Hide and delete books
In Apple Books, you can see your entire book collection via the iOS app. If you want a little more overview, you can use the drop-down menu at the top of the screen to create collections or filter by theme or format, for example only PDFs. You can also sort by Recent, Title, Author and the like. But still the list can become confusing. Cleaning up is then the solution!
- Reading list
- Delete books
- Hidden purchases
Reading list in the Books app
If the enormous amount of books you have drives you crazy, there is a simple solution: look at the Reading List! This is the list of books you are currently reading. If all goes well, this is only a limited list.
Delete read books
You probably have a few books that you no longer want to read, but that are always visible in your library. No problem: you can delete these books from your device without any problem. It will then no longer be stored locally on your device.
Deleting a book does not mean you lose it permanently. If you decide to read the book at a later time, you can simply download it from your previous purchases.
- Scroll to the book in question and click or tap on the three dots.
- Choose Delete.
- Indicate whether you want to delete only on this device, or everywhere.
This works exactly the same on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Uncover hidden purchases
If you are very ashamed of a certain book, you can also remove the book from your purchase list. If you have Family Sharing turned on, family members won’t be able to see these hidden books either. Very useful if you want to hide a self-help book that you purchased a little too enthusiastically!
You can find the hidden books on your account page:
- Open the Books app on your device (iPhone, iPad or Mac).
- Tap your account photo via your profile photo in the Read Now tab.
- Click or tap Manage hidden purchases.
- Enter your password.
- You will now see the list of hidden books. Indicate which ones you want to have visible again.
If you’re looking for more tips about the Books app, check out these:
- Give books as gifts on iPhone, iPad and in iTunes
- Import your own books into the Books app on iPhone and iPad
- This is how you sync Books via iCloud with your iPhone, iPad and Mac
- Open PDF files in iBooks on iPhone and iPad
View our complete iPhone tips overview. With hundreds of iPhone tips, we discuss almost every setting and option!
