A complete guide to the OverDrive app for Windows 8/10
When you open the OverDrive app for the first time, you'll be prompted to sign in.
You can sign into the OverDrive app with:
- An OverDrive account, which lets you sign into the OverDrive app on multiple devices and authorize Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) on a computer.
- A library card, which lets you sign into the OverDrive app on multiple devices, but not ADE on a computer.
Note: The library card sign-in option is supported for most libraries, but not all. - The under-13 or school option, which lets you use the OverDrive app on a single device and does not allow you to authorize ADE.
To download ebooks on multiple devices, sign into the OverDrive app the same way on each device you plan to use.
- From the app's home screen, click or tap the Add a library button.
- Search for your library by name, city, or postal code, or browse for libraries.
Note: Searching by ZIP or postal code may be the quickest way to find your library. -
Select a library from the search results to open a list of digital collections for that library.
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Click or tap a digital collection to open it. It will automatically be added to your "My libraries" list in the app.
You can continue browsing that digital collection, or click or tap the Back button in the top-left corner to return to the app home screen.
- Open a saved library in the OverDrive app.
- Find an available title in your library's collection and select Borrow.
Or, click or tap the title's jacket to open its details page and learn more about it.
If prompted, sign into your library. - Choose a lending period for the title (if available).
Then, select Borrow again. - After you borrow the title, you can:
- Select Read now with Kindle (U.S. only) to go to Amazon's website and send the book to your Kindle or Kindle reading app.
- Download EPUB ebooks and MP3 audiobooks to your app Bookshelf.
Note: Many Windows devices are unable to download titles through the OverDrive app due to a Windows update that caused issues with older apps. - Some titles (like magazines and read-along ebooks) can only be read in your web browser. For these titles, select Read now in browser to be taken out of the app and into your web browser to read them. These titles are not added to your Bookshelf in the OverDrive app.
- Close the pop-up window to keep browsing and borrowing.
- Select Read now with Kindle (U.S. only) to go to Amazon's website and send the book to your Kindle or Kindle reading app.
To see all of your borrowed titles, select at any time to go to your Loans page.
Borrowed titles don't automatically appear on your Bookshelf in the OverDrive app.
You'll need to manually add titles to your Bookshelf from the Loans section of your library:
- Open your library in the OverDrive app.
- Click or tap to go to your Loans page.
- Select Download next to a title.
- Click or tap the Back arrow in the top-left corner of the app until you return to the Bookshelf.
Note: Some titles (like read-alongs) can't be downloaded to the OverDrive app. Instead, you can open these titles in your device's web browser. These titles won't be added to your Bookshelf.
Once you've borrowed and downloaded an audiobook in the OverDrive app, go to your app Bookshelf, then click or tap the audiobook to start listening.
How to use the audiobook player:
Audiobook player options (based on the numbered image above) include:
- Back to home screen
- Launch burn wizard in desktop app
- Launch transfer wizard in desktop app
- Bookmarks
- Parts and media markers
- Jump to previous media marker
- Back 15 seconds
- Forward 15 seconds
- Jump to next media marker
- Sleep timer
- Play speed
- Add a bookmark
Scroll right to see all of the media markers (like chapters or chapter sections) and parts of the audiobook.
Once you've borrowed and downloaded an ebook in the OverDrive app, go to the app home screen, then click or tap the ebook to start reading.
In the reader:
- To move forward or backward in the book: To go to the next page, click or tap the right side of the screen, or swipe to the left on a touchscreen.
To go to the previous page, click or tap the left side of the screen, or swipe to the right on a touchscreen. - To look up a word in the dictionary: Tap and hold a word. You can also look it up on Wikipedia or Google.
- To display the reader menu: Click or tap the middle of the screen.
- To change the ebook's layout, font size, line spacing, and more: Click or tap Settings.
- To return to the app's home screen: Open the reader menu, then click or tap the back arrow in the top-left corner.
Titles you've borrowed are automatically returned at the end of their lending periods. However, if you finish titles before then, you can return them early.
- From your app Bookshelf, right-click or swipe down on the title you want to return.
- Select Return/Delete from the bottom ribbon to see the return options.
- Select Delete and return to return the title to the library and remove it from your device.
Select Delete but do not return to delete the title from your device. It will stay in your library account until the end of its lending period, so you can download it again, if you'd like.
- Scroll over to the "My libraries" list.
- Right-click (or tap and hold) the library you'd like to remove.
- Select Delete in the bottom-right corner.
To transfer an audiobook from OverDrive for Windows 8/10, you'll also need OverDrive for Windows (desktop), which is no longer available to install.
If you already have OverDrive for Windows (desktop), you can use the steps below to transfer audiobooks to an MP3 player or iPod.
If you're transferring to an iPod, you'll also need the latest version of iTunes.
- Connect your MP3 player or iPod to your Windows 8/10 device using a USB cable.
- For iPods only: Open iTunes and turn on the "Manually manage music" setting (or enable disk use for an iPod shuffle).
- Open a downloaded audiobook in OverDrive for Windows 8/10.
- Select Transfer in the top-right corner.
- You'll be taken out of OverDrive for Windows 8/10. The transfer wizard in the desktop app will open.
- Follow the prompts in the wizard to transfer part or all of the audiobook to your device.
- Make sure to select your device from the "Player" list. If it doesn't appear, select Back and disconnect the device from your computer, then reconnect it and select Next.
- Make sure to select your device from the "Player" list. If it doesn't appear, select Back and disconnect the device from your computer, then reconnect it and select Next.
- Once the audiobook transfers, select Finish.
To burn an audiobook from OverDrive for Windows 8/10, you'll also need OverDrive for Windows (desktop), which is no longer available to install.
If you already have OverDrive for Windows (desktop), you can use the steps below to burn audiobooks to a CD.
- Open a downloaded audiobook in OverDrive for Windows 8/10.
- Select Burn in the top-right corner.
- You'll be taken out of OverDrive for Windows 8/10. The burn wizard in the desktop app will open.
- Follow the prompts in the wizard to burn part or all of the audiobook to a CD.
- Once the audiobook burns to a CD, select Finish.
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