Questions and answers
Safety and privacy
Will Bibliotaph change, move or delete my files? No. It only reads them. It never renames, moves, edits or deletes a file, and removing a folder from your library leaves the folder as it is. The one exception is OneDrive: after reading a file that was online-only, it can hand it back to online-only, which drops only the downloaded copy. See OneDrive. The only new files that appear are ones you download yourself from a store in Bibliotaph's browser, into the downloads folder you chose. See Online libraries.
Does it need the internet? No. Your library, search, reading and editing all work offline. Bibliotaph goes online only to check for updates, to download an AI model when you choose one, to reach a model server if you set one up, to look up the ISBNs books print (see Where suggestions come from), to reach your web library if you connect one, and for online libraries: the pages you open in Bibliotaph's browser and online reader, and each site's icon for the badge on your covers (which you can turn off).
Does it send anything about me or my books to anyone? Nothing about you, and only what you choose about your books. The Windows app has no account and no tracking, and your catalog stays in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Bibliotaph on your PC. The ISBNs a book prints go to Open Library to fill in its details, and nothing else with them (a PC connected to your web library asks through it instead, with the book's title too, so RPGGeek and AdventureLookup can be searched). If you set up AI with a model server, book excerpts go to that server, and only that server. See AI. If you connect the app to your web library at bibliotaph.online, your work and what the AI found in your books are shared with it, never the books themselves; see Bibliotaph on the web. When you sign in to D&D Beyond or a store in Bibliotaph's browser, that site sees you as it would in any browser, and nothing about your library goes to it.
Where are my passwords kept? Passwords for PDFs you choose to remember, and AI keys, are kept in Windows Credential Manager on your PC, never in Bibliotaph's own files, backups or exports. Passwords for online libraries are never seen or kept: you sign in on the service's own page, and Sign out of all services in Settings > Online libraries forgets every sign-in.
Can it open DRM-protected books? No, and it never tries to get round a protection. A book it can't read still gets a card you can fill in and find, and Open in another app opens it in the app that can.
Getting going
Windows said "Windows protected your PC". Is that safe? Bibliotaph isn't code-signed, so Windows doesn't recognize the publisher. Click More info, then Run anyway. Only download it from this project's Releases page.
Does it run on a Mac, Linux, a phone or a tablet? No. Bibliotaph is a Windows app, for Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) and Windows 11.
Does it cost anything? No. It's free and open source, under the GNU General Public License.
Which files does it read? PDF, EPUB, Kindle books (MOBI, AZW and AZW3), JPG, PNG and WebP, including those inside ZIP files. E-books are searchable and catalogued like PDFs, and open in Bibliotaph's own reader. A book with DRM, or one in Amazon's newer KFX format, gets a card you can fill in, but its text isn't read.
Do I have to tidy my folders first? No. Point it at what you have. Folder names help, so a folder called "Adventures" or named after a game system gives its books a head start, but nothing needs to move.
How long does the first read take? It depends on how many books you have and how many are scans. A big library can take hours. You can search and read while it works, and it only works while Bibliotaph is open: close it whenever you like and it carries on next time.
Day to day
A book is cataloged wrong. Right-click it and choose Cataloged wrong…. See Fixing a value.
The same book shows twice. Identical files share a card by themselves. Files that differ (a reprint, a corrected edition) are asked about in Needs review, or tick both cards in Select mode and click Same book.
Search doesn't find words I can see on a page. The book may still be being read, or it's a scan whose text came out badly. Check Settings > Processing, then try Reprocess with OCR on every page… from the menu beside Reprocess in its details.
Can I show pages to my players with it? Bibliotaph is made for your own preparation, not as a player-facing screen. A popped-out reader window on a second screen works, though.
Does it work with my virtual tabletop? There's no connection to any VTT. You can note that you own a book on one with Also own, and add books you only own there with Add a book I own elsewhere… under the Library's Add button.
Can it read my D&D Beyond books? Yes, on D&D Beyond's own pages: import your library, and each book opens in Bibliotaph's online reader, signed in as you. Demiplane works the same way, and Humble Bundle and DriveThruRPG list what you bought until you download it. See Online libraries.
How do I report a bug or ask for something? Open an issue on GitHub (you'll need a free account). Copy details in About Bibliotaph (in Settings) copies the version numbers to paste in. Please never attach a book or a page from one.
How do I uninstall it? From Windows' Settings > Apps, like any other app. Your books aren't touched; see Uninstall for what's left behind.
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