Support

Something not working the way you expect? Write to us, or see if your problem is below.

Troubleshooting

A PDF asks for a password every time

That’s on purpose. Tomebound never stores a PDF’s password, so it asks each time you open the app. A password-protected PDF also isn’t included in search, and search tells you how many PDFs it couldn’t search.

A PDF says “Import This PDF Again” or “Import This PDF”

Tomebound’s copy of that PDF is missing, no longer matches the file you imported, or was never on this device because the PDF was added on another one. Your original file isn’t affected. Tap the button and choose the same file. Your destinations, highlights and notes for it are still there, and they work as soon as the file is here. With Sync PDFs on, a PDF that’s in iCloud downloads by itself, and the page says so while it does; importing the file opens it sooner.

“Tomebound could not read this PDF”

The file itself is damaged, or it isn’t a PDF the system can open. Try opening it in the Files app or in Preview. If it opens there but not in Tomebound, please email us. We’d like to see it.

Search doesn’t find words I can see on the page

Some PDFs are scanned pictures of pages with no text behind them, and Tomebound can’t read text in a picture. If you can’t select a word on the page, that page can’t be searched. Password-protected PDFs aren’t searched either.

Search also needs a moment to read a project’s PDFs the first time you open the project. While it’s reading them, the search panel shows its progress.

I can’t add another destination to the hotbar

The hotbar holds ten items, and a group holds twelve. To make room, gather related destinations into a group.

The hotbar is gone

It may be collapsed to a small handle at the edge of the reader. Tap the handle to bring the hotbar back. On a Mac, choose View › Show Hotbar. While you’re drawing, a hotbar at the bottom of the screen steps aside, and it comes back when you stop.

I’m moving to a new device, or deleting the app

Your projects sync through iCloud, so a new device signed in to the same iCloud account gets them, and deleting the app from one device leaves them for the others. The PDFs come too if Sync PDFs is on, in a project’s settings, on the old device and on the new one. Otherwise import each PDF again on the new device, because a device backup doesn’t include them; everything you made in it works as soon as it’s there. To keep a complete copy, PDFs included, open a project’s settings, choose Export Project… and save the file somewhere safe, such as iCloud Drive. Import Project… in the Library brings it back as a new project.

“Tomebound Couldn’t Open Your Library”

Try Try Again first. If that doesn’t work, Reset Library… starts a fresh library and moves the old one aside. Nothing is deleted. If iCloud sync is on, the fresh library downloads your projects from iCloud again, and with Sync PDFs on, every PDF in iCloud with them. Otherwise you import the PDFs again. Please email us before you reset, because we may be able to help you get your library back.

I can’t draw on the Mac

Drawing is for iPad and iPhone. On a Mac, Tomebound shows what you drew but has no drawing tools.

For more about how Tomebound works, see the FAQ.