Searching for Books
Search works in several places, and each one searches a different set of books. Use the screen that matches what you’re looking for.
Searching to add a new book
Section titled “Searching to add a new book”The Add books page is where you find books to add to My Books — including ones the app doesn’t know about yet.
- Open Add books from the + icon at the top of the app or the side menu
- Type a title, author, or ISBN into the search field at the top (placeholder: “Search by title, author, or ISBN…”)
- Tap Add on the result to add it, or tap the book to preview it first. A book you already have is marked In My Books
Results appear as you type. A valid 10- or 13-digit ISBN is treated like a scan and added straight to Recently added without showing a results list. For the full walkthrough, see Adding books.
Searching your books
Section titled “Searching your books”To find a book you’ve already added:
- Tap My Books in the bottom nav
- Type into the search field at the top of My Books (placeholder: “Search…”) — results filter as you type
- Tap Filters to narrow further by reading status, ownership, category, recommended, reviews, or your own tags
- Use the sort menu beside Filters to change the order (Recently active, Title (A–Z), Author (A–Z), or Date added)
My Books search matches title and author only — it doesn’t accept ISBNs.
If nothing in My Books matches your search, tap Add it to My Books — the Add books page opens with your search already filled in. (With a filter on, the button is Clear filters instead.)
Searching a library
Section titled “Searching a library”The Library tab opens the library you used last. Its search field searches that library:
- Tap Library in the bottom nav
- Type a title, author, or ISBN into the search field under the library’s name (placeholder: “Search this library”)
- Or tap Filters to narrow by category, the library’s collections, or your own tags — without typing
As soon as you search or apply a filter, the library’s rails are replaced by a list of matching books. A book you already have is marked In My Books, and a book you’ve started shows its reading status (with how far you are, while you’re reading it). Tap a result to open its book detail page and see who has a copy and whether it’s available to borrow. Clear the search and remove any active filters (tap the ✕ on a filter chip, or Clear all) to return to browsing.
When nothing is searched or filtered, the library shows its Collections strip and category rails — a good way to browse without a search term in mind.
Searching all your libraries at once
Section titled “Searching all your libraries at once”If you belong to more than one library, you can search every one of them in one place — useful when you want to know if any of your libraries has the book.
- Tap Library in the bottom nav
- Tap the library’s name at the top of the page, then choose All my libraries
- Type a title, author, or ISBN into the search field (placeholder: “Search all your libraries”)
- Tap Filters to narrow by category or your own tags
The same list switches back to a single library: tap All my libraries at the top and pick the library. The Library tab remembers your choice, so it opens there next time.
Looking to join more libraries? The same list ends with Join or start a library, or see Joining a library.
- ISBN works on Add books, library search (one library or all of them), and the scanner — but not in My Books search, which matches title and author only.
- Use the scanner for books in front of you — barcode scanning is faster than typing an ISBN.
- Try just the author’s last name — “Lewis” is usually enough to find C.S. Lewis books.
- Don’t see the word Filters? On a small screen, or with your phone’s text set larger, the Filters button shows just its sliders icon so the search field keeps its room.
Related Articles
Section titled “Related Articles”Still Need Help?
Section titled “Still Need Help?”If you can’t find a book you’re looking for, contact support.