Bridging eBook Platforms: How Can You Read Kobo Titles on a Kindle Device?

How to Read Kobo Books on Kindle

Posted by Ada Wang on 8/16/2021 5:22:06 PM.

4.6 (28 comments)

With the rising of the eBook industry, leading eBook eReader provider - Amazon Kindle is expanding from the US to many other countries. Now people in almost the whole world have access to Amazon Kindle eBook store and eReaders. Yes, you may have got a Kindle Fire HD tablet or Kindle Paperwhite in hand! But the question is, can we read our own books or previously purchased books on Kindle? Well, this guide will tell you how to read Kobo books on Kindle and Kindle Fire tablet as well as Kindle apps.

• Part 1. The Incompatibility Between Kobo eBooks and Kindle Device
• Part 2. How to Read Kobo eBooks on Kindle

Part 1. The Incompatibility Between Kobo eBooks and Kindle Device

At first, let’s talk about the formats of Kobo books and the formats that Kindle devices support. Then we will be able to find out how to read Kobo books on Kindle.

The formats of Kobo books:

The Kobo books purchased from the Kobo store are mostly DRM-protected. The format of them can be acsm, epub, pdf, or Kepub. Such DRM-protected ACSM, EPUB, PDF, KEPUB files are not supported by Kindle devices. So in this case, we will have to remove DRM from Kobo books convert them to Kindle supported formats in advance if we want to read them on Kindle.

Kindle supported formats:

All Kindle devices including Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire, Kindle apps only support Kindle’s own formats and DRM-free PDF. Kindle’s own formats include KFX, AZW, AZW3, AZW4, PRC, TPZ, TOPZA, KF8 and MOBI. Generally, when we want to convert a non-Amazon book to a Kindle supported version, we convert it to DRM-free AZW3 as AZW3 is the best format to read on Kindle .

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Part 2. How to Read Kobo eBooks on Kindle Device

Step 1 Download and install Epubor Ultimate - the best Kobo to Kindle Converter.

Epubor Ultimate is an all-in-one ebook DRM removal and ebook converter. It can easily remove DRM from Kobo ebooks and convert Kobo books to Kindle format with original quality preserved.

Download Epubor Ultimate for Free

Step 2 Download Kobo ebooks to your PC/Mac.

There are 2 methods to download Kobo eBooks to PC/Mac. The first one is to use the Kobo for PC/Mac desktop , which I think the easiest-to-use one. The another one is to download your books from the Kobo official website and then use the Adobe Digital Editions .

Here I take Kobo for PC/Mac as an example. First download and install Kobo desktop app for PC/Mac. Log in with your Kobo account. It will automatically sync your Kobo library. Just click on the “Download” icon at bottom right of the book cover. When the book has been downloaded, the download icon will disappear.

If you want to download Kobo ebooks from Kobo official website to use Adobe Digital Editions, you can read the article How to Download Kobo Books for a detailed guide .

Step 3 Remove DRM from Kobo ebooks.

Now launch Epubor Ultimate. If you download your kobo ebooks from Kobo for PC/Mac desktop, you can find your books under the “Kobo” tab at the left column of Epubor Ultimate. If you download your Kobo books from the Kobo website and open them with Adobe Digital Editions, you will find them under the “Adobe” tab. Now just drag and drop your books from the left to the right column. You will find the Kobo ebooks are decrypted immediately.

Step 4 Convert Kobo eBooks to Kindle AZW3, or Mobi format.

Next continue to convert the ebook format. At the bottom of the Epubor Ultimate, choose AZW3 (or Mobi) as the output format, and click the “Convert to AZW3” button. The Kobo eBooks will be converted to Kindle AZW3 format in a few seconds.

When the conversion is finished, you can click the “succeeded” word or the blue folder icon on the bottom-right corner to find your Kobo books in AZW3 format.

Step 5 Transfer converted AZW3 (or Mobi) books to Kindle device.

1. If you want to transfer Kobo ebooks to Kindle e-ink device such as Kindle Paperwhite, connect your device to your computer with the USB cable and then move the converted Kobo AZW3 files to the “documents” folder under your Kindle drive.

2. If you want to transfer Kobo ebooks to Kindle Fire tablet, connect your Kindle Fire to computer. Then copy and paste your AZW3 files to the “Books” folder under the Kindle Fire Drive.

3. If you want to transfer Kobo ebooks to Kindle for PC/Mac desktop app, just right-click the AZW3 file and choose “Open with Kindle” and they will be opened by Kindle on your computer.

If you don’t know how to do this, please read this guide: How to Transfer Books to Kindle, Kindle Fire and Kindle App .


Ada Wang works for Epubor and writes articles for a collection of blogs such as ebookconverter.blogspot.com.

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28 Comments

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sandra

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

10/7/2013 01:59:04

I am looking for someone to speak to. Trying to download kobo books into my tablet isnt working. I pay my money and nothing happens. Mobile 0407420660
I

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epubor.ada

Re:sandra

10/9/2013 18:49:31

Hi, sandra

Sorry for the inconvenience.

