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[–]Dangerous_Usual_6590 14 points15 points  (4 children)

Cool recap.
The Download & Transfer via USB method for Amazon books is available only if you own a Kindle device.

It's a bit of a toss coin, but right now, the latest deDRM plugin version should be able to remove DRM also for books downloaded through the latest Kindle4PC app (available for those not owning a Kindle). You need to install inupt KFX plugin on Calibre, though.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Wait they let you download Kindle eBooks without owning a Kindle device now? Thanks for letting me know!

[–]Dangerous_Usual_6590 6 points7 points  (0 children)

They always let you download books through Kindle4pc, kindle4mac and kindle4android app 🙂 (The chance to take out the drm for books through those apps has always been quite hit and miss, though)

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 5 points6 points  (1 child)

An addendum to get deDRM to work without a physical kindle device

Kindle for PC app + DeDRM + KFX Input

  1. Go to this site: https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=ruby_redirect?ie=UTF8&node=16571048011 to download the Kindle for PC program. Make sure the version is at least Version 2.3.70682. You can tell based on the installer name (mine was called KindleForPC-installer-2.3.70682.exe)
  2. Login to your amazon account
  3. Download the eBooks you want to convert and remove DRM from
  4. While you wait for the books to download, go to the top toolbar to select Tools > Options > General and uncheck "automatically install updates when they are available without asking me". This is just a precaution in case Amazon pushes out an update that makes it harder to find the eBook files.
  5. In the same Options window, switch to the "Content" tab and note the current content folder. Mine was "C:\Users\(USERNAME)\OneDrive\Documents\My Kindle Content" but yours might be different.
  6. Go to Calibre and install the following plugins:
    1. KFX Input - In Calibre, go to Preferences > Plugins > Get plugins to enhance calibre > Search ‘KFX’.
    2. DeDRM - Download the DeDRM_tools_(version).zip file (Release v10.0.9 (RC1 for 10.1.0) · noDRM/DeDRM_tools · GitHub)
      1. Once downloaded, extract the zip into a new folder. You can name it whatever you'd like.
      2. Go to Calibre, then Preferences > Advanced > Plugins > Load plugin from file > New folder you created > Select DeDRM_plugin.zip
      3. Plugin should successfully load into Calibre.
  7. When your eBooks are done downloading, click "Add Books" in the main toolbar and go to the file path that your eBooks are located at (see Step 5). All the folders will have gibberish names, so I like to sort by recently modified to find which eBook I downloaded. Double click on the folder and select the .azw file
  8. Once it has been imported, click "Convert books". A pop up will appear, and make sure to look at the top right corner has the file type you want to convert it to. Press OK.
  9. DRM should be removed.

[–]theegg2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for this, works really well. Just to note the path might be "C:\Users\(USERNAME)\Documents\My Kindle Content" if you're not using Onedrive

[–]geekmamagigi 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Never mind. I figure out what I did! These were books that were already on my computer so there was no associated serial number! Sorry for wasting your time.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I'm always happy to help other people so don't worry about it! I'm glad you were able to find the solution. Enjoy your Kobo Colour!

[–]geekmamagigi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I went in and added the serial number for my older Kindle that I copied the books from and I was able to convert them.

[–]AlphaOrionis42 2 points3 points  (1 child)

OMG this was such a huge help. I had bought the Discworld bundle on Humble Bundle a while back. Whenever I would download the books from Kobo, they would be in the Adobe DRM format and when I would try to convert them I would get license errors. Now, by using the Kobo desktop app, and Obok in Calibre it is SO much easier.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought that bundle too! Love Terry Pratchett. Glad I could help :)

[–]nothing2seeici 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Thank you sooo much for this! Easy to follow instructions and works! I have a Kindle and want to convert to Kobo with their color version but I don't want to leave all my books I bought behind, so we are moving together.

