If you use Audible regularly, your audiobook library can grow before you even notice. A few new titles here and there can quickly turn into dozens—or even hundreds—of books. At some point, you may want to keep a backup, whether you're switching to a new device, worried about losing access to a title, or simply want to keep your collection safe.
Downloading audiobooks in the Audible app is great for everyday listening, but those downloads aren't regular audio files that you can freely copy to another device or storage location. When you want more control over where your audiobooks are kept, things get a little more complicated.
In this guide, we will show you how to back up Audible books on Android, iPhone, PC, and Mac. At the end, you will also learn how to store the audiobooks on external drives and cloud storage. Let's take a look below.
Part 1. Can You Backup Audible Books?
Yes, you can back up your Audible audiobooks. However, it requires an extra step depending on how you want to use the backup files.
When you download a title directly inside the official Audible app on your mobile device, the file is saved in a proprietary format protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM). While these files allow offline listening within the Audible ecosystem, you can't move them directly to another media player or external storage drive as loose audio files.
To get a true portable backup, you either download the official .aax files from the Audible desktop website or use a specialized desktop converter to download the files into open formats like MP3 or M4B. Then, you can store the files on an external drive or cloud storage. The method you choose depends on your device and how you want to manage your audiobook collection.
Part 2. How to Backup Audible Books on Android
If you are using an Android phone, you have two ways to get your Audible books onto your device. You can download them directly in the app, or, on some older phones, store the files on an SD card. However, these downloads are tied to the app rather than saved as regular audio files you can freely copy.
Backup Audible Books on Android
Setp 1Download Audible Books to Your Android Device
01Open the Audible app.
02Tap Library and choose the audiobook you want.
03Tap the download icon. Once it finishes, the audiobook is saved to your device.
Read More : How to Download Audible Books to Android Phone
Setp 2Locate Audible Backup Files
01Audible files live in your phone's internal storage under this path:
02You can open this folder using the File Manager app or by connecting your phone to a computer with a USB cable.
Read More : How to Download Audible Books to SD Card on Android & More
Setp 3Back up Audible Books to SD Card or Cloud
Copy the entire Audible folder and paste it into your SD card's storage. You can also upload it to a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Setp 4Keep Your Backups Updated
Each time you download new Audible books, repeat the process to keep your SD card or cloud storage up to date.
⚠ Important: The files on your SD card are still AA/AAX files protected by DRM. If you move the SD card to a computer, the files won't play outside the Audible app. This means it's not a true backup yet. To make your Audible books playable on any device, skip ahead to Part 3 and learn how to create a permanent backup.
Part 3. How to Backup Audible Books on iPhone
Due to iOS sandbox restrictions, you cannot directly download and extract DRM-free audio files using the Audible app on an iPhone. For a separate backup, use a third-party Audible converter such as ViWizard Audible Converter to convert your books to standard audio formats.
Backup Audible Books on iPhone
01Launch the Audible app on your iPhone or iPad.
02Tap the Library icon at the bottom of the screen.
03Make sure you're viewing All Titles.
04Books not yet downloaded show a downward arrow icon. Tap the cover or the three-dot icon and choose Download to start downloading.
05When the download finishes, the cloud icon disappears. You can now listen offline in the Audible app.
Part 4. How to Backup Audible Books on PC and Mac
Backing up Audible books on a computer gives you more flexibility for managing and storing your collection. You can download purchased books directly from the Audible website, save them in popular audio formats with ViWizard Audible Converter, or use an open-source tool like Libation to download them locally.
4.1 Backup Audible Books from the Official Audible Website
The Audible website lets you download the original AAX or AAXC source files directly from the web interface. This is a good choice if you simply want to keep a local copy without installing additional software. The steps to download Audible books differ slightly between PC and Mac.
For PC Users:
01Go to the Audible website and sign in.
02Open your Library and find the audiobook you want to back up.
03Click Download next to the title.
04The audiobook downloads as an AAX or AAXC file, depending on the book.
05You can find it in your browser's Downloads folder.
Read More : How to Download Audible Books to PC (Step by Step)
For Mac Users:
01Visit audible.com and sign in.
02Download your Audible books.
03Double-click the downloaded AAX file.
04It opens automatically and adds to the Audiobooks section of your Apple Books app.
05The first time, you'll need to authorize your computer with your Audible or Amazon account.
06Once imported, your Audible audiobooks are backed up and playable in the Apple Books app.
Read More : How to Download Audible Audiobooks on Mac
4.2 Backup Audible Books with ViWizard Audible Converter
When you download audiobooks from Audible, the files are protected by DRM, so you can't simply move them to any device or open them with any media player. To play the audiobooks, you need to rely on the Audible app or Apple Books on Mac.
ViWizard Audible Converter removes these limits. It converts your Audible books into popular formats like MP3, M4A, M4B, FLAC, WAV, and AIFF. With its 100× faster speed, ViWizard can back up your entire Audible library in no time. The sound stays clear and rich. All the chapters, titles, authors, and ID3 tags remain.
