FAQ

What is Papyrium?

A desktop app for organizing, reading, and annotating your ebook collection. You bring the files (PDFs, EPUBs, and FB2s) and Papyrium gives you a library to manage them, built-in readers to read them in, and tools to highlight and take notes as you go. Everything stays on your device.

Who's behind Papyrium?

Papyrium is built and maintained by one independent developer, not a company. That means you hear directly from the person who writes the code, but it also means response times during the alpha aren't guaranteed and the release pace is part-time.

What makes Papyrium different?

A few things you'll feel quickly:

• Connect folders, don't move files. Point Papyrium at the folders where you already keep books, like Documents, an external drive, a NAS, or even another app's library folder, and it indexes them in place. Your existing organization stays intact.
• Built-in readers with real annotations. PDFs and EPUBs open inside the app with color highlights, notes attached to highlights, freeform per-page notes, and inline markup for PDFs (text labels, ink, arrows). Everything is browsable in one Notes sidebar.
• Local-first. Your books and your highlights live on your disk. No account, no upload, no subscription, works offline.
• Smart collections that stay current. Rule-based collections update themselves as you read. For example: everything tagged "reference", everything rated four stars or higher, or everything you've finished this year.

Do I need an account to use it?

No. There's no signup, no login, and nothing to verify. Download the app, open it, and start adding books. If optional cloud or AI features arrive later, those may need an account — the core library and reading experience won't.

Is Papyrium free right now?

Yes. The public alpha is free, with no time limits and no feature locks. You get the full app (library, readers, highlights, notes, everything we've shipped) at no cost while we're in alpha.

Will it stay free forever?

No. The plan is to introduce a paid version once Papyrium leaves alpha. We're aiming for a one-time license with a year of updates included, rather than a subscription for the app itself. Specifics, such as the exact price and what counts as "the paid version", will be confirmed closer to launch.

What is the founding discount?

When the paid version launches, people who joined during the alpha will get a meaningfully lower price than the regular launch price. The easiest way to be on the list is to subscribe to the newsletter on the homepage, which is where the founding offer will be sent.

Will I be forced to pay later if I'm using the alpha now?

No. Nothing in the alpha will stop working because a paid version came out. If you decide not to upgrade, you can keep using the version of Papyrium you have. The paid version will unlock future updates and any features that come after launch.

What if I skip the founding offer?

Then you'd buy at the regular price whenever you're ready. The founding offer is a thank-you for early users, not a punishment for late ones — but it will only be available for a limited window after launch.

Where do my books actually live?

Wherever you put them. Papyrium gives you two options. You can import a book into Papyrium's library folder, in which case the file is copied or moved into a location it manages. Or you can connect a folder you already use (like Documents, an external drive, or a NAS) and Papyrium will index the files in place without moving anything. Most people end up using a mix of both.

Where are my highlights and notes stored?

In a local database file inside your Papyrium library folder, on your machine. They're not stored inside the book files themselves, and they're not uploaded anywhere. Backing up your library folder backs up your annotations along with everything else.

Does Papyrium sync my books to the cloud?

No. Papyrium doesn't upload your book files, your notes, or any of your library data to a server. There's no cloud component in the current alpha. If you need your library on another machine, you can put it on a shared drive or sync the folder yourself with whatever you already use.

What happens if I uninstall Papyrium?

Your book files stay where they are. Papyrium doesn't touch them on uninstall. The library database and any imported files inside Papyrium's library folder also stay on disk unless you delete that folder yourself. Reinstall the app, point it at the same folder, and you're back where you left off.

Can I move my library between Macs?

Yes. Copy your library folder to the other Mac (or put it on an external drive or a synced folder), and open it from Papyrium there. Notes, highlights, tags, and collections come with it. Connected folders that point to local paths may need to be reconnected if those paths differ on the new machine.

What do I need to run Papyrium?

macOS 12 or later. Papyrium is built for Apple Silicon (M1 and later). Intel Macs aren't supported in the current build.

Is there a Windows version?

Not yet. Windows support is on the roadmap, but there's no date attached. If you'd like to know when it lands, the newsletter on the homepage is the right place to hear about it first.

What about Linux?

No Linux build today, and it isn't a near-term priority. We're not ruling it out forever, but it's after Windows in the queue and isn't something we're committing to.

Can I read on my iPad or phone?

Not from Papyrium itself yet. An iPad companion with notes sync is on the public roadmap as one of the things we want to build next. There's no Android plan to share at this point.

Is the app signed by Apple?

Yes. Papyrium is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so macOS opens it normally on first launch, with no "unidentified developer" warning or right-click workaround.

What file formats are supported?

PDF, EPUB, and FB2. Other ebook formats — MOBI and AZW (Kindle), CBR and CBZ (comics and manga), DJVU — and document formats like DOCX, RTF, or TXT aren't picked up when you import or scan a folder. Format support may expand based on what alpha users ask for most.

Does it handle audiobooks?

No. Papyrium is for ebooks. Audiobook support isn't currently planned.

What library features aren't there yet?

A few organizational features people sometimes expect aren't in the alpha. Books can be browsed in grid or table view today; there's no single-line list view yet. Bulk moves between folders, and creating or renaming folders from inside the app, also aren't there yet (folder management happens in Finder for now). And there are no library-wide reading statistics. Per-book progress is tracked, but you won't find streaks, charts, or pages-read totals.

What reading features aren't there yet?

Both readers handle highlights, notes, bookmarks, and reading progress; the PDF reader adds in-document search and freeform markup (text labels, ink, arrows). A few things aren't there yet: in-document search for EPUB and FB2 (it works for PDFs only today), text-to-speech and read-aloud (not currently planned), and deeper EPUB typography controls — the EPUB reader uses a paginated two-page layout with adjustable font size, but custom fonts, line height, and per-book themes aren't exposed yet.

Can I import my Calibre library?

Not yet. A one-click Calibre import is on the roadmap as one of the first post-alpha releases. In the meantime, you can connect the folder where Calibre stores your books and Papyrium will index the files — you'd just rebuild your tags and collections on the Papyrium side.

Can I export highlights to Obsidian or Markdown?

Not yet. Obsidian / Markdown export is on the roadmap and is one of the features we want to ship soon after the alpha.

Are there AI features?

Not in the alpha. We're planning AI-powered helpers, like auto-categorization and tagging, as a separate, paid layer on top of the app. They aren't here yet, and core library and reading features will never sit behind AI.

How big a library can it handle?

There's no hard limit. The first scan of a very large folder can take a minute or two while Papyrium reads metadata and pulls covers, but you can keep using the app while it works.

How do updates work?

Papyrium checks for new versions on startup and lets you know when one is available. The update downloads in the background; when it's ready, the app prompts you to restart to apply it. You can also check manually from the app menu, and you can turn off automatic checks in Settings if you'd rather pull updates on your own schedule.

How do I report a bug or send feedback?

Email hello@papyriumlib.com or open a bug report or feature request on GitHub. Including your macOS version, your Papyrium version (visible in the About menu), and a screenshot if you have one makes problems much faster to track down. Feature ideas and rough impressions are welcome too, as early feedback is how the alpha gets better.

Where can I follow development?

The newsletter on the homepage is the main channel. New releases, what's coming next, and the founding offer when paid access launches all go out there. There's no Discord or community forum yet.

Is there documentation?

The Getting Started guide walks you through the first ten minutes with the app: install, first run, adding books, and the basics of organizing a library. More guides will land here as the app grows.