Followed the instructions for "DeDRM (use this if you own a Physical Kindle eReader)"

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad it's working for you! I hope you enjoy your colour

[–]Joe_Jack12 1 point2 points  (10 children)

I'd like to ask about using Kobo Desktop with DeDRM. I saw your mention of 'use a dummy AdobeID just for calibre so Adobe doesn't ban you and you don't lose your main AdobeID'. If I use Kobo Desktop, is there a possibility that my Kobo account will be banned? Thank you.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 1 point2 points  (9 children)

No. After you download the file, kobo doesnt have a way of tracing what you do with the file. Your kobo account will be safe

[–]Joe_Jack12 0 points1 point  (4 children)

Okay, thank you. I have another question: After I convert manga or books with images, all the pictures become smaller. Is there a way to solve this? Thanks.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

In Kobo or in Calibre? I’ve noticed that they get smaller when I open the file in Calibre but it‘s perfectly fine on my eReader. I haven’t had this issue so you might want to make a new thread for it

[–]Joe_Jack12 1 point2 points  (2 children)

In Calibre, but I've also tried importing it into my Kobo e-reader, and the issue persists.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

This thread talks about this issue:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=346133

If you don’t want to install a new plugin, you can edit the ebook by selecting it and pressing “T”, go to the CSS file and check if there's a line (or multiple lines) with everything set at 0 then delete those lines

For reference, it may look something like this: html,body,svg{margin:0;padding:0;font-size:0;}

https://www.reddit.com/r/Calibre/comments/tzkqer/azw3_file_input_keeps_making_the_images_extremely/

[–]Joe_Jack12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, the second method is very helpful. Wish you a wonderful day

[–]Harpagnon 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Thanks so much. Where does kobo desktop download my books on a Mac?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Hi! I’m not familiar with Mac, but you shouldn’t need the file path if you’re using Kobo Desktop - Once you click on the Obok plugin, it should show you a list of ebooks to import

[–]Harpagnon 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Thanks for all you are doing here
I do have a Kobo Desktop app where I can read the Kobo I purchased, but no Kobo machine and therefore no serial number

thus that mean that I cannot perfom the step under Kobo Desktop + DRM, right?

  • Restart Calibre, then go to Preferences > Plugins > Search "DeDRM" and click "customize Plugin" then "Kobo Device Serials" and input your kobo serial number.

Is there some workaround or should I use a different method?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can try and let me know!

A method that is likely to work is the DeDRM + ADE method. Assuming you've already followed the steps to set up DeDRM and ADE, you can download the eBooks by going to the KoboStore Website > My Account > My Books, then click the 3 dots beneath the book cover and manually download the eBook. You'll either get an epub or ASCM file - ASCM if it's DRM protected

Then import that file into ADE and you'll find the file in your documents folder called My Digital Editions (you can right click on the book entry and select "Show file in explorer" to find the file quicker)

But if you add DeASCM then you can remove the DRM by importing the file into Calibre and you won't need to do the extra steps of importing to ADE > find file > import to calibre (You'll still need ADE credentials, but Calibre will run the call to ADE)

[–]huntt252 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Does this work for older versions of Mac OS?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your OS version shouldn't matter - as long as your computer can run Calibre you shouuld be okay. No promises though - I don't use Mac

[–]milesssx 1 point2 points  (6 children)

thanks so much for this! i followed the DeDRM and DeACSM using calibre and ADE word for word and get this error when dropping in both ACSM directly and EPUB files from ADE. Any ideas? trying to back up the files ive purchased from kobo

ERROR: Errors while adding: Failed to add any books, click "Show details" for more information

Failed to add the book: (book name)

/tmp/calibre\_7.12.0\_tmp\_laocdxfz/kya2xp55\_add\_books/0/URLLink.epub

With error:

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "calibre/gui2/add.py", line 461, in add_book

File "calibre/db/legacy.py", line 337, in create_book_entry

File "calibre/db/cache.py", line 85, in call_func_with_lock

File "calibre/db/cache.py", line 2141, in create_book_entry

File "calibre/db/backend.py", line 1147, in execute

File "src/cursor.c", line 240, in resetcursor

apsw.ReadOnlyError: ReadOnlyError: attempt to write a readonly database

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (5 children)

Is your Kobo plugged into your computer? Try safely ejecting it and then re-import the file. Normally it shouldn’t matter whether or not it’s plugged in, but tech always has its quirks. Let me know if it’s still giving you problems after that

If it is, try going to Calibre > Kobo Utilities > Database > Check the device database and let me know what that pop-up says

Another idea: Dropbox or OneDrive or some other file syncing software might be trying to access the Calibre Library folder at the same time as Calibre - completely close the program through task manager or wait a few minutes before trying again

