The Old Reader keeps things simple, and exporting is no exception — your subscriptions live in one OPML file, tucked at the bottom of Settings. About 5 minutes, 5 steps — you'll need your The Old Reader and tribb logins.

Steps

  1. Open your Settings page. On the web, sign in to The Old Reader and go to Settings. There's no official The Old Reader app for iOS or Android, so do this from a desktop or mobile browser rather than an app.

  2. Scroll to the bottom and export your feeds. Settings ends with a link labeled "export your feeds." Click it — The Old Reader generates an OPML file at theoldreader.com/reader/subscriptions/export and your browser downloads it. Note where it lands, usually your Downloads folder.

    Gotcha: The Old Reader's export has a history of shipping empty or incomplete OPML files for some accounts, and users have reported the link misbehaving in certain browsers. Open the downloaded file after exporting and confirm it lists your feeds before moving on — if it looks empty or truncated, try a different browser and export again.

  3. Open Import in tribb. Sign in to tribb and go to the Import page at /import. You'll see a drop zone that reads "drop an .opml file."

  4. Upload the file you exported. Drag the .opml file onto the drop zone, or click it to choose the file from your computer. tribb parses the file, recreates your folders from its structure, and skips any feed you're already subscribed to. When it finishes, you'll see how many feeds were in the file, how many were newly subscribed, and how many you already had.

  5. Open the reader and keep reading. Follow the link to the reader. Your imported feeds are there and fill with items over the next poll cycle. From the reader you can open an item to read it, save it for later, dismiss it once handled, or downrank a source to see less like it.

You're done. Every feed made the trip, and tribb takes it from here — welcome aboard.

Coming from a different reader? Here's the Feedly guide, or see the general OPML import guide if you already have a file exported from anywhere.

FAQ

Does my read/unread state carry over?

No. An OPML file lists your feeds and folders, but it carries no per-item read/unread history — that's a limit of the format, not of tribb. Every source you followed in The Old Reader comes across; you start with a clean, unread queue rather than a reconstructed one.

What happens to my folders and tags?

Folders come across. tribb reads the folders in your OPML and recreates them, filing each feed under its folder. Deeply nested subfolders are flattened to a single level — each feed lands under its closest folder name. The Old Reader's tags aren't part of the OPML export, so they don't transfer; organize saved reading in tribb once you're in.

Is tribb free to use?

You import feeds, read, and triage with a standard tribb account — no separate reader subscription to switch on. tribb is BYOK (bring your own key) for its AI features: the point-of-need summarizing and questioning runs on an AI key you supply, so those costs stay yours and your reading never becomes anyone's training data. Importing and reading don't require a key.

How long does the import take?

The upload and parse take a few seconds even for a large list. After that your feeds appear immediately, then fill in with items over the next poll cycles rather than all at once — so an empty-looking feed right after import is normal and resolves on its own.

Can I keep using The Old Reader while I try tribb?

Yes. Exporting an OPML doesn't change or close your The Old Reader account — it just copies your subscription list. Run both in parallel for as long as you like, and re-export and re-import later if you add feeds in The Old Reader before you fully move over.

What if the exported file is empty or my feeds are missing after import?

Check the downloaded OPML file first — The Old Reader's export has occasionally shipped empty or partial files, so confirm it lists your feeds before importing. If the file is fine but some feeds don't show up in tribb, remember that tribb skips feeds you're already subscribed to and drops any entry that isn't a valid public feed URL, which explains most gaps. If a feed is still missing, re-export and import again.