People who used and loved Wordsearch were likely disappointed when Logos and Faithlife bought the company and announced they would eventually shut it down. That time has come so what should a Wordsearch user do now? Here’s the best way to continue studying the Bible digitally now that Faithlife and Logos ended support for Wordsearch Bible Software.
Logos Stops Wordsearch Support: What Does It Mean to Me?
Logos announced they planned to stop supporting Wordsearch, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use the software. You can. Just don’t uninstall it or buy a new computer unless you have the installer and your books backed up.
Logos sent out an email to Wordsearch owners that said:
- You will not be able to download the desktop and mobile apps in the future
- You will not be able to download your books to the desktop/laptop or mobile Wordsearch apps.
That’s frustrating if you want to keep using Wordsearch after buying a new computer, phone, or tablet. You’ll need to find a new different way to get access to the program or start using Logos or some other app or program.
On your desktop or laptop computer, you can do a backup of your computer that includes your installation of Wordsearch and find a way to port it over to your new computer or a computer that you had to reformat or erase. That’s more complicated than we have time to discuss in this post. A Google search will likely find dozens of options for Windows or Mac users.
Wordsearch users can also keep using the program on their current computer, phone, or tablet. The company won’t cripple Wordsearch apps for software already installed. So keep using it knowing you won’t get app or book updates. You also can’t add new content, so if that commentary series you love gets a new volume, you’ll have to find it in another format to enjoy it digitally.
Start Using Logos Instead of Wordsearch
Logos would love for you to start using their software. That’s the whole reason they bought out Wordsearch, to get their users and their library of books.
If you want to start using Logos, then go over to the Logos website and see what version of Logos they gave you when they bought out Wordsearch.
In addition to a version of Logos, you will also get most of your books from your Wordsearch library in Logos. They will download after you install Logos on your computer or mobile device. A small percentage of books won’t make the trip over to Logos.
See our post on using Logos and setting it up like Wordsearch.
Switch to Accordance
The best alternative comes from the folks at Accordance Bible Software. They offer a complex and powerful software program that brings you every feature you need to study the Bible at a scholarly level but also works well for pastors, teachers, and lay Bible students.
Switching from Wordsearch will cost more than going to Logos since Logos offers free software and gives you most of the books you own in Wordsearch format. However, you may not want to use Logos. You can get the $200 Crossgrade for Accordance. Crossgrades take the term “upgrade” and marry it with cross-over to form a crossgrade.
In addition to the Wordsearch crossgrade, you can crossgrade many of your books. Just contact Accordance to learn what it will cost. In both cases, you’ll need to fill out a form proving you already own either Wordsearch or the books you want to buy via crossgrade.
Other Bible Software Options
Logos and Accordance aren’t the only games in town. You can also find great options from the following:
- n Olive Tree Bible – Olive Tree provides a decent desktop or laptop computer program, but also has the best mobile app you can get on iOS or Android. They sell a lot of books too.
- Laridian PocketBible – You won’t get as many books with Laridian as you will with Olive Tree, Accordance, or Logos. However, the developer does a nice job of creating a stable platform with some unique features, like showing 4 or more window pains on mobile, something can’t get from any other app that I know of. With Book Builder you can make your own books for PocketBible on Android, Windows, iOS and Mac.
- e-Sword – The long time free Bible study program from Rick Meyers will seem simplistic compared to the other programs in this article. However, if a user doesn’t like Logos and can’t afford the others, then free books from e-Sword will help you with your study needs until you can afford something a little more advanced. Some Wordsearch users will find that it’s all they need. If you want some modern Bibles and books you can buy them from eStudySource.
Recommendation
What should you do if you were a Wordsearch user who wished they were still in business?
- Keep using Wordsearch. You can still use it as long as you don’t change computers and even then might be able to jump through some technical hoops to get it to work on a new computer.
- Go ahead and get Logos installed, if you have space on your computer’s hard drive. You can also install it on your mobile devices. If you used the minimalist Wordsearch mobile apps, you will find that Logos does so much more. This will confuse some users who were Wordsearch’s simple book reader app. But most will view it as a huge upgrade on mobile. Spend time about Logos until you feel comfortable using it for your digital Bible study.
- Get free versions of Accordance, Olive Tree, e-Sword, or Laridian’s PocketBible. Try them out and see which one you like best. Then start looking into getting the books you need for your study.
Mobile users should look at Logos, Olive Tree, or Laridian first. They are the best mobile apps for serious Bible study. Accordance gets honorable mention if you are using iOS, but Android users should look elsewhere because Accordance on Android is too limited right now. They plan to upgrade making it more useful, but Logos, Olive Tree, and Laridian are so much better on Android.
