Kobo account is the key to access the eBooks that you have already purchased from Kobo.com. When you log in to your account on Kobo eReader, or a smartphone, desktop, tablet using the free Kobo apps, the books will be synced from the cloud and cached on your device for offline reading.
But as you buy more and more from Kobo, look at the bunch of expensive eBooks, are you worried that one day, all the books will become non-downloadable? I will, if I have so many books. I would like to get more control over my eBooks, not just store them on Kobo’s cloud server, and also make some backup on my own computer – a calmer, safer place.
It’s not tough to do that. You just need a group of software programs. These are the tools mentioned in the below article:
- Adobe Digital Editions
- calibre plus DeDRM tools
- Epubor Ultimate (the simplest way)
Download ACSM and Back Up Kobo Books using Adobe Digital Editions
The general process is to download a Kobo book as an ACSM file (Adobe Content Server Message file). Open the file with Adobe Digital Editions, and that will automatically start the process of downloading into EPUB.
Step 1. ADE Installation
Download & install Adobe Digital Editions on your PC or Mac.
Step 2. Download Kobo ACSM Files
Log in to your Kobo account, click “My Account” in the upper right corner, and select “My Books”, or visit the link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/library.
Click the three-dots of the book you want to download and tap the button. Kobo doesn’t allow bulk downloads, so you can only download one by one (if you have lots of books, it’s a nightmare).
All downloaded files will have the file name “URLLink” with .acsm extension. You can’t tell which book it is.
Step 3. Open ACSM and Authorize
Since Adobe Digital Editions is associated with .acsm, double-click the ACSM file and ADE will start automatically. The next step is to authorize the device with your Adobe ID. Create one if you don’t have one. After the authorization is completed, the download will start.
Step 4. Browse the Backup Path of Kobo EPUB Books
The Kobo book is already on your computer. The location is as follows:
Or, you can right-click the Kobo book and select “Show File in Explorer”. It will open the same path.
As we mentioned before, the downloaded EPUB files are DRM-protected, which are tied into your Adobe ID. They can’t be opened by other programs. They can’t be copied and printed.
Remove Kobo DRM with Calibre plus Obok_plugin
Calibre is a comprehensive e-book management software. The most noteworthy feature is the ability to install various plugins, one of which is Obok_plugin.
Step 1. Download the Necessary Tools
- calibre
- DeDRM tools
- Kobo desktop app
Step 2. Login Your Account on Kobo Desktop
Launch Kobo for PC or Kobo for Mac on your computer, and then log in to your Kobo account, tap the book and it will start downloading.
C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Kobo\Kobo Desktop Edition\kepub
Step 3. Add Obok_plugin to calibre
Open calibre, click on “Preferences” > “Plug-ins” > “Load plug-in from file”, and then here’s the critical part – select Obok_plugin.zip to open. You don’t need to unzip it. After applying, restart calibre.
Step 4. Use oBoK DeDRM to Back up Kobo Books
Now Kobo DRM removal plugin must have already been installed. Click on it and you can select which book you want to back up.
Convert Kobo Books to Normal ePub/PDF/Mobi/AZW3 in One Click
- Easier to use.
- No need to load plug-ins.
- Update faster.
- Comprehensive customer support: live chat, ticket, email.
- In addition to Kobo, it supports the decryption & conversion of Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s NOOK, Adobe Digital Editions, and more.
- Focus on e-book decryption for 10+ years.
Download the free trial here. The free trial allows us to convert 20% of each book.
Free Download Free Download
There are three ways to use this program. I personally think that the first two will be more convenient because you don’t have to download ACSM from Kobo.com. The next steps are written according to “Method 1”.
- Method 1. Download Kobo books with Kobo Desktop, and click on “Kobo” in Epubor Ultimate.
- Method 2. Connect your Kobo eReader with your computer, and click on “eReader” in Epubor Ultimate.
- Method 3. Download Kobo books with Adobe Digital Editions, and click on “Adobe” in Epubor Ultimate.
Step 1. Install Kobo Desktop and Download the Books
Download Kobo Desktop from here, install it, launch it, log in with your Kobo account, and your books will start to download. If it does not start automatically, tap the download icon in the lower right corner of the book.
Step 2. Click on the Kobo Tab to Back up Your Books
Launch Epubor Ultimate and click on “Kobo”. Here you will see all the downloaded books. Drag the wanted one(s) to the right pane and click on “Convert to EPUB” (or select another output format).
In just two simple steps, you have successfully backed up the books with Epubor Ultimate.
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