Instapaper exports your whole account as a CSV from instapaper.com/settings/account (Import > Export .CSV to email), and each list downloads as a PDF or ePub with up to 19 articles. Then connect or upload the CSV in Readwise Reader, upload it to Raindrop.io, or send the ePub to Kindle.
The steps come from Instapaper's, Readwise's, Raindrop.io's and Amazon's official documentation, checked on October 15, 2026. Button names are quoted as they appear on each site and may change.
This guide is part of the Guide to saving articles to read later, which orders every guide on the topic. For KeepAnalog terms such as “eligible link” and “issue,” see the KeepAnalog glossary.
How do I export all my Instapaper articles?
According to Instapaper's export documentation, the CSV includes the data for your whole account:
- On a computer, go to instapaper.com/settings/account.
- Scroll to the Import section and click Export .CSV to email.
- Check your inbox: Instapaper emails a link to download the CSV. If you saved a lot of articles, it can take a few hours.
Instapaper's earlier help article places the same option at instapaper.com/user, in the import/export section. If the button is not on one page, try the other.
Can I download my articles as a PDF or ePub?
Yes, one list at a time. The same documentation explains how to download a list such as Home or a folder:
- Open the list on instapaper.com and click the three-dot (...) menu in the upper-right corner.
- In the Download section, choose ePub or PDF.
- You get an email with a link to the bundle.
Each bundle includes the first 19 articles in the list. From the same menu, RSS generates a feed of that list for an RSS reader.
What does the CSV include, and what doesn't it?
Instapaper says the CSV holds your account data, but its page does not list the columns. Two other apps document what they read from it:
- Readsira's Instapaper import guide gives the header row as
URL,Title,Selection,Folder,Timestamp, with each article in one folder, and says tags, notes and reading progress do not come across. - Readwise's documentation adds that private items, such as emails forwarded to Instapaper, also appear in the CSV with addresses that start with
instapaper-private://. Other apps cannot import those documents because Instapaper keeps them private.
Treat those columns as what the file looked like when those apps documented it, not as an Instapaper promise.
Can I export my highlights and notes?
Instapaper's export page does not say whether the CSV includes highlights. Readsira says it reads highlights from the CSV's Selection column, one per row, and that notes do not come across. For a full copy of highlights and notes, Instapaper's official Obsidian plugin syncs them to an Obsidian vault manually, hourly, every 12 hours or every 24 hours. Instapaper stresses that the plugin syncs highlights and notes only, not full articles.
Export, then import: where can the file go?
Each destination takes a different file. This table summarizes each app's own documentation:
| Where you want the articles | What to export from Instapaper | How it goes in | Limit to know | |---|---|---|---| | Readwise Reader | Nothing, or the CSV | Integrations > Connect, or upload the CSV | Possible 500-item cap on the direct sync | | Raindrop.io | The CSV | Import page, upload the file | Duplicates are skipped; files up to 300 MB | | Kindle | A list as ePub or PDF | Send to Kindle (web, email or app) | Up to 19 articles per bundle; web uploads up to 200 MB | | Kobo | Nothing | Link Kobo with Instapaper | No folders, tags, highlights or notes | | Paper | Links you still want to read | Print them yourself or choose them for KeepAnalog | KeepAnalog's pilot is in Argentina only |
Readwise Reader
According to Readwise's migration guide, open Reader's Integrations preferences, click Connect next to Instapaper and log in. Archived items go to Reader's Archive, the ten most recent unarchived items go to the Inbox and the rest go to Later; a large library takes a while on the first import, and new saves to Instapaper keep syncing.
If articles are missing, Readwise says you may be hitting an Instapaper API export bug that caps the export at 500 items. The workaround is to upload the CSV at read.readwise.io/add-to-library. To compare the two apps before you move, see Readwise Reader vs Instapaper.
Raindrop.io
Raindrop.io's import page lists Instapaper as a verified source: export it as CSV, open Raindrop.io's Import page, upload the file and review the summary before you click Start import. Raindrop.io says bookmarks land in collections that match the folders in the file, duplicate URLs are skipped and existing bookmarks are never overwritten. It accepts HTML, CSV, JSON, TXT and ENEX files up to 300 MB; a larger file can go in a ZIP archive.
Kindle
The CSV is a list of links, so for a Kindle use the ePub or PDF bundle. Amazon's Send to Kindle page lists both EPUB and PDF among supported formats. You can upload the file with Send to Kindle for Web (200 MB or smaller), attach it to an email to your Send to Kindle address, or use the Kindle app or the Send to Kindle desktop app. For articles you have not saved in Instapaper, How to send web articles to your Kindle covers the browser extension and email.
Instapaper also has its own Kindle connection. Its Kindle documentation has you copy your Instapaper email address for Kindle from instapaper.com/user, add it to the Approved Personal Document E-mail List in Amazon's Kindle Personal Document Settings, and enter your @kindle.com address back on Instapaper. Both scheduled and manual Kindle digests require Instapaper Premium.
Kobo
A Kobo does not need an export file. According to Instapaper's Kobo documentation, on the Kobo you go to More > My Articles, tap Link with Instapaper and sign in. It syncs Home, Liked and Archive and works with a free account, but it does not carry folders, tags, highlights or notes.
Another read-later app
Omnivore and Pocket are no longer destinations. Omnivore's own blog said it would support exports only through November 30, 2024, and Readwise notes that Pocket shut down on July 8, 2025. For what happened and the options people moved to, see Omnivore shut down: what happened and where to go and Pocket shut down: where to save articles now. For any other app, check its own import page for “Instapaper” or “CSV” before you delete anything. If it only takes a plain list of links, the URL column of the CSV is enough.
Paper
If what you want is to finally read a few of those articles, choose them first. You can print each one yourself with How to print an article without ads. KeepAnalog turns eligible public links chosen by one person (HTML pages or PDFs) into a monthly printed issue; private instapaper-private:// items are not public links. Nothing is printed or charged until that person approves the issue. For now, KeepAnalog's pilot is in Argentina only, with no delivery in the United States.
Before you close the account or migrate: three checks
These checks are an original KeepAnalog suggestion, not steps from Instapaper, Readwise, Raindrop.io or Amazon:
- Keep the CSV outside your inbox, in a folder you control, because it is the full record of what you saved.
- Move what you actually want to read into one folder and download it as a PDF or ePub: since each bundle holds 19 articles, a short folder works better than all of Home.
- Check the links that matter, because pages change or disappear; we cover that in When links disappear.
What next?
If the backlog is the real problem, Saving is not returning has a short triage to decide what to read, keep or delete before you move it anywhere.