There is no official one-step migration from a Kindle Store library and its highlights into Kobo. Handle it as two separate tasks: obtain a book file that Kobo can legally read, then preserve your Kindle notes and highlights separately. An unprotected EPUB or PDF can be sideloaded to a Kobo by USB, and some Kobo models can fetch those files from Google Drive. Kindle highlights can continue syncing among Kindle devices and apps, but Kobo does not document a way to import them into its annotation list or place them automatically at matching passages.
What “transfer to Kobo” actually means
A Kindle purchase is tied to Amazon’s delivery system and licensing terms; it is not automatically an EPUB file that you can drag onto another reader. Kobo’s documented computer workflow is for non-protected EPUB and PDF files. Kobo lists other readable formats, including EPUB2, EPUB3, PDF, FlePub and MOBI, but a format appearing on that list does not remove encryption or licensing restrictions.
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That distinction creates two independent jobs:
- Book access: locate a lawfully obtained, non-protected file in a format your Kobo model accepts, or use an authorized workflow for content protected by a compatible DRM system.
- Annotation preservation: save Kindle notes and highlights in a form you can consult later. Kobo’s annotation-export feature is designed for eligible books bought from Kobo or Kobo Plus; it is not a Kindle-annotation import tool.
Do not treat a Kindle app cache, a Kindle device folder, or an Amazon download as a normal EPUB library. Copying such files to a Kobo will generally produce an unreadable item, an item that fails to import, or nothing at all.
Choose a route before moving anything
Use the source file, the Kobo model and your goal to choose a method. The table describes what each documented route does and does not do.
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| Route | File requirement | Compatible Kobo models or equipment | What it accomplishes | What it does not accomplish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB sideload | Non-protected EPUB or PDF | Any Kobo eReader that supports the file; computer and suitable USB data cable | Copies the file to that particular eReader | Does not unlock Kindle DRM, transfer a Kindle license, or import Kindle highlights |
| Google Drive import | Non-protected EPUB, PDF or another supported file | Kobo Forma, Sage, Elipsa, Elipsa 2E and Libra Colour with sufficiently current software | Delivers a file through the Rakuten Kobo folder after synchronization | Does not change DRM or move Kindle annotations |
| Authorized DRM workflow | A file protected by a DRM system supported by the authorized application and device | Depends on the publisher’s terms, the DRM system and Kobo model | May let you read compatible protected EPUB/PDF content | Kobo’s help does not establish that it unlocks or converts Kindle Store titles |
| Kindle synchronization | A book and annotations available in your Kindle ecosystem | Kindle apps, supported Kindle eReaders and Kindle services | Keeps Kindle notes and text highlights available on Kindle surfaces | Does not populate Kobo’s notes list or attach highlights to a Kobo copy |
Step 1: Check each title, file and right to use it
When you already have an unprotected EPUB or PDF
This is the straightforward case. Confirm that the file opens on your computer without an account-specific reader, license prompt or encryption requirement. Check the file extension rather than assuming that a file downloaded from a reading app is an EPUB. Keep the original file unchanged until the Kobo import succeeds.
Kobo specifically documents adding non-protected EPUB and PDF files by USB. If the file is protected, stop and identify the protection scheme and the publisher’s permitted devices instead of trying to bypass it. An authorized Adobe Digital Editions workflow can apply to compatible Adobe DRM EPUB/PDF content, but Kobo’s documentation does not say that Adobe Digital Editions converts Kindle Store purchases into Kobo-readable books.
When the title is a Kindle Store purchase
A Kindle Store purchase is not automatically transferable. The fact that a title appears in your Amazon library, downloads for offline reading, or opens in a Kindle app does not prove that you possess a transferable, non-protected EPUB/PDF. Do not rename a Kindle file and expect Kobo to read it; changing an extension does not change its contents or its DRM.
Check the purchase terms and the publisher’s authorized-download options. If no non-protected file is supplied, the documented Kobo sideload instructions do not provide a supported conversion path. Keep reading that title in the Kindle ecosystem or obtain a separately licensed edition for Kobo.
Step 2: Sideload a compatible book over USB
For a non-protected EPUB or PDF, the USB method is Kobo’s broadly documented route.
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- Prepare the eReader. Turn on the Kobo and leave it at the home or library screen.