[–]milesssx 1 point2 points  (4 children)

Thanks for getting back so fast! i unplugged and tried to import an epub file from ADE and got an error saying that the "database disk image is malformed" which seems like a problem! i tried going to Calibre > Kobo Utilities but did not see Kobo Utilities at all.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For “Database disk image is malformed” Try signing out and signing back into your kobo account on your kobo device

I forget that people might not have all the Kobo calibre plugins as I do. This is way more than what you’re asking for but you can install Kobo Utilities by going to Calibre > Preferences > Plugins > Get New Plugins > Filter by name (top right) and search for Kobo Utilities. This plugin helps you manage your ebook data and backup your kobo database

While you’re there, you may as well search for “KePub Metadata Reader” and “KePub Metadata Writer“ and “Kobo Touch Extended”. This isn’t needed to remove DRM though

If I made the wrong assumption and you already installed Kobo Utilities and you don’t see it on your main screen, you‘ll need to add it to one of your toolbars by going to calibre > Preferences > Toolbars & Menus > Main Toolbar > Click on the Available actions box and begin typing “kobo”. It should take you to the “K” section. Find kobo Utilities and click the arrow to move it to the Current actions box

More info on the Kobo Utilities and Kobo Touch Extended plugins:

Kobo Utilities: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215339 * will let you sync your reading progress between Kobo and Calibre, back up your DB, check your DB status, restore reading status, reupload covers, etc.

Kobo Touch Extended: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211135 * will help you manage your ebook data (i.e. automatically create collections, update metadata, manage series and subtitle text, and convert from epub to kepub if you like kepub more than epub). I recommend going to customize it and check “Send books as kepubs“ in the extended tab

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

I misread your comment and I thought your kobo device was plugged out and then plugged in. You can ignore my previous reply. Since Calibre is telling you the Calibre database is corrupted, rebuild it by clicking on the “Calibre library” icon in the main Calibre toolbar and choosing library maintenance > restore database.

[–]milesssx 1 point2 points  (1 child)

actually i signed out on my kobo, signed back in, installed all those plug ins, and everything seems to be working fine! i tested everything out and was able to add the epub to my calibre library fine, and was able to push it to my kobo with no problems! thanks for all your help!

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem! I’m glad it worked

[–]ogil109 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Followed to Kobo guide with ADE and DeDRM to the T, everything worked fine until I dragged the final EPUBs (from ADE output folder) to Calibre. The EPUBs were added, but the DRM wasn't removed.

I previously configured the ADE key in the Calibre plugin.

Any idea about what's the problem...? Is this still working today?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What version of deDRM did you download? Make sure it's the latest version (v10.0.9)

If upgrading doesn't work, try using the Kobo Desktop App + ObokDRM method instead

[–]MySTiX_666 1 point2 points  (4 children)

I used de Kobo Desktop app to download the files en closed it as the tutorial explained. When opening Calibre en obok plugin they all show up as DRM free but the aren't. Tried different things but nothing seems te let the plugin think it has DRM. Downloading through the website is also not possible because when I press the three dots it doesn't show an download option. This only is with Kobo plus books for some reason. Then only way to get this to work is through a kobo device were the books show up as DRM protected. It would be better that I could use the desktop app instead because it's much faster to add books.

Is there something changed or is this because they are kobo plus books?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

As far as I know, obok only works with books you've purchased, not the books you've rented

[–]MySTiX_666 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Weirdly that is what I also thought. BUT when connecting a kobo reader with the same rented books it simply shows them locked with DRM. So then I can DRM free them. It’s for me to use those books on my Remarkable tablet. Which is not an ereader but with some hacks it fits perfectly for me. So I wanted to have books from my wife her kobo subscription. I just hoped it simply worked from the kobo app as well.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Oh, so you are able to remove DRM from them, but you need to have the kobo plugged in? Nice discovery! I hope your wife enjoys the books

[–]MySTiX_666 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She sure enjoys them and I can use books she has on her library on my remarkable. And indeed a nice discovery that it works through the kobo reader without problems.

[–]Guilty-Papaya-9245 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have no idea what I did right but somehow it worked importing from my kindle keyboard to calibre and then using adobe digital editions and whatever else that happened. 😂 Thank you!

