Type: Ebook and academic paper library
Access: Tor Browser required for .onion version
Account required: Optional — free tier limited to 10 downloads/day
Clearnet version: Personal domain system — register via .onion
Collection size: 11M+ books, 84M+ articles
Status: Relaunched via Tor after 2022 domain seizure
Last verified: March 2026
What Is Z-Library?
Z-Library is the world’s largest shadow library — over 11 million books and 84 million academic articles freely accessible without paywalls or subscription fees. It began as a fork of Library Genesis and grew to surpass its parent in both collection size and user base, becoming the most widely used free ebook resource on the internet before US authorities seized its clearnet domains in November 2022.
Following the seizure, Z-Library relaunched through a combination of Tor hidden services and a personal domain system — each registered user receives their own unique clearnet subdomain, making mass blocking significantly harder. The .onion address remains the most stable and censorship-resistant access point.
Onion Address
Note: This is Z-Library’s login and registration .onion address. After creating an account, Z-Library assigns you a personal .onion address for your account — use that for subsequent access. Verify the address above against current community sources before use — r/zlibrary on Reddit and relevant dark web forums maintain current verified addresses.
How to Access Z-Library via Tor
- Download Tor Browser from torproject.org
- Set security level to Safer — Z-Library requires JavaScript
- Paste the .onion address above into the address bar
- Create a free account — email address required
- Z-Library assigns you a personal .onion address — bookmark it
- Use your personal address for all subsequent visits
- Search for books by title, author or ISBN
- Download in your preferred format
Note on email: Z-Library requires an email address for registration. Use a ProtonMail or Tutanota address — not your personal email — to keep your Z-Library account separate from your real identity. Create the email account over Tor before registering.
The 2022 Seizure — What Happened
In November 2022, US federal authorities seized Z-Library’s primary clearnet domains — z-lib.org, b-ok.org and others — and arrested two Russian nationals alleged to be Z-Library’s operators: Anton Napolsky and Valeria Ermakova. They were charged with copyright infringement and money laundering.
The seizure took Z-Library’s clearnet presence offline for several weeks. However, Z-Library’s infrastructure proved more resilient than a simple domain seizure could address. The platform relaunched via Tor within weeks, and subsequently introduced the personal domain system that makes it significantly harder to block comprehensively — blocking one user’s domain does not affect other users.
The operators’ arrest created uncertainty about Z-Library’s long-term continuity, but the platform has continued to operate and expand its collection since the seizure. As of 2026, it remains the largest ebook collection available.
Free vs. Registered Account
| Feature | No Account | Free Account |
|---|---|---|
| Daily download limit | Very limited | 10 books/day |
| Personal .onion address | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Download history | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Wishlist | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Book recommendations | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Upload books | ❌ No | ✅ Yes — increases daily limit |
Supported Formats
| Format | Best For | Compatible Devices |
|---|---|---|
| EPUB | General reading — most flexible | Kobo, Nook, most reading apps |
| Fixed layout — textbooks, illustrated | Any PDF reader | |
| MOBI | Kindle devices | Kindle, Calibre |
| FB2 | Russian language ebooks | Various readers, Calibre |
| DJVU | Scanned documents | Specific DJVU readers, Calibre |
| AZW3 | Kindle enhanced format | Kindle devices |
Z-Library vs. Other Book Sources
| Library | Books | Account | .onion | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z-Library | 11M+ | Optional | ✅ Yes | Maximum selection |
| Library Genesis | 3M+ | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Academic texts |
| Imperial Library | 1M+ | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Dark web native |
| Sci-Hub | 85M papers | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Scientific papers |
| Project Gutenberg | 70K+ | ❌ No | ❌ No | Public domain — legal |
Increasing Your Daily Download Limit
Z-Library’s free tier limits downloads to 10 books per day. Several methods increase this limit:
Upload books. Contributing books to Z-Library’s collection increases your daily limit. Upload books in your possession that are not already in the library — each accepted upload adds to your limit.
Premium subscription. Z-Library offers a paid premium tier with unlimited downloads. Payment methods include cryptocurrency — relevant for users who want to keep their subscription anonymous.
Multiple accounts. Z-Library’s terms of service prohibit multiple accounts per user, but the 10-per-day limit resets daily — for most readers, 10 books per day is more than sufficient.
Using Calibre for Format Conversion
Calibre is a free, open-source ebook management application that converts between virtually all ebook formats. If Z-Library has a book in EPUB but you need MOBI for Kindle, or PDF but you prefer EPUB, Calibre handles the conversion.
- Download Calibre from calibre-ebook.com
- Add the downloaded book to your Calibre library
- Right-click and select Convert Books
- Choose your output format and click OK
Calibre also manages metadata, organizes your library and can send books directly to connected e-readers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Z-Library safe to use after the 2022 seizure?
Z-Library’s .onion infrastructure was not compromised by the 2022 seizure — US authorities seized clearnet domains and arrested individuals alleged to be operators, but the underlying library system continued to function. The platform has operated continuously since relaunching on Tor. Whether the current operators are the same as the arrested individuals is unclear. As with any shadow library, the primary risk is legal rather than technical — the platform itself does not distribute malware.
Why does Z-Library assign personal .onion addresses?
The personal domain system makes comprehensive blocking significantly harder. Blocking one user’s personal domain does not affect other users. It also allows Z-Library to track which domains are being targeted and rotate them when necessary, without disrupting users on unaffected domains.
What email should I use to register?
Use an email address with no connection to your real identity — a ProtonMail or Tutanota address created specifically for this purpose, over Tor. Do not use your personal email, work email or any address that can be linked to your identity. Z-Library’s operator history — Russian nationals arrested by US authorities — means your account data could potentially be accessed by law enforcement through legal process.
Is downloading from Z-Library illegal?
Downloading copyrighted books through Z-Library technically violates copyright law in most jurisdictions. Enforcement against individual readers has not occurred — legal action has focused on Z-Library’s operators. The legal risk to individual users is very low in practice. This is a legal question that varies by jurisdiction — consult a lawyer if in doubt.
What happened to Z-Library’s founders?
Anton Napolsky and Valeria Ermakova were arrested in Argentina in November 2022 at the request of US authorities and faced extradition proceedings. Their legal situation has continued to develop since arrest — check current news sources for the latest status. Z-Library continues to operate regardless of the outcome of their individual cases, suggesting the platform’s infrastructure is not solely dependent on specific individuals.