What Epubor program are you using? To read Kobo books on Kindle Fire, you have to first remove Kobo DRM, then convert KOBO books to MOBI format. Did you fail to remove KOBO drm or convert formats?

Regards.

ada.

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JP

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

10/31/2013 06:32:53

Thanks Ada! I could do it! It’s not that easy, but with patience and perseverance, I could manage. All the best, JP

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stever

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

12/28/2013 12:35:45

Thanks for this, Ada. Well written. Just two questions. 1) why did you not use the Epubor Ultimate? Sounds like it would be much easier. 2)How do we then get the converted Kobo book on to the Kindle? Thanks again, Steve

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Jonny

Re:stever

01/23/2014 23:49:55

Hi Stever,

Glad that you know using Epubor Ultimate would be easier. It’s just because at the time we wrote this article, Epubor Ultimate was not released yet.

And the converted Kobo books shall be mobi format, then you can read this post about how to transfer mobi files to Kindle: www.epubor.com/transfer-books-to-kindle-kindle-fire-hd-paperwhite-kindle-for-androidipad-app-from-pcmac.html

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Becky Miller

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

03/29/2014 11:37:13

None of the methods worked to convert the books I’ve paid for. Any other suggestions?

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Jonny

Re:Becky Miller

03/30/2014 18:54:10

Hi Becky,

Please read the “For Kobo books” part in this article: www.epubor.com/how-to-remove-drm-from-epub.html

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BookMavin

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

05/15/2014 21:48:57

This works perfectly! Thank you for this artilce! I shared it on twitter.

I used the Epubor Ultimate application. The only thing I would advise is to ignore the pop up that says “found books with drm do you want to load the books”. This will take forever and a day to load the books. Instead use the manual drag and drop method to load the books to be converted.

Also the free trial only allows you to covnert two books. After two books you need to purchase the software (about $45-$69) depending on the version.

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Don

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

06/27/2014 10:15:34

How do I get the DRM-free, converted book from my computer to my Kindle Fire?

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Jonny

Re:Don

06/28/2014 00:32:25

Hi Don,

To transfer DRM-free books to Kindle Fire, please read this guide: www.epubor.com/transfer-books-to-kindle-kindle-fire-hd-paperwhite-kindle-for-androidipad-app-from-pcmac.html

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joyce doyle

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

07/30/2014 03:00:09

i have transfered my sony reader to kobo books and my library can you please tell me how i can purchase books on my sony reader.i have tried.and all i get is sony reader is now closed

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Jonny

Re:joyce doyle

08/10/2014 20:53:11

For this issue you’d better contact Sony Reader’s customer service staff.

I guess you are no longer able to visit Sony eBook store as Sony has decided close the eBook business.

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Linda

Re:joyce doyle

12/26/2014 13:54:56

Have you tried going to the moon site? They changed Sony and you now have to go through mono to purchase books and it is a real pain in the rear.

That’s why I bought my husband the kindle paperboard.

Good luck

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john

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

11/29/2014 21:28:24

unable to down load any file keeps taking me to another site.

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david

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

03/13/2015 19:50:30

i have 2 books in my kobo library that don’t have the adobe drm epub tag. they have no tag at all and are shown as for reading on android/ios/windows tablet only. i.e. kobe sell ebooks that can’t be read by a kobo reader (or kobo desktop). i’m thinking of buying a kindle so is there any way to get these 2 books into ade ? at present i only have them on my smartphone.

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Epubor

Re:david

03/16/2015 01:18:34

Hi,

You need to authorize ADE and then use it to sync and download the books in your Kobo library: http://www.epubor.com/how-to-read-sonykobo-ebooks-on-ade.html

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1st class guiding

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

06/22/2015 12:03:58

Thanks
This IS called : solution bringing support..

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Robin

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

03/3/2016 14:57:10

I’ve moved a Kobo book over and it says it’s removing the drama but it isn’t doing anything.
How long does it take to remove before I can convert it to mobi?
Thanks!

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Epubor

Re:Robin

03/3/2016 19:01:35

Hi,

How can you read the Kobo files? Via Kobo desktop or Kobo eReader or ADE?

Once the DRM has been removed, usually you can see the word “decrypted” on the right side of added Kobo files. Or it will shows the success status.

Thank you!

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Alia

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

01/12/2017 22:26:57

Would this program work with library books? I tried to borrow books through my local library and through overdrive and then convert and transfer them to my Kindle paper white using calibre but it didn’t work because of the DRM or the ACSM files. Also, does anyone have any suggestions on where to get kindle books for free without down loading illegally?

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Alen

Re:Alia

02/15/2017 10:46:11

Nobody can help you decrypt the ebooks lend from others or library.
Epubor software just help you backup your ebook purchased by yourself.

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Kevin

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

05/8/2017 02:51:30

Alia and others,

You can sign up with a service like Bookbub.

They are an aggregator of deals.