[–]MrDunworthy93 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Thank you so much. I've been a Kindle user for *checks notes* 13+ years but grew increasingly disappointed by the physical Kindle device. It used to be a solid device that would last for years. The latest version is flimsy, laggy, and the battery life is crap. I bought a Kobo. Last night, following your instructions, I liberated over half of my books in 90 minutes. (Went from a basic Kindle through Calibre to Kobo Clara on a Mac Mini, and I am definitely not a computer whiz). It works!

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So glad to hear it works! I hope you like your new kobo ❤️ 

[–]Monicoobabble 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Thank you so much for this guide! I used the regular DeDRM method, now I can complete my move over from Kindle to Kobo with all my books! :))

At first I had some issues where not all of the books were stripped of DRM (42 of the 150+ didn't work), but I went back into the plugin configuration and it looks like I had an extra carriage return in the serial number field. Removed that and restarted everything, and it worked!

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad it worked and you were able to find out why the DRM removal wasn't working!

[–]Local_Routine6879 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Hello I have tried calibre and physical kindle version. I did as you said but it says that it's still protected by DRM. Help!

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Common issues people run into:

  • Double check that you're using the latest version of DeDRM? (version 10.0.9)
  • Double check that you've input your Kindle Serial Number correctly for all kindle eReader devices you own (no extra line breaks or returns)

Here is a video tutorial if you're having trouble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31M9WcO2INs

[–]Local_Routine6879 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i dont know what happened, but that worked! thanks so much!!!

[–]neverenoughpurple 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Some books that were published more recently do not have the "Download and transfer to USB"... has a solution been found to remove DRM from those titles?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Are you using a subscription service to access that eBook? The only times I wasn't able to see the "Download and transfer to USB" option were with kindle unlimited titles 

I bought a book published on July 28th 2024, and I was able to view the "Download and transfer to USB" option so it's likely it has to do with the book being borrowed or rented

[–]neverenoughpurple 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Oooh. It's possible that one is, even though I though I'd checked only ones that weren't. I will totally look again. Thank you.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What titles are you struggling to see the option for? I can try to see if I get it on my end. If you don't feel comfy with that then I'd recommend contacting amazon support about not seeing the option because ultimately your problem isn't related to removing DRM, but rather accessing an amazon feature that should be there

[–]tudorpng 1 point2 points  (5 children)

question: what is "kobo serial number" for the Kobo Desktop App? i can't seem to understand or find it

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (4 children)

You can find your Kobo's serial number by going to Settings > Device Information > Serial Number   

It should match the number on the bottom of your device (placement  may differ depending on model, but it should be labeled "s/n: (serial number)"

[–]tudorpng 1 point2 points  (1 child)

thank you so much for the help! i even managed to get the DeDRM working without any additional serial number stuff! much love for taking the time to put all this helpful stuff together! have a blessed day

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You don't need the kobo serial number for obok at all?  Thanks for the info, I'll update the post

[–]jabberwockxeno 1 point2 points  (1 child)

What if I don't own a kobo device? Is there still a way I can buy a kobo ebook from the rakuten kobo website and then rip it?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can use Kobo Desktop App + ObokDRM without a kobo serial number. Thanks for reminding me to update this

[–]UsernameHasBeenLost 1 point2 points  (4 children)

Thank you for this guide, I put off slamming my head against this wall after spending hours dealing with removing DRM from all of my Nook books because I have a Kindle Scribe and only 40ish Kindle books. This made it very straightforward using the latest DeDRM + Calibre + Kindle for PC v2.4.0

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Im glad it helped! Nook books are a different beast, especially now that they've removed any way to download their ebooks on a PC

[–]UsernameHasBeenLost 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Nook was a massive pain, took me hours of sorting through various guides to finally figure out something that worked. Ended up setting up an emulator of a specific Android ROM to finally extract the encryption key and the book files to get it to work. Super tedious even after I figured it out, because I had to download each individual book one by one. Detailed the process a bit more here if you or anyone else needs it

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

That's honestly impressive. Props to you for getting it to work - I gave up after a while. Is it alright if I add a link to your comment in the main post?

[–]UsernameHasBeenLost 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks man, definitely stretched my capabilities figuring that out. Luckily (or unluckily), I can be extremely stubborn.