I’ve used Wordsearch and it sure is a lot easier to use than Logos. Logos seems so clunky and filled with useless stuff I don’t need. I don’t need advertisements continually in my face for stuff I’m not interested in every time I open Logos. I just got another laptop and I’ve tried copying my Wordsearch files from my original to my new laptop. I grabbed an old Wordsearch install file but I can’t find the file that contains the book for Wordsearch. Does anyone know where the books are stored so I can copy them to my new laptop? Thanks for writing about this Kevin.
Allen Wayne
Unfortunately this is why it’s time to move in from Wordsearch. You don’t have to see ads everyone you open Logos. Set up a desktop layout you like and when you open the Program it will open to that layout of you tell it to in settings.
Hello Kevin. I have been a Wordsearch and Logos customer for several years. I enjoy both programs. And yes, all my books are migrated to Logos. However, I sometimes like to still use Wordsearch, but I had logged out. Now when i open the Wordsearch program it is asking me to login with lifeway ID. However it will not let me login, so my Wordsearch is effectively worthless. Do you know of a way to bypass the login? I am sure there is a file that controls thjat but not sure which one. Thanks
First, I’m glad you’re a reader and appreciate it.
Sadly, I don’t know of a way to bypass this. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’m not going to be able to use Wordsearch going forward. The only thing I could think of is for you to call Logos and see if they can help, but I’m betting their answer would be to say, “You’ll just get to use Logos now and can we sell you some books or upgrade your package?” 🙂
I have Logos 9. I don’t like it at all. I have two laptops, one has Wordsearch 12 and it works great.
My question is, since I have the app on one laptop, can I copy the files to the other laptop and have have a working app on that laptop? Thanks for your help. cr, car1946@gmail.com
Charles, and anyone else to whom this may pertain, if you need to copy WordSearch from one PC to another, I have two suggestions. Shortly after WordSearch sold, I had to replace my laptop. I desperately wanted to keep using WordSearch. I started searching for a way to move WordSearch from my old laptop to the new one. I found two options that sounded like they might have potential. I opted for the least expensive of the two. It is called PC Transfer from easeus.com. There are three versions, and I purchased Todo PCTrans Professional. Easeus customer service said that their software would move WordSearch and all my books. They were not certain if my WordSearch server registration would transfer. It did not. I had my books, but could not open WordSearch 10 or 12. I then searched online and found a much older free version of Wordsearch desktop application that did not ask to connect to the server. It opened and my books were all there. However, I was not completely happy. I wanted either v.10 (my favorite) or v.12 for the enhanced features and functionality.
More recently, I had to replace my desktop PC. I decided to try a more expensive product—Zinstall WinWin. Zinstall customer service assured me that their software would transfer everything including the registration to the now non-existent WordSearch servers. This program, for me anyway, was quite confusing, so I had the additional expense of having a Zinstall technician remote in and perform the transfer. I have WordSearch 10 and 12, and both transferred perfectly. If fact, I was surprised to see that when I opened both Wordsearch versions on my new PC, that the desktops opened to exactly where they had been on the on the old PC—the same Bibles, Bible passages, commentaries, and handbooks were open to the exact same spot, ready for me to continue my study. I had been praying that Zinstall would work and every prayer was answered and then some. Again, I thought it was pricey, but for me it was worth it. Maybe there are other programs that are less expensive and just as good. If so, I would love to know. Blessings to you and others who may want to hang on to WordSearch a little longer.
I don’t know anything about these approaches, but I am allowing these comments simply for information for other possible users. If anyone finds that there is some thing that is not legal about this, please let me know. It doesn’t sound like that would be a problem.
I think what Logos i.e. Faithlife is doing is morally and ethically and legally wrong. In principle this is a violation of U. S monopoly laws. My library that I purchased years ago from WordSearch Bible are gone fore ever. Logos should give all the past users of WordSearch Bible at least $1,000.00 to spend on a logos account.
Thanks for reading my site. I’m not a lawyer but I’d assume maybe you have information from US Code to prove the legality claim.
As for morally wrong, what scripture would you cite to support this accusation?
Ethically? That’s a vague claim. How do you suppose that charge?
Most of your library was granted to you in Logos format making it usable. You can still use Wordsearch you just won’t get any support for it. This is not Logos’ fault. Wordsearch was poorly managed by Lifeway. They sold out Accordance went out of business ceasing support.
If you can’t use your files in Logos call their support. They try to be helpful even if they are a little aggressive with their sales.
If you’re unhappy with Logos then you can seek your library and use the money to from other companies or go online.