That is, they have a list of categories, and you pick the categories that interest you. Then Bookbub (or similar service) sends you an e-mail every day, with deals on books. A given e-mail might have a dozen books offered, with a few from each category that you chose. Each book offering has a picture of the book cover, and a brief description of the title. Below that are buttons for each of the ebook versions/vendors that are offering the deal on that particular book. So, the average book in the e-mail might have buttons for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Google Playbooks, and Kobo. Sometimes, a deal will be Amazon-only or just Kobo and Amazon (or whatever combo) but my experience is that most deals are available across most platforms, most of the time.

If the deal interests you, you click the button for the kind that you want, and this takes you to that company’s site, where they honor the Bookbub price (or not).

Sometimes a deal on a given book will last for several days. Sometimes, less than a day. They are doing it to drum up interest in their authors. Some of the books are by new authors you’ve never heard of. Others are by older, well-established authors - in that case, the vendor might be offering a special price to get you hooked on the first book or the first three in a series by an established author.

The prices for Bookbub deals tend to range from FREE! through $0.99, $1.99, $2.99, … to about $5.99 on books that normally cost $10 through $25. So, it’s usually a good or excellent price for whatever book you are looking at. As I said, some deals last longer than others - the most I’ve seen is a week, for books by new, unknown authors who just want to break into the biz. Many deals are one-day, and some are only a few hours, because I think they had a limit on the number of free-or-cheap copies they would sell, and when that number of sales is reached, they stop honoring the deal. Also, I’m in Canada, and usually the deals are valid in both the USA and Canada, but sometimes I see a price of a couple of bucks US, but when I click through to the Kobo or Kindle site for Canada, it’s like $7.99…. so I say “screw that” and move on. A few times a book has been cheaper from Kobo Canada or Amazon.ca… go figure. . . maybe the author was Canadian. . . :-)

You normally won’t see screamin’ deals on recent/current best-sellers. There’s no incentive for the vendor or Bookbub to offer a deal on something that is already selling like hotcakes. But I often see deals on books that were best-sellers just a few years ago.

For example, I have nearly 400 books on my Kobo devices, another 300-plus on my Kindle devices, several dozen on iBooks, and maybe a few strays from Google. I would say that nearly a quarter of those were free, and the rest were mostly paid for at deal prices. I do have a bunch of full-price books, as well, but that’s because I read some freebies or some low-price ones and found them good enough that I was willing to pay full-pop for more books from that author.

So, yes, Alia, there is a low-price option for a lot of good reading, without stealing.

FWIW, my wife has a Kindle. I don’t. Between us, we have two or three Kobo devices. But I do most of my reading with the Kindle app or the Kobo app on my Android phone, or on my iPad.

I find that the phones and iPad (and a couple of the backlit LCD Kobo devices) are useless outdoors, so I’m tempted by a Kindle (or Kobo…) with paperwhite e-ink display.

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PJ

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

06/6/2017 07:14:26

I have an older Kobo reader and a new Kindle Fire. So, I tried your software. I installed the Epubor Kindle Transfer. Even though both readers are connected, it does not show either one on the main screen. It shows only my computer as the source. I have tried to reconnect them and reboot and still no reader shows on the main screen. So, I went to the Epubor Ultimate for a free trial of that one. It does not show my Kindle books or my Nook books but it did find my Kobo books that I have on my computer no on my reader. I then selected the books and ask to convert them to mobi. Then I right clicked and ask that those files be sent to my Kindle. I got error messages showing that the DRM was not supported on several books. The ones that were decrypted and could be changed to mobi were supposed to be complete but I can find none of them on my Kindle. Neither of these software products worked for me. I am not an expert at converting files, etc.. but these seemed fairly easy as I read through the instructions. Unfortunately nothing worked like it was supposed to. I am in the midst of deleting both of these free trials. I see no reason to keep something that doesn’t work as it is supposed to.

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Iris

Re:PJ

06/6/2017 10:38:53

Kindle transfer can not detect the Kindle Fire, but can detect the Kindle E-ink device.
For Epubor Ultimate, you can just contact the Customer service via Tickets or support@epubor.com . You can screenshot to show the details. We will help you solve all the problem caused by our Epubor software.

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Elaine McBane

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

11/5/2017 02:30:51

Which is the better reader? No idea which one to purchase

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kathy

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

11/23/2017 00:55:36

i used the epub to transfer my library from my kobo reader to my kindle. both are plugged into my computer. computer shows transfer done and i have 139 books in my kindle but when i unplug my kindle the books are not there. what have i done wrong?

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Epubor

Re:How to read Kobo books on Kindle

11/24/2017 15:32:05

Please tell us which software do you use. Have you converted the Kobo books to mobi? And transfer it to the Documents folder of your Kindle device?

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RT

Re:How to Read Kobo Books on Kindle

10/31/2022 16:24:42

i used Ultimate and successfully decrypted and converted my kobo booksto my Kindle whitepaper with the help of the Epubor live chat assistant . very patient and professional

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