Absolutely, share it as much as you want! If it helps someone save time getting their books free from B&N's clutches, I'm all for it

[–]LastCheatMeal 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Hi, I have the kindle for PC and it’s not working for me. I have the latest version of the app (2.4.1 70946)

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try finding version 2.3.70682 of kindle for PC. Amazon regularly releases updates to prevent people from removing drm, so only specific versions work with this method. 

You are guaranteed to remove DRM if you own a kindle device and follow the dedrm method. You can get cheap second hand ones on ebay or other 2nd hand websites

[–]geekmamagigi 0 points1 point  (6 children)

I have been converting kindle books to epub using the dedrm plugin for a couple of days. Today I installed a plugin that automatically converts epub to kepub(kindle touch)Now dedrm is not working! I have removed the new plugin, uninstalled and reinstalled Calibre and it’s still not working. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (5 children)

Hello! A few questions

  1. What plugin did you install?

  2. What brand of eReader do you own?

  3. Have you checked your settings for DeDRM that your Kindle Serial Number is still there?

  4. Have you restarted your computer? or tried uninstalling and reimporting DeDRM?

[–]geekmamagigi 0 points1 point  (4 children)

  1. Kobo Touch Extended
  2. Kobo Libra Colour
  3. Yes, it’s still there
  4. Yes to both but, when i reinstalled Calibre, all the plugins, serial number, etc. were already there.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Is DeDRM showing you an error or pop-up when you try to remove the DRM? Or when you import/open the eBook? We can try to figure out what's going on based on what it's saying

[–]geekmamagigi 1 point2 points  (2 children)

It says…cannot convert (book title). This book is locked by DRM. To learn more about DRM and why you cannot read or convert this book in Calibre, click here. The title says this book has drm. It is happening when I try to convert

[–]ddawall 0 points1 point  (1 child)

What version of nodrm are you using? You also have tge latest kfx input?

[–]DiscoMonkeyz 0 points1 point  (10 children)

Tried the first method, it's not working for me. Calibre says it's still "locked by DRM". Tried converting it into an epub again and I get the same error message.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (9 children)

You tried Kobo DeDRM + ADE? Try the Kobo Desktop + Oobok DRM method instead

[–]DiscoMonkeyz 0 points1 point  (8 children)

I don't have a Kobo device to enter the serial number.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 1 point2 points  (7 children)

A few questions:

When you go to ADE‘s toolbar, select “Help” and then “Authorize Computer” What does it say? Does it show you an error message?

When you go to Calibre and customize the DeDRM plugin, then choose Adobe Digital Editions ebooks, does it match the key found in ADE’s ”Help” > “Authorization information”?

Are you able to open the eBook in ADE?

Where did you download the eBook from? And is it a kobo plus book or a library book?

What version of Calibre, ADE, and DeDRM did you download? Try downgrading to ADE v3.0

What OS are you running? Apple? Windows? Linux?

[–]DiscoMonkeyz 0 points1 point  (6 children)

Thanks for helping me try to fix this!

There's no error message in ADE and I can open the book fine in ADE.

I downloaded the book from Kobo's website. I can't see anywhere where it says its a kobo plus or library book. How do I check?

The key does match in calibre and ADE.

My ADE is version 4.5.12.112.
Calibre is version 6.9.

I'm on Windows.

I will try downgrading to ADE v3. Although I'm not sure how to do that?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (5 children)

Uninstall your current ADE, and then download the installer for the old version

This person on adobe forums posted an official download link to it: https://community.adobe.com/t5/digital-editions-discussions/ade-3-0-download-link-leads-to-support-page/m-p/12815610

download link: https://download.adobe.com/pub/adobe/digitaleditions/ADE_3.0_Installer.dmg

[–]Strange_Storage1338 1 point2 points  (4 children)

Hey I’m having the same problem - have installed ADE 3.0 but hasn’t solved it, any other ideas? 🙏

[–]Strange_Storage1338 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Ooh I solved it! Updated to DeDRM 10.0.9 and it works (had 1.0.3 previously)

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

I'm glad you were able to fix it! Grats!

[–]DiscoMonkeyz 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I gave up trying to get the Kobo method to work. I use the Kindle method you suggested and that works perfectly.

Thanks for helping, and for the guides!

