What Format does Kobo Support?
Apart from ePub and PDF books, Kobo also supports TXT, HTML, and RTF formats for texts and JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF and GIF formats for images and CBZ and CBR for comic books. Although Kobo supports a broad range of file formats, ePub and PDF stands out from the rest regarding features and the user compatibility.
Why can’t You Open Kobo Files on Other Devices?
The majority of Kobo files are under DRM protection. Generally, EPUB or PDF books with an ACSM file extension are protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM). DRM protects books from unauthorized copying, therefore, you can only view Kobo books on Kobo App or an eReader that supports Adobe Digital Editions.
How to Read Kobo Books on any Device?
If you’d like to read Kobo books on Kindle or other non-ADE supported devices, it’s a must to remove the DRM from your Kobo books and sometimes you’ll need to convert your Kobo books to other formats supported by reading apps or devices as well.
1Remove DRM from Kobo Books
Step 1Download Kobo Books to your computer.
There are two methods available to download Kobo books to your computer in order to remove Kobo DRM smoothly.
Method 1: Download Kobo books through Kobo desktop app.
In this method, you need to download Kobo app from the Kobo website to your computer. Then sign in to Kobo app with your Kobo account. Next you can start download Kobo books to your computer after syncing.
Method 2: Download Kobo books through Adobe Digital Editions (ADE).
First, you need to download ADE to your computer and authorize it with your Adobe account. If you don’t have one yet, you should create an Adobe ID. If you already installed and authorized ADE before, then you can move on to the next step straightforwardly.
Next visit Kobo website > sign in to your Kobo account > My account > My books > click the three dot in the lower right corner of the book cover > click Download. Then you will get a .acsm file.
Lastly, double click the acsm file to download this Kobo book as epub or pdf book via ADE to your computer.
Step 2Install & Run Epubor Ultimate to Remove Kobo DRM.
Download Epubor Ultimate for Free
When you launch Epubor Ultimate, you will find that your Kobo books downloaded through Kobo Desktop are displayed under Kobo tab on the left sidebar. While Kobo books downloaded via ADE are listed under Adobe tab. Next, all you need to do is add Kobo books to the main interface of Epubor Ultimate to remove DRM.
2Convert Kobo Books to Formats Supported by Other Devices
Being able to decrypt Kobo books is a prerequisite for converting Kobo books to other formats. Epubor Ultimate supports 5 output formats: epub/azw3/pdf/mobi/txt, which enable you to read all the converted books on any device or reading app. After the decryption, choose the format supported by your devices or reading apps and click Convert button to start the conversion.
Tips: you can find the decrypted or the converted books by clicking the book folder icon in the lower right corner of the software.
Conclusion
Due to DRM protection, you don’t actually own the books. You just have the right to access to your Kobo books whenever you want. Only when you remove DRM from Kobo books and back them up to your computer, they are totally yours.
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Hillary Lopez works for Epubor and writes articles about eBooks and eReaders. She explores the best method to help you read eBooks more freely and wants to share all she has got with you.