kepubify.

How to put books on your Kobo

There are two main ways to get your own ebooks onto a Kobo: over a USB cable, or wirelessly through Dropbox. Here is how both work.

This covers books you already own as files, such as an epub you bought from a store that is not Kobo, or a book you downloaded that is free of DRM. If a file is locked with DRM, you will need to remove that first, which is outside the scope of this guide.

Before you copy a book over, it is worth converting it to kepub, Kobo's own format. Kepub gives you proper page numbers, accurate "time left in chapter", and smoother page turns. You can do that with the EPUB to KEPUB converter before you copy it over.

Method 1: USB cable

This is the simplest and most reliable way, and it works on every Kobo model.

  1. Connect your Kobo to your computer with its USB cable.
  2. On the Kobo screen, tap Connect when it asks. The Kobo now shows up on your computer as a removable drive, the same way a USB stick does.
  3. Open that drive. Drag your epub or kepub files into it. You can drop them in the main folder or make folders of your own, the Kobo will find them either way.
  4. Safely eject the drive, then unplug the cable.
  5. The Kobo will process the new books for a moment, and they will appear in your library.

If you converted your book to kepub first, this is all you need to get the full Kobo reading experience.

Method 2: Wireless, through Dropbox

Newer Kobo models can connect to Dropbox and pull files in over Wi-Fi, so you never touch a cable. This works on models such as the Libra Colour, Sage, Elipsa, and Forma. You will need a Dropbox account.

  1. On your Kobo, make sure it is connected to Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap the More menu, then Settings, then Accounts.
  3. Find Dropbox in the list and tap Get started. The Kobo shows you a short code.
  4. On your phone or computer, go to the Dropbox linking page Kobo gives you and enter that code, then sign in to Dropbox and allow access.
  5. Put your epub or kepub files into your Dropbox. On your Kobo, open More then My Dropbox to browse and download them.

One handy trick on a paid Dropbox plan: you can turn on Dropbox's Email to Dropbox feature, which gives you a private address that drops any emailed attachment into your Dropbox. That lets you send a book to your Kobo straight from your phone. It is capped at 20 MB per email, which is fine for most books but not large image-heavy ones. Convert to kepub first with the converter, then send it on.

Whichever method you use, the file needs to be free of DRM for the Kobo to open it. Store-bought books from Kobo itself sync automatically and do not need any of this.

Which should you use?

If your Kobo is plugged in near your computer anyway, USB is faster and works on any model. If you mostly read on the go and your Kobo supports Dropbox, the wireless method is more convenient once it is set up. Either way, converting to kepub first gives you the best result on the device.

Convert a book to KEPUB