[–]quissac27 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I tried the instructions with Calibre on a Mac and DeDRM but after I install when I try to open the plugin Calibre crashes (Calibre quit unexpectedly). Any suggestions? This is with Calibre 7.12.0 and DeDRM_tools_7.2.1 on a Mac running Sonoma 14.5. Thanks!

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

For calibre 6.x+ you need to have at least DeDRM ver 10.0.3

Download from either one of these links:

https://github.com/noDRM/DeDRM_tools/releases/tag/v10.0.9

https://github.com/noDRM/DeDRM_tools/releases/tag/v10.0.3

[–]quissac27 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Excellent, it works! Thanks very much!

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm happy to hear that!

[–]Accomplished_Ad_673 0 points1 point  (9 children)

I’m a bit slow, but is there any way to only fix this through only calibre and some dmr remover? I’ve been able to read my books with no issue and all of the sudden my kobo says I need to deauthorize and crap. I just wanna read my books and now nothing works

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (8 children)

Everyone starts somewhere so don’t worry about it

I’m going to need a few more details on your situation. This guide is for anyone who wants to permanently own their digital eBook files. There have been cases where Amazon deletes books for not following policy or an eBook distributor shuts down and stops hosting the eBooks so you can’t access them anymore. It’s also for anyone who wants to read your eBook on a different eBook distribution store from where you bought it off of (i.e. purchased on amazon and want to read on kobo or any other eReader brand).

Are you getting this error message when you are opening an ebook you purchased from the kobo store and have downloaded onto your eReader? When you switch to “List view” in your library, what file type is being shown on the right side?

If you’re reading a library book then it might prompt you to authorize your eReader and you can follow Kobo’s official guide on how to do that: https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360017814074-Add-eBooks-with-Adobe-Digital-Editions

I’d recommend trying out the steps on the link above, restarting your device, and then reaching out to Kobo’s official customer service to see if they have any suggestions

[–]Accomplished_Ad_673 0 points1 point  (7 children)

Thank you.

Since I’ve got my kobo I’ve been getting my books online not from kobo store. It has worked perfectly. Adding them to calibre and then transfer them to my kobo. Today I added some new book and now I can’t even read the ones I had on it previously because this message pops up.

I tried to download and update my calibre to the latest version now, and after installation the program won’t start at all. I’m getting a bit frustrated I’m not gonna lie, I don’t understand why nothing works

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (6 children)

If it only affected the epub you’re trying to open, I’d say that you downloaded a bad ePub file and need to find a different file. Maybe the person you got the epub from didn’t remove their DRM? It’s hard to say

Have you tried deleting the books you added, then signing out and signing back into Kobo on your eReader and then restarting it?

What have you tried so far to fix it?

[–]Accomplished_Ad_673 0 points1 point  (5 children)

It affected all the books on my kobo. Even all the ones that I’ve been reading just fine a few hours earlier. I restarted the kobo and now it work fine again. So weird.

But another thing that you can maybe help me with. When I add books from calibre everything works fine but when I’m in the kobo many of the books that I’ve transferred and that is shown in calibre as being on main in kobo can’t be found on the kobo. It says that there are say 68 books on the kobo but scrolling I can only see like 35.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (4 children)

Plug your kobo eReader into your computer, go to Calibre and next to the “library” icon in the main menu bar should be the icon “Device”. This will display all books in the main memory of your device. See if the books are listed there and if there’s a check mark next to it (indicating that it’s in Calibre).

If there’s no check mark and you have it in Calibre, you can go to preferences > toolbar settings > menu items when a device is connected > add the “match ebook” shortcut (I’m paraphrasing the menu item names here but I’m sure you’ll be able to find it). Click ok and go back to the Device Library tab from before, select the ebook and match it to the one in your Calibre library

By the way, what are you using to send your ebooks to kobo? Calibre’s Kobo Touch Extended plugin?

[–]Accomplished_Ad_673 0 points1 point  (3 children)

The biggest hurdle at the moment is the fact that I can’t open calibre at all. It’s getting late here and my head is not all awake so first thing tomorrow I’m gonna try and run a slightly older version and see if that works to get it back

Then I’ll check what you just mentioned.