Typo in this comment. “They sold out Accordance went out of business ceasing support.” I think you meant “Wordsearch.” 🙂
You are correct.
I feel conned by logos. After my books were migrated, I had many messages saying the logos version given was extremely basic. To use it like the wordsearch program would require a £500 upgrade (ended up spending over £2,000). Like an idiot I did and it only added things I would never use; anything with more than 1% greek or hebrew is of no interest so all the feature set upgrades were worthless to me as they are mainly greek and hebrew ‘things’, as were books on counselling, teaching, preaching, sermon writing, theology dictionaries and encyclopedias, marriage and family, ministry, pastoral care, confessions and catechisms, reformation era theology or anything pre 1900, latin grammars or ancient language packs, septuagint, greek texts, hebrew texts, preaching and teaching, any audiobooks etc. I told them I have no interest or use for anything in those categories and that I use wordsearch (now logos as I have a new PC) no different than the kindle app; one book open at a time until fully read before moving onto the next. They still insisted I needed the upgrade. Lastly, I purchased used software from amazon from a large company who purchase bulk used media (books, dvd’s, software etc). I have the disc and serial number but because they were registered previously, they insist it is no difference to software piracy and refuse to add the titles to my library. This to me is crazy. If you sell your software you personally purchased, why should you have the benefit of having the money and still be able to use the software? My view is whoever registered it should have the titles removed if proof can be supplied in way of the amazon invoice and a photo of the actual media and serial number of the new user.
It is these two reasons logos software is a morally bankrupt Company, a pack of charlatans with no interest other than making as much money by any means possible. They sell Christian software but are as Christian as the buddha. I no longer purchase any titles from them even on sales and rather get kindle titles even if costing more. At least amazon do not try to pretend to be something they are not.
First, let me say thanks for reading my site. I am independent of Logos, although I do participate in their affiliate program only to make a little money to help me buy tools and pay for hosting my site. I am perfectly happy to criticize Logos when I think they are not doing a good job to when their software fails to measure up to my needs.
All that said, I think it’s unfair to call them morally bankrupt. It sounds like you got conned by a third party who inappropriately sold you software. He or she is who you have a problem with.
The transition from Wordsearch to Logos has been painful for many and I wish that Lifeway would have kept it going. WS was a great program. But they sold it and Logos shut it down. That’s their right. They’ve tried to make it right by giving WS users their content in Logos form. If you feel they were unfair, let me suggest you contact the head of the company. Bob Pritchett is no longer CEO, but he is very influential. His brother Dale is I believe still a top brass leader and you can find him in their Logos communities on the support page of Logos.com. I think his email is dale@faithlife.com but I’m not 100% certain. Contact him and I believe he will try to help you out. My experience of using Logos for 17 years and WS for longer is that both companies were very good at trying to help users. Even if a low-level flunky didn’t do a good job, going to the top brass for help has always been an option and I’ve availed myself of that option on a few occasions and most of the time been happy.
Sorry you’re experience has been painful. Thanks for sharing it here. May God bless you!
Why would Logos shut WS down? Why not support WS and Logos. That seems like the Christian thing to do. They could still sell WS add ons. I have lots of money invested in WS. I’m sure others would continue to use and buy WS books. And buy WS.
I don’t think it’s fair to call it unchristian. After all, they did giveaway a free copy of Logos to customers. The fact is it was not financially feasible for them to run both.
One quick note In my other reply I said dale instead of dan pritchett. So his email would be dan@faithlife.com if that is correct.
I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience, JJ. That’s not my experience as a customer during my time in seminary and now as an employee for the last 15 years. I head up product at Faithlife, and I’d love the chance to make things right. Feel free to reach out to me: first name at faithlife dot com.
I am a former WordSearch user and I have to say I enjoyed it thoroughly. The laptop I had installed it on died on me so I bought another one. I installed Logos on the new one and for the life of me I cannot figure out this program. Where I live I don’t have the luxury of broadband internet so I am not able to utilize the training videos. GOSH!!! I Miss the fire out of my WordSearch.
Dear Dr. Purcell, thank you for this page and the Bible software options you have listed.
I have used WordSearch since somewhere in the 90s when the books were displayed as if on a book shelf with the spines showing. For those who may not remember, if you were scrolling through a Bible, the commentaries and handbooks would light up if they had content relating to a given verse or passage of Scripture. Version 12 had come a long way from those early days. Yet, I loved every version and found them all intuitive to navigate. Training videos were available, but I never needed them.
I was blind-sided by the sale of WordSearch. I had always received emails and promotions from WordSearch, but somehow missed the news until after it was over. I was shocked and devastated. It is difficult to feel gracious toward either WordSearch or Logos. I think both have failed many loyal and enthusiastic WordSearch customers.
