
If you don’t want to put your library in cloud storage, wireless sync lets you push books from Calibre directly to BookShelves over your local network.
How it works:
Open BookShelves on your iPhone or iPad. Go to Settings > Advanced > Calibre Wireless Server and enable it. (macOS only for hosting; iOS connects as a client.)
In Calibre on your desktop, go to Connect/share > Connect to wireless device. BookShelves appears in the device list.
Select books in Calibre and click Send to device. The books transfer over Wi-Fi with metadata and covers.
BookShelves uses the same wireless protocol as KOReader, so if you already use KOReader on a Kobo or other e-ink device, the setup is familiar. Both devices can connect to the same Calibre instance.
For a detailed walkthrough of the wireless sync setup, including KOReader integration, see our Calibre wireless sync guide.
What you need: Both devices on the same Wi-Fi network. No internet required.
Method 3: OPDS (For Power Users)
If you run Calibre’s content server or calibre-web, you can browse and download books via OPDS.
How it works:
Start Calibre’s content server: Connect/share > Start content server. Note the server address (usually
http://your-ip:8080).In BookShelves, go to Library > OPDS Catalogs > Add Catalog. Enter the OPDS URL:
http://your-ip:8080/opds.Browse your library, tap a book, and download it.
BookShelves is both an OPDS client and server. You can also run BookShelves as an OPDS server to share your 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.
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, wireless sync, OPDS. iCloud sync across devices.
