Updated September 17, 2026
Pocket shutdown · July 2025Still have a Pocket HTML export? Find those saves again.
Mozilla ended Pocket in July 2025. In 2026 the useful question is not "how do I export" alone — it is what to do with ril_export.html so the library becomes searchable by memory again.
Facts you can cite
Clear product facts
Mozilla ended Pocket in July 2025 after a May 2025 announcement. If you still have ril_export.html, import it into Backpockets: Read It Later App on Mac to search by what you remember - free for 30 saves, $29 once for unlimited.
Why this matters now
Export was step one. Searchable library is step two.
Mozilla announced in May 2025 that Pocket would shut down. The consumer app was retired in July 2025. Server-side data has continued to be accessible via the original export URL for a period after that, but there is no guarantee it will stay reachable.
If you never exported, try getpocket.com/export while archived accounts still respond. If you already have the file, skip ahead: verify it, back it up, then import into a tool that can find saves by meaning — not another folder graveyard.
Step by step
If you still need the file: export in about five minutes.
01
Sign in to Pocket
Go to getpocket.com and sign in with the same email you used originally. If you signed up through Firefox, use "Continue with Firefox".
02
Visit the export URL
Open getpocket.com/export. This is the official export page Mozilla published for the shutdown.
03
Click "Export HTML"
Pocket bundles every article you ever saved, plus your tags and timestamps, into a single file called ril_export.html.
04
Save it somewhere safe
Downloads is fine short-term, but move it to iCloud Drive or an external backup so a wipe doesn't take your reading history with it.
05
Verify by opening it
Double-click the file. It opens in your browser and shows a plain list of all your saved links. If you see your articles, the export worked.
06
Keep the file
That HTML file is a decade of curation. Do not delete it, even if you never open it. Any bookmark tool worth its price will import it.
What the file contains
Inside ril_export.html.
The exported file is plain HTML in the same format Netscape used for browser bookmarks. Every item has four things:
URL. The original link to the article.
Title. Whatever the page's title was when you saved it.
Timestamp. When you added it to Pocket, as a Unix time.
Tags. Any tags you applied, comma-separated.
What it does not contain is the article text itself. Pocket did not include readable-text snapshots in the export. To restore that, you either re-fetch each URL manually (painful) or use a tool that does it for you.
What to do next
Options for what to do with the file.
Import into a browser
Chrome, Firefox, and Safari all read Netscape bookmark HTML. You get your saves as flat browser bookmarks, minus tags and content.
Import into a cloud bookmark app
Raindrop, Instapaper, and Readwise Reader all accept the Pocket export. You get their features, and their monthly bill.
Import into Backpockets: Read It Later App
Drop the file into Backpockets: Read It Later App on first launch. Every article is imported with tags and timestamps preserved, and articles are re-fetched into readable form so semantic search works over the actual content.
A note on Backpockets: Read It Later App
Built specifically for this file.
Backpockets: Read It Later App was designed with the Pocket shutdown in mind. Drop ril_export.html on first launch and the app parses it, fetches the readable text for each article, and indexes everything for semantic search. Libraries under 5,000 items usually finish in under a minute.
The result is that your Pocket history becomes searchable by memory rather than by title. Type "that piece about hiring being unpredictable" and get the article back, even when the title was something like "Recruiting Is Adverse Selection". Local, no account, $29 once.
FAQ
Where do I export Pocket data from?
Sign in at getpocket.com, then visit getpocket.com/export. Pocket generates a single HTML file (ril_export.html) containing every article you saved, along with tags and save dates.
What format does the Pocket export come in?
An HTML file called ril_export.html. It's the same format Netscape used for browser bookmarks, so almost any bookmark tool can read it. Every item has a URL, title, timestamp, and any tags you applied.
How big will my Pocket export be?
Small. Even a library of 10,000 items usually produces an HTML file under 5 MB. The export contains URLs and tags, not the article text itself.
Does the export include article text or just links?
Just links, titles, tags, and timestamps. If you want the readable article text preserved, you need to re-fetch it, which is what tools like Backpockets: Read It Later App do when you import the export.
What if I forgot to export before shutdown?
As long as your Pocket account still has server-side access, the export URL usually keeps working after the consumer app is retired. Try getpocket.com/export first. If that fails, check your email for old Pocket digest messages that reference the saved links.
Done exporting?
Now make that file searchable.
Backpockets: Read It Later App imports your Pocket export and lets you find any article by what you remember about it. Free to try, $29 to keep.
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