How to Import Your Pocket Export File in 2026 (Step by Step)

Last reviewed: July 10, 2026.

Your Pocket export file still works even though Pocket is gone: upload the ZIP to a read-it-later app that accepts it. Gleamr imports the whole ZIP in one click; Instapaper, Raindrop.io, Matter, and Wallabag accept the CSV inside it. What you can no longer do is download a new export — Pocket's servers went offline for good after November 12, 2025.

This guide covers what's actually inside the export file, how to import it, and what your options are if you never downloaded one.

What's Inside a Pocket Export File?

The export Mozilla issued before the shutdown is a ZIP archive. Inside it you'll find:

• A CSV file (usually named part_000000.csv) — this is your library. Each row is one saved article with its title, URL, the date you saved it, your tags (separated by | pipes), and its status (unread or archived).
• A JSON file with your highlights, if you had any.

The important thing: the CSV contains links and metadata, not article content. Pocket never exported the article text itself. Whichever app you import into has to re-fetch each article from its original URL, which is why the occasional imported article comes up empty — the source page has since moved or died.

Can I Still Get a Pocket Export?

No. The final deadline to download your data was November 12, 2025 (extended twice from the original October 8 date). After that, Mozilla deleted all user data permanently. If you have the ZIP, guard it; if you don't, skip to the last section.

How to Import Your Pocket Export into Gleamr

1. Sign up at gleamr.io — the free plan needs no credit card.
2. Upload the ZIP as-is in Settings → Import. Gleamr reads the CSV out of the archive itself; you don't unzip anything.
3. Done. Your articles come in with tags, unread/archived status, and original save dates preserved, so your library's history stays intact.

The free plan holds 50 articles; larger Pocket libraries need a paid plan (up to 10,000 articles). More on how Gleamr compares on the Pocket alternative page.

Importing into Other Apps

If Gleamr isn't your pick, the export works elsewhere too. Some apps want the raw CSV rather than the ZIP — right-click the ZIP and extract it first.

What If You Never Exported?

There's no recovery path — Pocket deleted all user data after the deadline, and no app can retrieve it. Two partial options:

• Browser traces: your browsing history, and any Pocket-related bookmarks, may reconstruct some of what you saved.
• The Wayback Machine: if you remember specific articles, archived copies often exist at web.archive.org.

Then set up your next library so this can't happen again: pick an app with a full, always-available export. That's the painful lesson of the shutdown — we wrote a rescue playbook for the next time any service announces one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still import my Pocket export file in 2026?

Yes. The export ZIP you downloaded before November 12, 2025 works fine today. Gleamr imports the ZIP directly; Instapaper, Raindrop.io, Matter, and Wallabag accept the CSV file inside it.

What format is a Pocket export file?

A ZIP archive containing a CSV of your saved articles (title, URL, save date, pipe-separated tags, and unread/archived status) plus a JSON file of highlights. It contains links and metadata, not article text.

Does a Pocket import include the article content?

No. Pocket exported only links and metadata, so the importing app re-fetches each article from its original URL. Articles whose source pages have since disappeared may come in without content.

Can I recover my Pocket list without an export file?

No. Mozilla permanently deleted all user data after November 12, 2025. Browser history and the Wayback Machine are the only partial ways to reconstruct what you had saved.