
HathiTrust is a collaborative digital library that provides access to millions of digitized books from academic and research institutions worldwide. Founded in 2008, HathiTrust aims to preserve and offer access to a vast collection of knowledge, including books, journals, and other materials. Users can search, read, and, in some cases, download these resources, making it a valuable tool for researchers, students, and book enthusiasts. So How to download Hathitrust eBooks to pdf? Is there a HathiTrust Downloader available?
What Kind of Books Can Be Downloaded and Why Others Cannot
The ability to download books from HathiTrust depends on several factors, primarily related to copyright status and institutional affiliation.
1. Public Domain and Open Access Titles
Books that are in the public domain or have been designated as open access can be downloaded in full by any user. These titles are typically older works whose copyrights have expired or works that have been made freely available by their authors or publishers.
2. Copyrighted Titles
Books that are still under copyright protection generally cannot be downloaded in full. These books are available only for limited viewing, such as single pages or short excerpts. However, users affiliated with HathiTrust member institutions may have additional access privileges, including the ability to download certain copyrighted works under specific conditions.
3. Institutional Access
Users who are part of a HathiTrust member institution (e.g., universities and libraries) can log in with their institutional credentials to access and download more materials than unaffiliated users. This access is governed by agreements between HathiTrust and the member institutions.
Is there anyway to download Hathitrust to pdf? Downloading books from HathiTrust to PDF can be done using the following two methods.
Method 1:Official method to download HathiTrust Books to PDF
Step 1: Login to Hathitrust account.
If you are affiliated with a HathiTrust member institution, log in using your institutional credentials. This will grant you access to more downloadable content.
Step 2: Find the books you want to download.
Use the search bar on the HathiTrust website to find the book you want to download. You can search by title, author, or subject.
Step 3: Download Hathitrust Book:
Once you find the book, check if it is available for full download. Public domain and open access books will have a "Full View" option, while copyrighted books will have limited access.
For public domain and open access books, click on the "Full View" link. This will open this book, you can find the "Download" button at the left side bar. Just click it, you will see more options.
Usually, the interface will display the formats available for download and allow you to select the page range. Choose your preferred format (PDF is commonly available) and follow the prompts to download the book to your device.
In the screenshot above, the book allows you to download the entire pages.
However, in most cases, you can only download one page at a time.
If this is the case, you’ll need to repeat the process for each page and then merge all the downloaded PDFs into a single file. This process can be very time-consuming and labor-intensive. Is there an easier method to download HathiTrust books as PDFs? Absolutely! Try the HathiTrust Downloader introduced in the following section.
Method 2: Download HathiTrust to PDF with HathiTrust Downloader-- Hathi Download Helper
For a more streamlined process, you can use tools like Hathi Download Helper. This software allows you to download books from HathiTrust to PDF.
Step 1. Download and install Hathi Download Helper.
Download Hathi Download here and install it.
Download Hathitrust Download Helper
Step 2.Download Hathitrust books to pdf with Hathitrust downloader.
Find the book you want to download as pdf and copy the book’s url from the address bar and enter it to Hathi Downloader Helper.
Then click on “Get book info” button to get your book information first, then click “Start download” and give it a few minutes to download books.
Note: Please note this process will take some time if your books have many pages. You need to wait patiently.
Then click “Create PDF”to convert the pages into a single PDF file.
Note: Please be aware that not all books can be downloaded using this method. Many books are copyright-protected, and this software does not extract data from HathiTrust. As a result, it cannot download those books.
Conclusion
This post has introduced two methods for downloading your HathiTrust books as PDFs. Compared to the official method, the HathiTrust Downloader streamlines the process, making it more convenient. If you need to download certain HathiTrust books, feel free to give it a try.
Explore more ways to download or convert your books here!

Iris Yan has been a passionate member of Epubor since 2017. Her mission is to enhance your ebook reading experience by sharing insightful tips and tricks. Join her on a journey towards reading excellence today!