This page includes basic instructions for using OverDrive Media Console™. Instructions for OverDrive Media Console for Mac® are presented first, followed by instructions for OverDrive Media Console for Windows®. To skip to instructions for OverDrive Media Console for Mac, click here. To skip to instructions for OverDrive Media Console for Windows, click here.

OverDrive Media Console for Mac

Select a link below to access additional information and step-by-step instructions for using OverDrive Media Console for Mac.

Downloading and Installing OverDrive Media Console for Mac.

Using Shortcut Keys for OverDrive Media Console for Mac.

Downloading OverDrive Titles using OverDrive Media Console for Mac.

Playing and Navigating OverDrive Titles on a Mac.

Transferring OverDrive Media to Portable Devices on a Mac.

Burning OverDrive Media to CD on a Mac.

Contact Technical Support.

OverDrive Media Console for Windows

Select a link below to access additional information and step-by-step instructions for using OverDrive Media Console for Windows.

Downloading and Installing OverDrive Media Console for Windows.

Using Shortcut Keys for OverDrive Media Console for Windows.

Downloading OverDrive Media using OverDrive Media Console for Windows.

Playing and Navigating OverDrive Titles on Windows.

Transferring OverDrive Media to Portable Devices on Windows.

Burning OverDrive Media to CD on Windows.

Contact Technical Support.

Downloading and Installing OverDrive Media Console for Mac.

To download OverDrive Media Console for Mac, click here.

To install OverDrive Media Console on your Mac computer you need the following four items:

• Intel® or PowerPC® processor.
• Mac OS 10.4.9 or newer.
• iTunes® v7.6.2.9 or newer. To download iTunes, click here.
• QuickTime® v7.4.5 or newer. You can download QuickTime as part of the iTunes download.

Using Shortcut Keys for OverDrive Media Console for Mac.

The following 13 shortcut keys can be used to operate OverDrive Media Console for Mac:

Open: Command-O.
Download Parts: Command-D.
Play: Command-P.
Transfer: Command-T.
Burn: Command-B.
Delete: Del.
Info: Command-I.
Close OverDrive Media Console Window: Command-W.
New Collection: Command-N.
Preferences: Command-Comma (,).
Hide OverDrive Media Console: Command-H.
Quit OverDrive Media Console: Command-Q.
Minimize Window: Command-M.

The following 14 shortcut keys can be used to operate OverDrive Media Explorer™:

Stop: Enter.
Previous Part: Command-Shift-Up Arrow.
Next Part: Command-Shift-Down Arrow.
Previous MediaMarker™: Command-Left Arrow.
Next MediaMarker: Command-Right Arrow.
Play Speed Slow, 0.6 times normal: Command-1.
Play Speed Normal: Command-2.
Play Speed Fast, 1.4 times normal: Command-3.
Play Speed Faster, 2 times normal: Command-4.
Play Speed Fast Forward, 5 times normal: Command-5.
Skip Back 15 Seconds: Command-Shift-B.
Resume from Furthest Played Point: Command-Shift-F.
Add Bookmark: Command-Equal Sign (=).
Close OverDrive Media Explorer Window: Command-W.

Downloading OverDrive Titles using OverDrive Media Console for Mac.

OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks are available for use with OverDrive Media Console for Mac.

To download a title using OverDrive Media Console for Mac, follow these four steps:

1. After checking out or purchasing a title, select the 'Download' link.

OverDrive Media Console opens and prompts for a download location for the files.
2. Select 'OK' to save the files to the default location.
   The 'Download' dialog box is displayed.


3. Select the Part(s) you want to download.
   By default, all Parts that have not been downloaded are selected. Parts may be selected or deselected by highlighting a Part using the Up and Down arrow keys and pressing the Space bar.


4. Select 'OK'.
   The files are downloaded. Download times vary depending on the file size, the number of Parts selected for download, and the speed of the Internet connection.

Playing and Navigating OverDrive Titles on a Mac.

To play and navigate a title using OverDrive Media Console follow these four steps:

1. In OverDrive Media Console, select the title you wish to play and press Command-P.
   OverDrive Media Explorer opens and plays the title.


2. Press the 'Tab' key to access the list of Parts. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to skip directly to specific Parts.