For long audiobooks, you can split them by chapter. This makes your backup clean and easy to manage. After conversion, you can transfer the files to compatible devices and media players, including a TV, Bluetooth speaker, car stereo, or MP3 player, and enjoy your audiobooks offline.
Key Features of ViWizard Audible Audiobook Converter
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- Convert Audible audiobooks without AA/AAX format limitations
- Export audiobooks in 6 formats for different devices and players
- Split audiobooks by chapters or sections for personalized listening
- Preserve chapter information and metadata when creating collections
- Manage Audible audiobook libraries across converted files
Step 1: Download ViWizard Audible Converter and Launch It
Install ViWizard Audible Converter on your computer. Launch the program. A small Audible website window will appear. Sign in with your Amazon or Audible account. This links the tool to your book library.
Step 2: Choose Your Backup Settings
Click the Menu icon. Select Preferences. Go to the Conversion tab. Choose MP3 as your output format. MP3 is best for playing on any device. You can also pick M4A, M4B, FLAC, AIFF, or WAV. Adjust the bitrate if you need higher quality.
Step 3: Add the Books to Convert
Go to your Audible Library inside the ViWizard window. Click the plus (+) button in the corner. A list of your books will show up. Select the book you want. You can select many at once. Click Add to List.
Step 4: Convert and Save Your Files
Click the big Convert button. ViWizard will begin the process. The program automatically removes the DRM. It also converts the files to MP3. When it is finished, click the folder icon. This opens the save location. Your books are now unlocked MP3 files. They are ready for permanent backup.
4.3 Backup Audible Books with an Open-Source Tool
If you prefer an open-source option, Libation can back up your Audible library by downloading purchased audiobooks and converting them to DRM-free audio files. It can also back up accompanying PDFs when they are available.
01Download the appropriate version of Libation for your computer from its GitHub Releases page.
02Install Libation on your computer.
03Open Libation after installation.
04Select Add an Account from the account or import menu.
05Enter your Amazon/Audible email address and complete the login process.
06Select the Audible marketplace where your library is located.
07Click Scan Library to load your purchased Audible books.
08Select the audiobook you want to back up.
09Click the download icon next to the selected audiobook.
10Click Liberate or Begin Book and PDF Backup to back up multiple titles at once.
11Open Libation's settings and check the Books Location path to find your backup files.
12Copy the saved M4B audiobooks and accompanying PDFs to an external drive or cloud storage.
Part 5. How to Backup Audible Books to External Drives and Cloud Storage
Once you have downloaded your Audible books with ViWizard Audible Converter in a standard format such as MP3 or M4B, you can save another copy to an external drive or cloud storage. This gives you an extra backup of your audiobook files, so you can move or restore them whenever you need them.
5.1 Backup Audible Books to External Drives
01Connect your external hard drive or USB drive to your computer.
02Open the folder where your converted Audible books are saved.
03Select the audiobook files you want to back up.
04Copy the selected files.
05Open your external drive.
06Create a new folder for your Audible books.
07Paste the copied files into the folder.
08Wait for the files to finish copying.
09Open a few audiobook files from the external drive to check that they work properly.
10Eject the external drive safely after the backup is complete.
Saving your Audible books to USB can give your great convenience and guarantee. And it is also convenient to transfer them to a car or other devices for playing. This passage will show you how to transfer Audible books to USB.
5.2 Backup Audible Books to Cloud Storage
01Choose a cloud storage service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or iCloud Drive.
02Sign in to your cloud storage account.
03Open the folder where you want to keep your Audible backups.
04Create a new folder for your Audible books.
05Open the folder containing your converted Audible files.
06Select the audiobook files you want to back up.
07Upload the selected files to your cloud storage.
08Wait for the upload to finish.
09Open the cloud folder to check that the audiobook files are available.
10Keep the local copies until you have confirmed that the cloud backup is complete.
Part 6. FAQs about Backing Up Audible Books
Can I Use iCloud or iTunes Backup to Store the Files?
No, here are the reasons:
- File Protection (DRM): Audible's AA and AAX files are encrypted. Even if your backup includes them, they won't play outside the Audible app.
- Backup Exclusion: iCloud and iTunes backups save app data, settings, and licenses—not large third-party media files. Your downloaded Audible books are skipped to make the backup faster and smaller.
Can I back up Audible books to an external hard drive?
Yes. After saving your Audible books as standard audio files, you can copy them to an external hard drive or USB drive. This gives you a separate local copy that you can keep for long-term storage.
What is the best way to back up my Audible library?
For a flexible backup, you can download your Audible books with ViWizard Audible Converter, save them in a standard format such as MP3 or M4B, and keep copies in two places, such as an external drive and cloud storage. This gives your audiobook collection an extra layer of protection.
Conclusion
Backing up your Audible collection keeps your favorite stories safe forever. Download them to your app for offline listening, store them on your computer, or use ViWizard to turn them into easy MP3 or M4B files. Pop an extra copy on a drive or in the cloud, and you're good to go. So, have you backed up your favorites yet? Once that's done, just kick back, hit play, and enjoy!
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Adam Gorden, the digital media specialist at ViWizard, is dedicated to providing the best solutions for digital media management, including audio and video conversion, file optimization, and media workflow enhancements.
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