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Leave Readwise, keep everything

Canceling is two clicks. The mistake is doing those two clicks first. Export everything while your subscription is active, verify the file, and then cancel — this checklist takes fifteen minutes and loses nothing.

Step 1 — Export the full archive

readwise.io → profile icon → Export Highlights

Or go straight to readwise.io/export.

Download the CSV

The CSV is the complete record: highlight text, book, author, your notes, tags, colors, locations, and the original highlight dates. Large libraries arrive as an emailed link a few minutes later.

Optionally grab the Markdown export too

One file per book, pleasant for a human archive or an Obsidian vault. The CSV is the one machines re-import, though — get it regardless.

Step 2 — Verify before you cancel

Open the CSV (Quick Look is fine) and check three things: your total row count looks plausible, a book you know well is present, and your notes column has content. Two minutes of paranoia now beats discovering an empty file after the account closes.

Step 3 — Decide where highlights live next

An exported CSV in a folder is an archive, not a habit — the daily resurfacing was the part worth having. Your options:

Keep the loop, locally: import the CSV into Rereader ($19 once) and the ritual continues — daily email, two-minute review, future Kindle syncs over USB. Migration guide.
Notes-app archive: drop the Markdown export into Obsidian or Notion. Searchable, but nothing resurfaces — in practice this becomes the graveyard again.
Just the backup: keep the CSV somewhere safe and decide later. Valid! The export doesn't expire.

Step 4 — Cancel

readwise.io → profile → Subscription → cancel. Access continues until the end of the period you've paid for, so you can do this the same day you export. If you're pre-paid for months you won't use, Readwise support has a reputation for being reasonable about prorating — worth an ask.

Already lapsed? Readwise has historically allowed export after expiry — sign in and try the export page first. This is exactly why the standing advice is: whatever service holds your reading life, export a copy while it's healthy.

Your highlights deserve a second life

Rereader brings your Kindle highlights back — five in your inbox every morning, a two-minute review on your Mac. One-time purchase, no subscription, your data stays on your machine. 30-day refunds, no questions.

Get Rereader $19 once