3. Press the 'Tab' key to access the OverDrive MediaMarkers.
   MediaMarkers take you directly to specific points within each Part.


4. Navigate the MediaMarkers using the Up and Down arrow keys.

Transferring OverDrive Media to Portable Devices on a Mac.

If you intend to transfer OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks to a portable device, please note the following three items: To skip directly to transfer instructions, click here.

• OverDrive Media Console for Mac only supports the transfer of OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks to Apple® devices.


• If you intend to transfer OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks to an iPod® Shuffle™, you should be able to do so using iTunes. The OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard cannot transfer content to the iPod Shuffle.


• If you want to use the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard to transfer content to an Apple device other than the iPod Shuffle, the iTunes setting 'Manually manage music…' must be enabled before you can complete the transfer. To change this setting, complete the following six steps:
  
  1. Connect your Apple device to your computer.
  2. If it does not launch automatically, open iTunes v7.6.2.9 or newer.
  3. In iTunes, locate your device in the left vertical navigation panel, under heading 'DEVICES', and select your device.
     The 'Summary' screen is displayed.
  4. Enable option 'Manually manage music…'.
  5. Click the 'Apply' button.
     The iTunes 'Summary' screen refreshes, and your changes are saved.
  6. If desired, close iTunes.

To transfer a title to a portable device using OverDrive Media Console for Mac, follow these five steps:

1. Connect your portable device to your computer.


2. In OverDrive Media Console, select a title and press Command-T.
   The OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard opens.


3. Press the Space bar, or select the 'Next' button, to search for connected devices.
   If a device is detected, the 'Confirm' screen is displayed.


4. Press the Tab key as needed to access the list of Parts. Select the Part(s) you wish to transfer to your device. By default, all Parts are selected. To deselect a Part, navigate to it using the Down arrow key and press the Space bar.


5. Select the 'Next' button to transfer the files.
   If there is enough free storage space on your device, the files are transferred. This process may take a few minutes. When the file transfer is complete, the 'OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard - Success' screen is displayed. Select the 'Finish' button to close the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard.

The following instructions only apply if there is not enough free storage space on your device. If the files you selected have successfully transferred to your device, you do not need to complete the following steps. You may disconnect your portable player and enjoy the title on your device. If the files have successfully transferred, and you wish to skip this information and return to the top of the page, click here.

If there is not enough free storage space on your device, the Transfer Wizard displays a message stating that there is not enough space available on your portable player to copy the selected Part or Parts. You must select fewer Parts for transfer, or cancel the transfer. To skip to instructions for transferring fewer Parts to your portable player, click here. To skip to instructions for cancelling the transfer process, click here.

To transfer fewer Parts to your portable player, follow these three steps:

1. In the dialog box that notified you that there is not enough free space available on your portable player, press the Space bar.
   The 'Confirm' screen is displayed.


2. Press the Tab key as needed to access the list of Parts. To deselect a Part, navigate to it using the Down arrow key and press the Space bar.


3. Select the 'Next' button to transfer the files.
   If there is enough free storage space on your device, the files are transferred. This process may take a few minutes. When the file transfer is complete, the 'OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard - Success' screen is displayed. Select the 'Finish' button to close the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard.
   If there is not enough free storage space on your device, the Transfer Wizard displays a message stating that there is not enough space available on your portable player to copy the selected Part or Parts. Repeat these steps as necessary to select fewer Parts for transfer. To return to the top of the page, click here.

-or-

To cancel the transfer process without deleting files or transferring fewer Parts, follow these two steps:

1. In the dialog box that notified you that there is not enough free space available on your portable player, press the Space bar.
   The 'Confirm' screen is displayed.


2. Select the 'Cancel' button to close the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard.

Burning OverDrive Media to CD on a Mac.

To burn a title to CD using OverDrive Media Console for Mac, follow these six steps:

1. Place a blank recordable CD in your writable CD drive.


2. In OverDrive Media Console, select the title you wish to burn and press Command-B.
   The OverDrive Media Console Burn Wizard opens.


3. Press the Space bar to display the 'Confirm' screen, where you indicate which Parts to burn to CD.
   The 'Confirm' screen is displayed.


