Why are chapters locked in a title?

If you see locked chapters in a title, you may be reading a sample. You can unlock the chapters by borrowing it. To borrow a title from the sample:

  1. Open the sample.
  2. Tap the book cover (in the circle above the timeline in a book or in the background of the audio player).
  3. Tap Borrow This Book (or Borrow This Audiobook), then Borrow.

If you still see locked chapters after borrowing the title

To get access to the full title, try removing and re-downloading the loan:

  1. Tap Shelf Shelf, in the navigation footer.
  2. Tap Loans at the top of the screen.
  3. Tap Title status: Borrowed, 100% downloaded button, then Remove Download.
  4. Wait for two minutes, then completely close the app:
    • On Android devices: Open your recently used apps list, find the Libby app, and swipe to close it.
    • On iOS devices: Close the Libby app by swiping up from the app switcher on your iPhone or iPad.
  5. Reopen the app.
  6. Go to your Shelf Shelf, in the navigation footer, then tap Title status: Borrowed, tap to download button next to the title. This will download a fresh copy.

If re-downloading the title didn't resolve the issue, you'll also need to delete the title's Reading Journey. This removes all tags from the title and deletes notes, highlights, bookmarks, and reading progress for it.

Tip: You can export your reading data for the title before deleting its Reading Journey.

To delete the Reading Journey:

  1. Tap Shelf .
  2. Tap Manage Loan next to the problematic title.
  3. Tap Reading Journey.
  4. Tap Actions (in the top-right corner), then Delete Journey.
  5. Tap Proceed to confirm.

Afterward, when you open the book again, use the title's table of contents to find the approximate spot where the sample ended. You can also save the title to any tags again.