It is inconceivable that WordSearch could not have found a buyer who would have maintained and continued to develop the product. A Christian publishing house might have picked it up, or a group of Christian broadcasters, investors, educators, or any number of Christian ministries, among other possibilities.
On the part of Faithlife/Logos, their handling of the situation was disappointing at best. Imagine waking up one morning to hear noises emanating from your study. You head toward the sounds and are greeted by a beaming Faithlife representative, who tries to hand you a brand-new Bible. In the background you see other Faithlife workers with your old Bible—your beloved, well-worn familiar Bible. They’re feeding it into a shredder! You cry out for them to stop, but they either can’t hear over the noise of the shredder, or they’re too concerned with their own objectives to be bothered.
Nothing can replace your old Bible. It was like a best friend. Just the sight of it brought a surge of warm happiness. You knew your way around it from cover to cover. It fell open at all the right places. And then there were all of the words, phrases, and verses you had underlined, along with all of the notes you had written in the margin. Nothing can replace your old Bible.
WordSearch is not unlike that old Bible—familiar, comfortable, and beautiful to look at. It, too, is full of highlighted verses and personal commentary. It, too, represents a lot of good memories. Our four children all grew up with WordSearch. From a remarkably young age, our children all knew their way around the program and would often use it to print out Bible memory passages for school. As they grew older, they used WordSearch to develop speaking assignments for school and church. When our oldest son went to Bible school, we gifted him with a WordSearch program of his own.
Some WordSearch customers may be elated with the transition to Logos, but I do not personally know of any. No one of my acquaintance is happy with Faithlife, and no one is planning to use Logos.
Why would Faithlife not have conducted a survey to take the pulse of WordSearch users? Why, at the very least, would they not have maintained the WordSearch servers for a period of time, and allowed existing users to download and install product as needed?
I have explored Logos numerous times. So far, I have not even been able to locate a Bible. Recently, my wife asked me to print out a chapter from Peter for our Bible memory. I gave it another shot, clicking on various tabs and menu items, still never finding what should be the most prominent part of any Bible software—a Bible.
If the intention of Faithlife/Logos was to generate goodwill with WordSearch customers, it is not apparent that they have succeeded. Perhaps it is not too late for Faithlife to reset the transition and extend an olive branch to WordSearch users in the form of continued access to WordSearch servers for at least the foreseeable future. Some of us would be grateful.
Thanks for reading the post and for your time to respond. I recognize the frustrations you feel. If it went the other way I’d be frustrated too. At this point it’s a done deal so you have to decide what you ant to do.
Locating a Bible is very easy. There is a Library button. Click to open it and find your Bible by searching for it. Or just click in the search box and type ‘Open KJV’ and a list shows up. You can find your King James Verse and click it to open the KJV.
Then you can find the verse that way. Printing a chapter off is as easy as selecting the text, copying the text with CTRL or COMMAND C and then paste it in word and print it.
I hope that helps. Thanks again for reading the article. May God bless you as you search.
The solution to keeping Wordsearch 12 running on new technology is to buy PC Mover with the Cable. Works great on new PCs. I migrated WS 12 from my old PC to two new ones (yes, I love WS that much) and I also migrated it to an old 2015 recycled MacBook mini off of my Early 2015 Macbook Pro (which I registered back in the day with WS). Macs must be Intel and not higher than Mohave (10.14.6) and you have to install WINE.
I tried the new free Logos and frankly it just gets in my way of trying to do serious bible study. I can’t stand it.
Kevin
I know change is difficult, but I can promise you that Logos once you learn it definitely does not get in the way of serious Bible study. In fact, it is far more powerful than the old WORDsearch. But as they say to each his own.
Sorry, I have to disagree – Logos DOES get in the way of serious Bible study for any long-time user of WordSearch. I’ve had Logos since the transition, and I still spend the bulk of my time and effort trying to do things that were trivially easy in WordSearch (e.g. searching) and then trying to recover from the way Logos does that. It does so many things and contains so many features that I don’t want or use, and it makes the fundamental ones way harder than they need to be. To a WordSearch user it’s pretty much the “Microsoft syndrome” (i.e. “let’s change everything so they’ll have to learn it all over again”). I’m hanging on to my working instances of WordSearch for dear life.
If you don’t want to learn Logos it will be a struggle. Olive Tree might be a better option for you. It’s more basic.
Please tell me how I can transfer my WordSearch Bible program to another laptop. I have Logos but it is not as user friendly. I used to have it on a thumb drive but can’t find it.
I don’t know personally but if you follow this guide you might be able to do it.