Deleting a Goodreads account is permanent and Goodreads says so explicitly — once it's gone, your ratings, reviews, shelves, and reading history go with it. Before you touch the delete option: export your library as a CSV from Account Settings, decide whether you want your existing reviews to stay up anonymously or disappear entirely, and only then confirm the deletion. Here's the order to do it in.
Step 1: Export your library
Do this first, always. From your Goodreads account settings page, look for the library export option — it generates a CSV file containing your books, shelves, ratings, dates, and reviews. Download it and save it somewhere you'll actually find again (cloud storage, email it to yourself, whatever you trust). This file is your only way to bring your reading history into another app afterward — Goodreads doesn't keep a copy for you once the account is gone.
Step 2: Decide what happens to your reviews
When you get to the delete-account flow, Goodreads asks whether your existing reviews and ratings should stay on the site anonymously — detached from your name and profile — or be deleted along with everything else. There's no wrong answer, but it's worth deciding on purpose rather than clicking through: if you've written reviews you're proud of and don't mind them existing without your name attached, leaving them up costs you nothing. If you want a clean break, delete everything.
Step 3: Delete the account
The option lives in Account Settings — scroll to the bottom of the page for a "Delete my account" link. Goodreads will show you the information above (the anonymize-or-delete choice) and ask you to confirm. Once you do, it's done immediately and can't be reversed. Goodreads' own help pages are the authoritative source if the exact menu path has moved since this was written — account settings pages change more often than the underlying policy.
Step 4: Bring your library somewhere new
The CSV you exported in step 1 is a standard format most modern trackers can read directly, including StoryGraph and Everlune. If you're moving to a private, offline tracker specifically because you didn't love your data living on Amazon's servers in the first place, importing that CSV takes a few minutes and brings your ratings, dates, and shelves across — you don't lose the history, just the account.
Frequently asked
Can I undo deleting my Goodreads account?
No. Goodreads is explicit that account deletion is permanent — your ratings, reviews, shelves, and reading history are removed and cannot be recovered. Export your library before you delete anything.
How do I export my Goodreads library before deleting my account?
Go to your Account Settings page — Goodreads generates a CSV export of your library that you can download from there. Do this before deleting your account, since the export option disappears along with everything else once the account is gone.
What happens to my reviews when I delete my Goodreads account?
Goodreads gives you a choice at deletion: leave your reviews and ratings on the site anonymously (detached from your profile), or delete them along with everything else. Read that screen carefully before confirming — it's the one choice you can't revisit afterward.
Import your export into Everlune
Drop your Goodreads CSV into Everlune and your ratings, dates, and shelves come across in minutes — private and offline from that point on, no account required.
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