To transfer to the kobo I just mark all the ones I want to transfer and then on the extender next to “device” I choose transfer to device (or it may say something similar). Should I do it another way?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

To fix Calibre, try opening up your task manager by clicking on an empty area of your task bar. In the pop up, choose "Task manager". You can also press CTRL + ALT + DEL at the same time and access Task Manager from there. Then use CTRL + F to search for Calibre, click on it, then press "End Task" to shut down the process. Then re-open Calibre.

Yes, you're transferring your eBooks correctly.

When you first posted, I thought you were trying to load your purchased kobo epubs into Calibre, but you've cleared that up and now I know you're trying to upload your epubs to your kobo. I would recommend making a new post in r/Calibre because I've never run into your issue before.

Kobo Touch Extended plugin won't help whatever issue you have, but it will convert your epub to kepub when you click "Send to Device". It gives you stats, slightly faster page turns, and other things I can't think of at the moment. You don't need it and it's entirely optional but it's a nice-to-have and it offers more flexibility with updating metadata.

[–]Accomplished_Ad_673 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Thank you! I tried finding calibre in task manager but it’s not open. And when I click on either on the shortcut or in the menu nothing happens. I’ve never had an issue before I updated

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you tried restarting your computer

[–]ReleasedUser 0 points1 point  (5 children)

Hi everyone,

I tried this method, but it seems impossible to me :(((. I don't own a Kindle device, and I am trying to convert one single book that I have downloaded to the Kindle app on Windows. I have installed the two plugins, but I don't have any key, nor can I find it anywhere for the DeDRM plugin. I am looking at tutorials and forums, but I couldn't achieve it; every time I try to convert the AZW file to EPUB, it says that it is KFX protected and gives me an error. Can someone please help me with this??

Thank you!

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (4 children)

What version of Kindle for PC did you download? Do you have the KFX Input plugin installed in calibre?

[–]ReleasedUser 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Hey CuriousAstra, I finally did it! It was just a problem with how I added the books to Calibre. Anyway, thanks for the comment and the willingness to help.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

How were you adding the books to Calibre that was causing an issue?

[–]ReleasedUser 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Hello, I was just adding books to Calibre from the Kindle folder by clicking and dragging them onto Calibre. The solution was to use the option in Calibre to add books from folders and subfolders. This way, Calibre correctly creates the container file for the book, and it can be converted.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice! I'll clarify that in my post

[–]coniferousfrost 0 points1 point  (1 child)

ADE keyfiles dont show up for me

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You shouldn't need to manually import an ADE keyfile. Are you clicking the plus button on the right side of the Adobe Digital Editions Keys pop-up?

If this doesn't work, try downgrading to ADE 2.0

Uninstall your current ADE, and then download the installer for the old version

This person on adobe forums posted an official download link to it: https://community.adobe.com/t5/digital-editions-discussions/ade-3-0-download-link-leads-to-support-page/m-p/12815610

download link: https://download.adobe.com/pub/adobe/digitaleditions/ADE_3.0_Installer.dmg

[–]Soulthriller 0 points1 point  (3 children)

This method unfortunately doesn't work for me when I follow the "DeDRM + Kindle For PC" method. I followed everything exactly as it's written. Book was published in 2018, I downloaded the exact same Kindle for PC version as the tutorial stated, and still nothing. Got the 2 plugins and no dice. Any idea why?

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Are you importing the eBooks correctly? By uploading the .azw file and not the folder?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Calibre/comments/1ck4w8e/comment/lat2jiy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[–]Soulthriller 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, followed the guide exactly as it's written. Oh well. I just took screenshots of every page in the book and created a PDF out of it. Took an hour but got the job done.

[–]iuly093 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah,doesn't work for me either,followed everything. No book works,even older ones.Tried this method last year and worked,not now unfortunately....

[–]LastCheatMeal 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Hi! How do I get the « adobe digital editions key »? Thanks!

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

After you've set up an ADE account, click Help in the toolbar at the top of the Adobe Digital Editions window and select Authorize Computer. If you've successfully done this, then you can click Help and the "Authorization Information" option should be available. Selecting this option will display: (email) | Adobe ID (urn:uuid:###). This is not something you need to copy and paste yourself

After you've downloaded DeDRM, go to plugins, "customize plugin, then select "Adobe Digital Editions eBooks" and click on the green plus button. This should automatically retrieve the Adobe Digital Editions key for you. It should rearrange the value in ADE's Authorization Information option. It'll take the urn:uuid: value followed by and underscore, and the email - i.e. (###)_(email)

[–]LastCheatMeal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!!

