Can You Export Apple Books to PDF on Mac? Official Options

Apple Books on a Mac has no "Export as PDF" command for books you bought from the Book Store, and Apple's Books guide for Mac describes no way to print them. Most people searching for "Apple Books to PDF" want one of a few results: a copy to read without internet, a printable page, a PDF they added themselves, or their highlights in a form they can keep. Books handles each of these differently.

Short answer: Download Book Store books inside Books to read them offline. PDFs you add to Books open in Preview, where you can print them or save pages as a new PDF. Your highlights and notes can be shared from the Notes and Highlights view. Don't use tools that remove copy protection from Book Store books.

What "Apple Books to PDF" can mean

Books treats store purchases and files you import differently, so start with what you have:

Only the second row starts as a PDF. For the others, decide whether you need offline reading, a copy of your notes, or a different edition of the book.

Read Apple Books offline on a Mac

You can read a Book Store purchase without internet once it is downloaded in Books. Apple says downloaded content stays available offline, and Apple can't revoke it.

1. Sign in to Books with the Apple Account that bought the book.
2. In the sidebar, click All under Library, or another collection.
3. Find a book that shows the iCloud status icon.
4. Double-click it to download and open it.
5. Before you go offline, turn off Wi-Fi and open a few pages to confirm the download finished.

To download new purchases automatically, choose Books > Settings, click General, and turn on automatic downloads. If you hid a purchase, Books won't download it until you unhide it.

This download is an offline copy inside Books, not a PDF in Finder. That is usually enough for a flight, a commute, or a weak connection.

Keep your books, PDFs, and notes on every Apple device

iCloud for Books syncs books, audiobooks, PDFs, collections, highlights, notes, and bookmarks across Apple devices that use the same Apple Account. To turn it on:

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click your name.
2. Click iCloud, then Drive, and make sure iCloud Drive is on.
3. Under Apps syncing to iCloud Drive, turn on Books.

In Books > Settings > General, the Home and Collections, bookmarks, and highlights options control what appears across your devices. iCloud makes a book appear on each Mac, but you still download it on every Mac where you want to read offline.

Why Book Store books have no PDF export

Apple's Books guide for Mac covers importing, downloading, sharing, and syncing, but it has no topic for printing or exporting a Book Store book. Reports in Apple's community forums from 2022 describe the same thing: print isn't available for store purchases, and Copy is greyed out in protected books.

Other stores handle this differently. Amazon, for example, offers EPUB or PDF downloads for some DRM-free Kindle purchases; our guide on downloading Kindle books as PDF covers that route. Apple documents no equivalent option for Book Store books.

Don't use apps that strip copy protection from Book Store purchases. If you need a printable edition for study or work, check whether the publisher sells a PDF or print version.

If the file is a PDF you imported

PDFs you add to Books are already PDFs. Apple says they open in Preview, or your default PDF reader, rather than in Books.

To add a PDF, choose File > Import in Books, or drag the file into the Books window. To print it or save a few pages as a separate PDF, open it in Preview, press Command-P, choose the pages, then choose Save as PDF from the PDF menu in the bottom-left corner of the print dialog.

Some files that look like books are not PDFs. Apple says ACSM, AZW, and ODM files open only in the third-party app they belong to, such as a library or store reading app. Books can't import them.

Save your highlights and notes instead

If you mainly need your study notes, share them rather than the whole book:

1. Open the book in Books.
2. Click the Notes and Highlights button in the toolbar.
3. Control-click a note, choose Share, then pick a sharing option.

Apple notes that highlighting and notes might not be available for every book type, so test the book before you rely on it. In the US, you can also share a selected passage of up to 200 words.

Add the book title, author, and chapter to anything you share so you can cite it later.

A practical decision checklist

Ask these questions in order:

1. Do I only need to read without internet? Download the book in Books and test it offline.
2. Is the file a PDF I imported? Open it in Preview and print or save the pages you need.
3. Do I mainly need my highlights? Share notes from the Notes and Highlights view.
4. Do I need a printable copy of a store book? Look for a PDF or print edition from the publisher.
5. Is the material my own or something I'm allowed to capture? Only then consider a screenshot PDF.

Do you need a screenshot PDF?

Usually no. A downloaded book in Books, your shared notes, or a publisher's PDF edition keeps the real text. A PDF made from screenshots stores each page as an image instead:

• text no longer reflows for a smaller screen;
• search depends on OCR, which can misread equations and small type;
• the file is usually larger than the original book;
• highlights and notes become part of the image.

Shotomatic is not an alternative to Apple Books downloads, iCloud syncing, or the Book Store's limits on printing and export.

FAQ

Can you export an Apple Books purchase to PDF?

Apple's Books guide for Mac describes no PDF export or print option for books bought from the Book Store. Download the book in Books to read it offline, and share your notes separately.

Can you read Apple Books offline on a Mac?

Yes. Download the book in Books while you are online. Apple says downloaded books stay available without an internet connection.

Can you print from Apple Books on a Mac?

Apple's guide does not describe printing Book Store books. A PDF you added to Books opens in Preview or your default PDF app, and you can print it from there.

Where do PDFs added to Apple Books open on a Mac?

In Preview or your default PDF reader. Books keeps them in your library, and iCloud can sync them to your other devices.

How do I export my Apple Books highlights and notes?

Open the book, click the Notes and Highlights button, Control-click a note, and choose Share. Highlights and notes may not be available for every book type.