4. Press the Tab key as needed to access the list of Parts. Select the Parts you wish to burn to CD. By default, all Parts are selected. To deselect a Part, navigate to it using the Down arrow key and press the Space bar.


5. Select the 'Next' button to start the burn.
   The file is burned to CD. You are prompted to insert new blank recordable CDs as needed (one CD per Part).
   When burning is complete the 'Success' screen is displayed.


6. Select 'Finish' to close the Burn Wizard.

Contact Technical Support.

If you are unable to find answers to your questions in any of the above help categories please contact support at support@overdrive.com with a detailed description of your problem or question.

This is the end of the instructions for OverDrive Media Console for Mac. To return to the top of the list of instructions for OverDrive Media Console for Mac, click here. To skip to instructions for OverDrive Media Console on Windows, click here.

Downloading and Installing OverDrive Media Console for Windows.

To download OverDrive Media Console for Windows, click here.

To install OverDrive Media Console on your Windows computer you need the following four items:

• A PC with a 233 megahertz or faster processor.
• Windows Vista®, Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows 98 SE.
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 5.0.1 or newer.
• Windows Media® Player 9 Series or newer. To download Windows Media Player, click here.

Using Shortcut Keys for OverDrive Media Console for Windows.

The following eight shortcut keys can be used to operate OverDrive Media Console:

Download Parts: Ctrl+D.
Play: Ctrl+P.
Transfer: Ctrl+T.
Burn: Ctrl+B.
Delete: Del.
Properties: Alt+Enter.
Help: F1.
Exit: Alt+F4.

The following 24 shortcut keys can be used to operate OverDrive Media Explorer™:

Play/Pause: Ctrl+P.
Stop: Ctrl+S.
Previous Part: Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow.
Next Part: Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow.
Previous MediaMarker™: Ctrl+Left.
Next MediaMarker: Ctrl+Right.
Mute/Sound: F8.
Volume Down: F9.
Volume Up: F10.
Play Speed Slow, 0.6 times normal: Ctrl+1.
Play Speed Normal: Ctrl+2.
Play Speed Fast, 1.4 times normal: Ctrl+3.
Play Speed Faster, 2 times normal: Ctrl+4.
Play Speed Fast Forward, 5 times normal: Ctrl+5.
Video Size Small, 50% normal: Ctrl+7.
Video Size Normal: Ctrl+8.
Video Size Large, 200% normal: Ctrl+9.
Video Size Full Screen: Ctrl+0.
Skip Back 15 Seconds: Ctrl+Shift+B.
Resume from Furthest Played Point: Ctrl+Shift+F.
Add Bookmark: Ctrl+B.
Launch Windows Media Player: Ctrl+W.
Help: F1.
Close OverDrive Media Explorer Window: Esc.

Downloading OverDrive Titles using OverDrive Media Console for Windows.

The following four formats are available for use with OverDrive Media Console on Windows:

• OverDrive WMA Audiobooks.
• OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks.
• OverDrive Music.
• OverDrive Video.

To download a title using OverDrive Media Console on Windows follow these four steps:

1. After checking out or purchasing a title, select the 'Download' link.

OverDrive Media Console opens and prompts for a download location for your files.
2. Select 'OK' to save your files to the default location.
   The 'Download' dialog box is displayed.


3. Select the Parts you want to download.
   By default, all files that have not been downloaded are selected. Parts may be selected or deselected by highlighting a Part using the Up and Down arrow keys and pressing the Space bar.


4. Select 'OK'.
   The files are downloaded. Download times vary depending on the file size, the number of Parts selected for download, and the speed of your Internet connection.

Playing and Navigating OverDrive Media Titles on Windows.

To download play and navigate a title using OverDrive Media Console follow these four steps:

1. In OverDrive Media Console, select the title you wish to play and press Ctrl+P.
   OverDrive Media Explorer opens and plays the title.


2. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to skip directly to specific Parts.


3. Press the 'Tab' key to access the OverDrive MediaMarkers.
   MediaMarkers take you directly to specific points within each Part.


4. Navigate the MediaMarkers using the Up and Down arrow keys.

Transferring OverDrive Media to Portable Devices on Windows.

