Guides

How to Organize Your Ebook Library on Windows, macOS and Linux

It’s easy to end up with EPUB and PDF files scattered across Downloads, Desktop and random folders. In this guide, we’ll walk through a simple way to organize your ebooks on Windows, macOS and Linux, and how to keep your Wizread library tidy so you always know what to read next. If you’re still deciding how much of your library should be EPUB vs PDF, our EPUB vs PDF guide for desktop reading can help.

Why bother organizing your ebooks at all?

A bit of structure does more than just satisfy your inner neat freak:

You spend less time hunting for files and more time actually reading.
You always know which books are in progress, finished or still to read.
Wizread imports are more predictable because you know where your EPUB and PDF files live.
Backing up and moving to a new computer becomes much easier.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s a simple system you’ll actually stick to, across Windows, macOS and Linux.

The overall idea

We’ll build a small, portable structure:

Create a single Books folder on your system.
Use a few simple subfolders (like To Read, Reading, Finished).
Adopt a consistent file naming pattern for EPUB/PDF files.
Import from those folders into Wizread and use the library as your reading hub.

You can tweak the details, but keeping it simple increases the chance that future-you will thank you.

Step 1 – Create a main “Books” folder

Start by picking a single place where your ebooks will live. For example:

Windows

Documents/Books
or Documents/Ebooks

macOS

Documents/Books
or Documents/Reading

Linux

Documents/Books
or any library folder you prefer

The exact path doesn’t matter as much as using it consistently and avoiding having books scattered across different locations.

Step 2 – Use a few simple subfolders

Inside your main Books folder, create a small set of subfolders based on how you actually read. For example:

Books/
  To-Read/
  Reading/
  Finished/
  Reference/

You can get more specific later (e.g. Fiction, Non-Fiction, Work), but starting with a small set makes it obvious where any new EPUB or PDF should go:

To-Read – books you haven’t started yet.
Reading – books you’re actively reading in Wizread.
Finished – books you’ve completed but want to keep.
Reference – manuals, papers and documents you dip into occasionally.

Step 3 – Use consistent filenames for EPUB and PDF

Clear filenames make it easier to recognize books both in your file manager and inside Wizread. A simple pattern:

Author Name - Book Title.epub
Author Name - Book Title.pdf

Avoid keeping original download names like final2_fixed.epub or book(1).pdf. Renaming them once saves a lot of confusion later.

Always keep the correct extension: .epub or .pdf.
Use spaces or hyphens instead of random numbers and underscores.
Optionally include series info or year if that helps you.

If you’re still deciding whether a given book should live as EPUB or PDF for reading on your computer, our EPUB vs PDF comparison can give you a practical rule of thumb.

Step 4 – Import from your library folders into Wizread

Once your EPUB and PDF files live in a tidy structure, bringing them into Wizread is straightforward. The flow is the same on Windows, macOS and Linux:

Open Wizread on your desktop.
Import your books:
- Drag & drop one or more files from your Books/ folders into the Wizread window, or
- Click the Import book icon in the top navigation bar and select files via the picker.
Each imported book appears in your Wizread library.
Click Read for the title you want to open the reading view.

You can import as you go, or add a batch of existing books at once from your new structure. If you need a refresher on the basics of opening files, we have dedicated guides for opening EPUB files on Windows, macOS and Linux and reading PDF files like ebooks on your desktop .

Step 5 – Keep file folders and Wizread in sync with your reading

Over time, your habits will create a natural flow between your folders and your Wizread library. A simple routine:

When you download a new book, rename the file and move it to Books/To-Read, then import it into Wizread.
When you start reading, you can optionally move the file into Books/Reading so your folders match what you see in the app.
When you finish a book, move the file into Books/Finished while keeping it in Wizread for future reference.

You don’t have to be perfectly strict, but doing this occasionally helps your file system and Wizread library reflect the same reality. Once you’re happy with the structure, you can focus more on comfort inside the app itself—our guide on making EPUB and PDF more comfortable on desktop covers that side.

Backing up and moving your library to another computer

Once everything lives under a single Books/ folder, backups become simple:

Copy the entire Books/ folder to an external drive or cloud storage.
On a new computer, restore that folder to the same or similar location.
Install Wizread, then re-import the books you want to see in your new library.

Because Wizread works on Windows, macOS and Linux, you can keep the same ebook collection accessible across different machines, as long as your EPUB and PDF files make the journey with you.

Recap: a simple, cross-platform ebook system

To keep your desktop ebook life under control:

Create a single Books folder on Windows, macOS or Linux.
Add a few subfolders like To-Read, Reading, Finished and Reference.
Rename EPUB and PDF files with clear, consistent titles.
Import those files into Wizread via drag & drop or the Import book icon.
Click Read in your Wizread library to open the focused reading view and take notes as you go.

Once this structure is in place, adding new books and keeping track of what you’re reading becomes much simpler, no matter which desktop OS you’re on. From here, you can go deeper into how safe EPUB and PDF files are before importing, and into making your actual reading sessions more comfortable on desktop .