- Connect it to the computer. Plug in a data-capable USB cable. Charge-only cables will not create a storage connection.
- Approve the connection on the Kobo. When the prompt appears, choose Connect. If you choose to charge only, the computer will not show the reader’s storage.
- Open the Kobo drive. In your computer’s file manager, locate the drive named KOBOeReader.
- Copy the file. Drag or copy the non-protected EPUB or PDF into the KOBOeReader drive. You do not need to place it in a special subfolder unless your operating system creates one for its own reasons.
- Eject safely. Use the computer’s eject or safely-remove command, then disconnect the cable only after the operating system confirms that it is safe.
- Wait for import. The Kobo will process the file and add it to the library. Large PDFs can take longer to appear; leave the reader powered on until processing finishes.
The copy is local to that eReader. It will not automatically appear in your other Kobo apps or on another Kobo eReader after synchronization. Repeat the sideload for each device that needs the file.
What to expect after import
- EPUB text normally adapts to font-size and layout controls more flexibly than a fixed-layout PDF.
- A PDF may display as a page image or fixed layout, so small screens can require zooming and panning.
- The book’s cover and metadata may be incomplete if the source file lacks them; that is a file-quality issue, not evidence that Kobo failed to copy it.
- Highlights made on this sideloaded copy are Kobo annotations on that copy. They are not retroactively linked to highlights you made in Kindle.
Step 3: Use Google Drive when your Kobo model supports it
Google Drive is a delivery convenience, not a DRM solution. Rakuten Kobo’s help states: “If you have a non-protected ePub or PDF file, you can add it to your eReader using Google Drive.” The documented models are Forma, Sage, Elipsa, Elipsa 2E and Libra Colour, and the feature requires sufficiently current Kobo software.
- Confirm that your model is one of the supported eReaders and install any available Kobo software update.
- Place the non-protected EPUB, PDF or other supported file in the Rakuten Kobo folder in Google Drive, following Kobo’s current folder and account instructions.
- Connect the eReader to Wi-Fi and run a synchronization.
- Open the Google Drive area or the library location shown by your model, select the file and download it to the eReader.
- Wait for the book to finish importing before removing it from the Drive folder.
If the file is encrypted, Google Drive cannot make it readable. Kobo says DRM-protected files require an authorized Adobe Digital Editions process where applicable; whether a specific title works depends on its DRM scheme, the publisher’s terms and the model.
Amazon’s retired USB download option
Amazon staff announced that Download & Transfer via USB would no longer be available starting February 26, 2025. Amazon said content downloaded before the change could still be read, and that Kindle apps and supported Wi-Fi Kindles remained available. This retirement did not create a Kindle-to-Kobo export route; it removed one former delivery option from Amazon’s ecosystem.
If you used that option in the past, preserve any files you lawfully downloaded and can still open. Do not assume that a newly purchased Kindle title will expose the same type of file, and do not delete a working Kindle copy until you have verified both your book access and your annotation backup.
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How to preserve Kindle highlights and notes
Keep the Kindle copy synchronized
Amazon’s Kindle help describes synchronization of books, notes and text highlights across Kindle surfaces. Open the title on a Kindle app or eReader connected to the internet and allow it to synchronize before changing devices. This keeps the annotations available within Kindle, but it is ecosystem synchronization, not a cross-vendor export.
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Save a separate reference copy
Before relying on a migration, make an independent record of important passages. Depending on the title and your account, this can include copying the text and location shown in the Kindle notes view, taking screenshots for personal reference, or exporting information through an authorized Kindle feature that is available to you. Retain the book title, author, edition and chapter with each note because page numbers and locations can change between editions.
Do not promise yourself that a highlight will land at the same sentence in a Kobo edition. Reflowable EPUBs can change pagination, and a separately licensed Kobo edition may use different text, typography or revisions.
Do not confuse Kobo export with Kindle import
Kobo can export annotations from eligible books purchased from Kobo or Kobo Plus in PDF, HTML, TXT or Markdown. Kobo says the feature may not work for every book, depends on author approval and keeps generated files in the account for 30 days. Those files are exports from Kobo’s own annotation system. They are not an import mechanism for Kindle highlights.