If you intend to transfer OverDrive Media to a portable device, please note the following four items: To skip directly to transfer instructions, click here.

• If you intend to transfer OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks to an Apple device, iTunes v7.6.2.9 or newer and QuickTime v7.4.5 or newer are required. To download iTunes, click here. You can download QuickTime as part of the iTunes download.


• If you intend to transfer OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks to an iPod® Shuffle™, you should be able to do so using iTunes. The OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard cannot transfer content to the iPod Shuffle.


• If you want to use the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard to transfer content to an Apple device other than the iPod Shuffle, the iTunes setting 'Manually manage music…' must be enabled before you can complete the transfer. To change this setting, complete the following steps:


1. Connect your Apple device to your computer.
2. If it does not launch automatically, open iTunes v7.6.2.9 or newer.
3. In iTunes, locate your device in the left vertical navigation panel, under heading 'DEVICES', and select your device.
   The 'Summary' screen is displayed.
4. Enable option 'Manually manage music…'.
5. Click the 'Apply' button.
   The iTunes 'Summary' screen refreshes, and your changes are saved.
6. If desired, close iTunes.


• If you intend to transfer OverDrive Audiobooks to a Microsoft Zune device using OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard, please note the following two items:


• OverDrive Media Console v3.1 or newer, Zune application v3.0 or newer, and Zune device firmware v3.0 or newer are required.
• Before you can transfer OverDrive Audiobooks to a Zune device using the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard, you must close any other program to which your Zune is connected.

To transfer a title to a portable device using OverDrive Media Console v3.1 or newer, follow these five steps:

1. Connect your portable device to your computer.


2. In OverDrive Media Console, select a title and press Ctrl+T.
   The OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard opens.


3. Press Alt+N to search for connected devices.
   If a device is detected, the 'Confirm' screen is displayed.


4. Select the Part or Parts you wish to transfer to your device. By default, all Parts are selected. To deselect a Part, navigate to it using the Down arrow key and press the Space bar.


5. Press Alt+N to transfer the files.
   If there is enough free storage space on your device, the files are transferred. This process may take a few minutes. When the file transfer is complete, the 'OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard - Success' screen is displayed. Press the 'Enter' key to close the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard.

The following instructions only apply if there is not enough free storage space on your device. If the files you selected have successfully transferred to your device, you do not need to complete the following steps. You may disconnect your portable player and enjoy the title on your device. If the files have successfully transferred, and you wish to skip this information and return to the top of the page, click here.

If there is not enough free storage space on your device, the Transfer Wizard displays a message stating that there is not enough space available on your portable player to copy the selected Part or Parts. You must delete unwanted files from the device until there is enough storage space to transfer the selected Part or Parts, select fewer Parts for transfer, or cancel the transfer. To skip to instructions for deleting unwanted files from your portable player, click here. To skip to instructions for transferring fewer Parts to your portable player, click here. To skip to instructions for cancelling the transfer process, click here.

Depending on your portable player, the Transfer Wizard may allow you to delete files on your portable player in order to make room for the files you wish to transfer. Note that this feature is not available for Apple devices. To delete files from your portable player using the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard, follow these five steps:

1. In the 'OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard' dialog box, press Alt+Y or the 'Enter' key.
   The 'Browse Portable Player' dialog box is displayed.


2. Select a file or folder to delete from your portable player using the Up and Down arrow keys.


3. Press Alt+D to delete the selected file or folder.


4. Confirm that you want to delete the file or folder by pressing Alt+Y or the 'Enter' key.
   The status bar in the 'Browse Portable Player' dialog box indicates the space needed for transfer as well as the free space available on the device. Continue to delete unwanted files from your device until there is sufficient free space.


5. Press Alt+O to transfer the new files to your portable player.
   The files are transferred. This process may take a few minutes. When the file transfer is complete, the 'OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard - Success' screen is displayed. Press the 'Enter' key to close the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard. Disconnect your portable player and enjoy your title on your device. To return to the top of the page, click here.

-or-

To transfer fewer Parts to your portable player, follow these three steps:

1. In the 'OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard' dialog box, press Alt+N.
   The 'Confirm' screen is displayed.