[–]The_Bawsz 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Ty for this truly detailed information but still i can't get it to work xd
"Error getting License. License Server Communication Problem: E_ADEPT_NO_TOKEN"

I'm amazed what kind of hustle i have to do trying to obtain my bought ebook in 2024 wtf.

I'm stuck at:
"Remove Kobo DRM"
-Step 10, i'm not able to open it in ADE
Tried your other solution
"Kobo Desktop App + ObokDRM
-Step 6, i'm not able to find my Kobo Serial Number

How am i having the hardest time of my life trying to download a simple pdf/epub file, this is actually insane..

Ty in advance OP!

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

It took me a few different tries to get this working too, so don't sweat about it. For your license error, Try deauthorizing and reauthorizing Adobe Digital Editions

If that doesnt work, follow these steps:  https://community.adobe.com/t5/digital-editions-discussions/quot-error-getting-license-license-server-communication-problem-e-act-not-ready-quot/m-p/7981737#M40459

 You can find your Kobo's serial number by going to Settings > Device Information > Serial Number    

 It should match the number on the bottom of your device (placement may differ depending on model, but it should be labeled "s/n: (serial number)"

[–]The_Bawsz 0 points1 point  (1 child)

You're probably talking about any device but the desktop/pc app ? As there just isn't a path to "Settings > Device Information > Serial Number", there might be on my phone tho idk i dont have the app installed there.
That being said, just redownloading my original file that i bought did somehow the trick for me suggested by someone else. I managed to get rid of the DRM etc and i'm gucci now.

This was the first and last time i bought an ebook not gonna lie, how do you have to install 3 different apps and do multiple things to obtain my single file i just paid for xD

Thank you tho!

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can get a Kobo Serial number from a Kobo eReader device, but not a phone. I've heard that Obok + DeDrm can work without a kobo device or serial number, but I haven't tested it out myself

Technically you only need to download the 1 eBook store's app to read it. The extra mile is if you want to own it forever, but most people don't care about DRM or don't know about its existence so it's not something they worry about. Glad to know you were able to get it to work somehow!

[–]ChaosBugg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And if this doesn't work, just screenshot the pages you want. If you use the Windows Key +Print Screen button you can, literally, go through a 300 page book in a few minutes and every page is captured.

The images will all be auto-numbered, so you can put them in a folder and open it with a comics reader, and it's like having the actual book.

And if, for any reason, you need live text, just import the pages you want into GoogleDocs -- it auto converts images of text into live text really accurately. And keeps any images on the page.

Playing cat and mouse with Amazon, trying to keep ahead of a well-funded and resourced DRM department, is a bit boring after a while.

[–]Juhayer_Al_Wasif 0 points1 point  (3 children)

On Kobo Desktop App + Obak DRM method:

Obak DRM says, no Kobo Desktop app is installed:-(

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Are you signed into your Kobo account on Kobo Desktop app?

You can also try opening Calibre and going to their Preferences > Plugins > Obok > Customize Plugin > Kobo Directory

When the new File Explorer/Windows Explorer pops up, go to the address bar and type %AppData%. When you are redirected, click on the address bar again to make sure the file path is C:\Users\username\AppData.

Look for the folder Local, then Kobo, and then select the Kobo Desktop Edition folder. The address bar should look like this: C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Kobo\KoboDesktopEdition

[–]Juhayer_Al_Wasif 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Thank you soooo much! It worked just like you said❤️

Btw, for anyone who is wondering I'm on kobo plus. So yeah, you don't have to pay for the books individually.

[–]CuriousAstra[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm glad it works, but I recommend reading the original rented eBook. Kobo Plus authors get paid per minute of material read (this includes re-reads!), and they don't get their payout if you don't read the original DRM format. Authors sell their work for fairly cheap if you consider cost per hour of entertainment we get from their books.

It sucks to lose access to books you paid for, but it sucks when someone doesn't get paid for their hard work too. Make sure they get their cut of the pie!

[–]DoItAllButNoneWell 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does this work with rental books or the Kindle un limited stuff?