How to Sync Apple Books

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: September 30, 2021

This wikiHow will teach you how to sync Apple Books so you can pick up where you left off whether you're on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. There are a few different settings in both the Books app and your iCloud settings that you have to enable before your Books will sync properly.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Syncing on iPhone and iPad

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1
Open Settings
. You'll find this grey gear app icon on one of your Home screens or inside the Utilities folder.
- You'll need to repeat these steps for both your iPhone and iPad to sync books on each device.
This is next to your profile picture at the top of the menu.

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It's next to an icon of a cloud in the second grouping of menu options.
This setting turns on iCloud Books for all devices using that Apple ID.
All your notes, bookmarks, and annotations will be stored in your iCloud Drive.
You'll see this in the top left corner of your screen and you'll return to the Apple ID page of the Settings menu.
You'll see this in the top left corner of your screen and you'll return to the main page of the Settings menu.
It's in the sixth grouping of menu options next to an icon of an open book.
This option is under the "Syncing" header.
Now your Books on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch will sync across other iOS devices.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Syncing on a Mac

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It's usually in the top left corner of your screen.
This option is the second option in the menu that drops down.
3
Click iCloud. You'll see this next to an icon of a cloud in the third row.
- If you're not signed in, sign in now.
After you've enabled iCloud Drive, you'll see another button appear.
" You won't see this box if you don't have iCloud Drive enabled.
It's under the "Documents" tab.
The System Preferences window will close, but to completely sync your Books, you'll need to enable sync within the Books app on Mac.
You'll find this in the Applications folder in Finder or on the Dock.
When you hover your mouse over "Books" in the menu at the top of your screen, a menu will drop-down.
It's the icon if a light switch you'll find near the top of the window.
11
Click to check the box next to "Sync bookmarks, highlights, and collections across devices." You'll see this to the right of the header, "Sync."
- After you've enabled this setting, your books and any notes should sync across all your Apple devices.
- If your books aren't syncing after you've enabled these settings across all your devices, uninstall and reinstall the Books app. If that doesn't solve your issue, go to Settings > iCloud and switch off iCloud for a few moments before switching it back on.^{[1]
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