2. Press Alt+P to access the list of Parts. To deselect a Part, navigate to it using the Down arrow key and press the Space bar.


3. Press Alt+N to transfer the files.
   If there is enough free storage space on your device, the files are transferred. This process may take a few minutes. When the file transfer is complete, the 'OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard - Success' screen is displayed. Press the 'Enter' key to close the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard.
   If there is not enough free storage space on your device, the Transfer Wizard displays a message stating that there is not enough space available on your portable player to copy the selected Part or Parts. Repeat these steps as necessary to select fewer Parts for transfer. To return to the top of the page, click here.

-or-

To cancel the transfer process without deleting files or transferring fewer Parts, follow these two steps:

1. In the 'OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard' dialog box, press Alt+N.
   The 'Confirm' screen is displayed.


2. Press the Escape key ('ESC') to close the OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard.

Burning OverDrive Media to CD on Windows.

The steps involved in burning an audiobook to CD using OverDrive Media Console v3.1 vary according to the operating system you have installed.

If you have Windows XP or newer, you can burn audiobooks to CD using the OverDrive Media Console Burn Wizard. If you have Windows 98 SE or Windows 2000, you will need to use Windows Media Player. To skip to instructions on burning OverDrive Media to CD on Windows 98 SE or Windows 2000 using Windows Media Player 9, click here.

To burn a title to CD using the OverDrive Media Console Burn Wizard, follow these six steps:

1. Place a blank recordable CD in your writable CD drive.


2. In OverDrive Media Console, select the title you want to burn and press Ctrl+B.
   The OverDrive Media Console Burn Wizard opens.


3. Press Alt+N to display the 'Confirm' screen, where you indicate which Parts to burn to CD.
   The 'Confirm' screen is displayed.


4. Select the Parts you wish to burn to CD. By default, all Parts are selected. To deselect a Part, navigate to it using the Down arrow key and press the Space bar.


5. Press Alt+N to start the burn.
   The file is burned to CD. You are prompted to insert new blank recordable CDs as needed (one CD per Part).
   When burning is complete the 'Success' screen is displayed.


6. Select 'Enter' to close the Burn Wizard.

To burn a title to CD using Windows 98 SE or Windows 2000 and Windows Media Player, follow these 10 steps:

1. In Windows Media Player 9, hold down the Alt key and press V, then G, then L, to open the 'Media Library' tab.

The 'Media Library' screen is displayed.
2. On the 'Media Library' screen, hold down the Alt key and press D, then O.

The 'Add Folder' dialog box is displayed.
3. In the 'Add Folder' dialog box, use the Tab key to navigate to the 'Select a Folder' screen. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the location of the title you wish to burn to CD. The default location for OverDrive titles is My Documents > My Media > [Format of the title] > [Title of book]. When the appropriate folder is highlighted, press the Enter key.
   Windows Media Player 9 imports the title. The 'Search Completed' dialog box is displayed.
4. Press the Enter key.
   The 'Media Library' screen is displayed.


5. Hold down the Alt key, then press F, then C, then T.
   The 'Copy to CD or Device' screen is displayed.
6. Press Alt+A.
   The 'Edit Playlist' screen is displayed.


7. Use the Tab key to navigate to the title you would like to burn, then press the Enter key. Use the Tab key to access the OK button, then press Enter.
   The 'Copy to CD or Device' screen is displayed.
8. Place a blank CDR in your CD-ROM drive and ensure that your CD drive is selected in the right-hand pane of Windows Media Player.


9. In the 'Copy to CD or Device' screen, press Tab until reaching the 'Title' field, then use the down arrow to highlight the Part you wish to copy. Press the Space bar to select the Part, then press Alt+C to start the burn process.
   Windows Media Player inspects, converts, and temporarily copies the file in preparation for burning. This process may take a few minutes.
   When the burning process is complete, the status field indicates 'Complete'.
   
10. You can eject the disc and enjoy your file on CD. Repeat steps 7 through 10 as needed for each Part you wish to burn to CD.

Contact Technical Support.

If you are unable to find answers to your questions in any of the above help categories please contact support at support@overdrive.com with a detailed description of your problem or question.

OverDrive is a registered trademark of OverDrive, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

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