Apple Books Highlights Export: How to Save and Review Your Notes | Chapterly Blog
Apple Books Highlights Export: How to Save and Review Your Notes Quick Answer: Apple Books has no native batch export. The fastest paths in 2026: (1) the Mac Highlights app reads the underlying AEAnnotation SQLite database and exports to Markdown or CSV; (2) Readwise's Mac companion app syncs incrementally; (3) the manual share method (one highlight at a time via the share sheet) for small collections. Power users can query the AEAnnotation directory at ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iBooksX/Data/Documents/AEAnnotation/ directly on macOS. Once exported, route highlights through a spaced repetition tool — the export is step one, not the goal. If you read on an iPhone or iPad, Apple Books is the default reading app, and its highlighting and note-taking features are genuinely good. The frustration comes when you want to actually do something with those highlights. Apple Books highlights export is one of the most requested features that Apple has never properly addressed. Unlike Kindle, which stores highlights on Amazon's servers and makes them accessible through read.amazon.com, Apple Books keeps your annotations locked in the app ecosystem. But there are ways to get them out. This guide covers every method available in 2026. Why Export Your Highlights? Before diving into how, let's talk...