20 October, 2012

by Updated on 20 October, 2012 2 comments

Transfer Google Reader Starred Items To New Account Without Any Script

Google Reader is my one of the most used services of Google. But I wanted to transfer my most of the Google Reader subscription from one Google account to another for some reason. Google Reader allows to transfer or export all your subscriptions to external feed reader service very easily. We can export the subscription list in OPML and JSON format and every feed reader will automatically recognize the format and import all the subscription with just one click. That's pretty easy and anyone can do that.
But the things are not that straight when I wanted to transfer my huge list of Google Reader Starred Items'. When I imported the OPML / JSON subscription file from older account, there was no any stored item.
Google Reader also allows to export the starred items in export items' section but I don't know, why it was not working at all and even after exporting the starred items to JSON file, I could not able to import that item to my new account.

I searched Google for the way to do that but most of the article available are too much complex and too difficult to use by non geek persons. So here is the way I used to transfer all starred items from one google reader account to another.
This way is pretty simple and you do not have to implement any script or external service. Let's start.

  • Go to your original Google Reader account from where you want to export the starred items.
  • Go to 'Reader Settings' >> Folder and Tags.
google-reader-settings
  •  Select 'Your Starred Items' and click on the grayed out link which is 'PRIVATE'
  • Clicking on the 'Private' will make the 'Starred Items' to public feed. 
public-starred-items

  • Please note that the once you make the items to public, anyone with the link can view the list. Don't worry, you can easily make it private again.
  • Now click on 'View public page' link and you will get the articles you starred in a new browser tab. You have to copy the 'Address' of  this new public feed or starred items.
  • Now log in to the new Google Reader account to which you want to transfer the starred items or the destination account.
  • Now click on "Subscribe" button and paste the address of starred items you have copied from the address of 'Starred items' of previous account.
subscribe-to-starred-items
  • You will get all the items from the original account to the new account. 
  • IMP: Now you have to manually STAR all the items you get in this feed. Then only this item will be saved as starred items on your new Google Reader account. You can press 'S' key on keyboard to mark the item as starred and press 'space bar' to jump to next item.

Once you have starred these items, you are done. You can now unsubscribe from the starred items feed and go to your previous account and make the stared items feed to 'Private' which you have set to public. If you want to share the list, you may keep it as public. That is not the big cheese.

To confirm that the public link is disabled, you can click on the subscription list in the new account. You will get this.
private-feed-confirmation

Though the clicking on stars of every item is problematic task, this is the only simplest way I find. Do you find this trick useful or you want to use other methods? Reply. 

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