Do I need to unzip the .gz file?

No. Compressed and uncompressed exports both work.

Will anime I already track be duplicated?

No. An imported title with no year matches the same title you already have, whatever its year, and is skipped.

My manga went to Books in an earlier import. Will it appear twice?

No. A manga title already on your Books shelf from an older import is recognized and skipped.

Switch from MyAnimeList or Kitsu

MyAnimeList's export is an XML file, often gzipped. Upload it as it comes and your anime and manga land on their own shelves.

By OmniTrackr · 3 min read · Updated October 31, 2026

On this page

Have your export? Create a free account and the Import Studio opens as soon as you're in. Nothing is saved until you've seen the preview.

Start importing

Who this move suits

MyAnimeList has the biggest anime database and the forums to go with it, and Kitsu users can export in the same format. Both are anime-only. OmniTrackr is useful when you also want your live-action shows, films and games in the same list, with one set of statistics across all of them.

Anime goes to the Anime shelf with its episode count. Manga goes to the Manga shelf with chapters and volumes.

Get your MyAnimeList export

On MyAnimeList, open the list export page from your profile or list settings.
Export your anime list, your manga list, or both. Each is its own file.
On Kitsu, use the export in your settings and choose the MyAnimeList format.
Keep the .xml.gz file as downloaded. It doesn't need unzipping.

What comes across

In MyAnimeList	In OmniTrackr
Anime entries	Anime, with the series episode count
Manga entries	Manga, with chapter and volume counts
My Score	Rating out of 10, unchanged. A score of 0 means unrated.
Completed	Marked watched or read
My Comments	A private note

A title you already track is skipped, so your own rating, review and progress are never replaced. A title repeated in the file is created once. Imported notes stay private until you publish one.

What stays on MyAnimeList

Release years. The XML doesn't include them.
Your current episode or chapter. The count in the file is the series total, so set your place after importing.
Tags, priority and rewatch counts.

Import and check

Create a free account and open Account Settings, then Import Studio.
Leave the format on Detect automatically, choose your file and select Preview import. The preview names the format it recognized.
Look at the counts for ready, duplicate and needs-attention rows, then page through a few and compare them with MyAnimeList.
Confirm. Every ready row is saved together, or none are if something goes wrong.

One import can hold up to 5,000 titles and 5 MB. Split a bigger history into several files; titles saved by an earlier file are recognized as duplicates.

Your first week after switching

Set the episode you're on for anything marked Watching on MyAnimeList.
Check the Anime statistics for your genre mix and how many episodes you've put in.
Add the films and live-action shows you watch. They sit next to your anime here.

Questions

Do I need to unzip the .gz file?: No. Compressed and uncompressed exports both work.
Will anime I already track be duplicated?: No. An imported title with no year matches the same title you already have, whatever its year, and is skipped.
My manga went to Books in an earlier import. Will it appear twice?: No. A manga title already on your Books shelf from an older import is recognized and skipped.

Ready to bring your anime and manga across? Sign up free and you land in the Import Studio.

Start importing

Coming from somewhere else?

Or use a spreadsheet: the export and import guide shows the columns.

How this guide was checked

Written by OmniTrackr and checked against the Import Studio on October 31, 2026. MyAnimeList changes its menus from time to time, so the steps say where to look rather than quoting every button. If something no longer matches, tell us through Contact.