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Optional annotation management
Kobo’s help pages describe Readwise as a service for viewing and managing Kobo annotations and sending them to other services. The documented scope is Kobo annotations; it does not establish direct import of Kindle annotations into Kobo books. Treat it as an optional way to organize notes after you have created them in Kobo, not as a Kindle migration utility.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Supported formats and model caveats
Kobo’s format information lists EPUB, EPUB2, EPUB3, PDF, FlePub and MOBI among supported formats. Kobo Original and Kobo Wi Fi are listed as not supporting EPUB3. Always check the specifications for your exact model before preparing a library, especially if a publisher supplied an EPUB3 file.
| File or condition | What the format list suggests | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Non-protected EPUB | Generally suitable for Kobo sideloading | USB instructions specifically cover non-protected EPUB; verify model support and file integrity |
| Non-protected PDF | Suitable for Kobo sideloading | Fixed layout can be difficult to read on a small screen |
| EPUB3 | Supported by many Kobo models | Kobo Original and Kobo Wi Fi are listed as exceptions |
| MOBI or FlePub | Listed by Kobo as supported formats | The USB help page’s explicit procedure is for non-protected EPUB and PDF; test your model and file |
| DRM-protected EPUB/PDF | May work only through an authorized compatible DRM workflow | Format support does not remove DRM, and Kindle Store protection is not documented as convertible |
Troubleshooting: match the symptom to the cause
The computer does not show KOBOeReader
- Unlock or wake the Kobo and reconnect it.
- Choose Connect on the Kobo prompt rather than charge-only mode.
- Try another USB port and a known data cable; some cables provide power but no data.
- Quit software that may have claimed the device, then reconnect.
- If the reader still never appears, test another computer before assuming the file is at fault.
The file copies but does not appear in the library
- Confirm that the copy completed before ejecting the drive.
- Check that the extension matches the actual file and that the file opens on your computer.
- Remove a duplicate with a confusing name and copy one clean file again.
- Wait for the Kobo to finish its import process; interrupting it can delay library indexing.
- If the file requests an account or license, it is protected and the basic sideload route does not apply.
The book opens with missing text, broken layout or unreadable pages
- Try the publisher’s original file rather than a renamed or partially downloaded copy.
- Use EPUB for flowing text when a legitimate EPUB edition is available; PDFs retain fixed page layout.
- Check whether the EPUB3 file is being opened on a Kobo Original or Kobo Wi Fi model, which Kobo lists as not supporting EPUB3.
- For DRM-protected content, use only the authorized application and device combination specified by the publisher.
Highlights are missing on Kobo
This is expected when the highlights were created in Kindle. Kindle synchronization keeps them in the Kindle ecosystem; it does not create Kobo annotations. Keep the Kindle copy or an independent note record, then create new highlights on the Kobo edition if you need annotations attached to that file.
Google Drive import is unavailable
Check the model list first: Forma, Sage, Elipsa, Elipsa 2E and Libra Colour are the models identified in Kobo’s instructions. Confirm that the reader software is current, the file is non-protected and the file is in the Rakuten Kobo folder. If any of those conditions fails, use USB sideloading when you have a compatible file.
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Quick Recap
A safe migration checklist
- List the Kindle titles you want and mark which ones you already possess as non-protected EPUB or PDF files.
- Record important Kindle highlights and notes while the titles remain available in your Kindle app or eReader.
- Check your Kobo model’s format and Google Drive support before choosing a transfer route.
- For each compatible file, copy it by USB or use Google Drive, then open several chapters to verify readability.
- Keep the original Kindle access until every book and annotation record has been checked.
- Create new Kobo highlights only after confirming that you are reading the intended edition.
Bottom line for common cases
| Your situation | Best supported action |
|---|---|
| You have a non-protected EPUB or PDF | Sideload it by USB; use Google Drive only if your model supports that feature. |
| You have only a Kindle Store purchase | Do not assume it can be converted. Check authorized options or continue reading it on Kindle. |
| You need the original Kindle highlights | Synchronize and preserve them within Kindle, and keep a separate reference record; Kobo import is not documented. |
| You want annotations on the Kobo copy | Open the Kobo edition and create new highlights there. Kobo’s own export tools apply to eligible Kobo books, not Kindle imports. |
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