How to download books from the Kobo Store

If you’re a Kobo user, you’ve probably wondered at some point whether there’s an easy way to download your eBooks for offline reading, backup, or simply to have a personal copy stored safely on your device. Whether you’ve purchased a book, borrowed one through a library, or you’re browsing free previews, having a local copy gives you peace of mind and flexibility.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best methods to download books from the Kobo store — starting with the most practical and user-friendly solution available today.

The Easiest Method: Kobo eBook to PDF Saver (Chrome Extension)

By far the simplest and most accessible way to save a Kobo eBook is by using the Kobo eBook to PDF Saver Chrome extension. This tool works directly inside your browser, requires no technical knowledge, and produces high-quality PDF files that you can read on virtually any device.

How It Works

The extension captures each page of the Kobo web reader as a high-resolution screenshot, automatically advances to the next page, and repeats the process until the entire book — or the section you need — has been captured. Once scanning is complete, it compiles all the captured pages into a single, well-formatted PDF document.

What makes this extension particularly powerful is its Smart Preview Detection. If you’re on a book’s store page and an embedded reader preview is available, the extension detects the preview iframe and opens it automatically. You don’t need to navigate anywhere — just click Scan and the tool takes care of the rest.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Install the Kobo eBook to PDF Saver extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Open the Kobo web reader at read.kobo.com or navigate to any book page with a preview on kobo.com.
Click the extension icon in your browser toolbar to open the control panel.
Press the Scan button. The extension will begin capturing pages one by one.
Watch the live preview inside the popup as each page is captured in real time.
If you need to stop early, press Stop — all previously captured pages will be preserved.
Choose your preferred settings: Landscape orientation (recommended for double-page spreads) or Portrait, and select a quality preset (High, Medium, or Low).
Click Create PDF to generate your file. The extension will display the final file size and prompt you to save it.

Why This Method Stands Out

Unlike other tools that require desktop software installation, DRM removal plugins, or command-line expertise, this extension works entirely within Chrome. Your eBooks never leave your computer — there are no uploads to external servers, no accounts to create, and no personal data collected.

The built-in JPEG optimization means your PDFs are surprisingly compact. A typical 200-page eBook produces a PDF of around 20–30 MB at high quality, compared to 150+ MB if raw PNG screenshots were used. The visual difference is virtually undetectable.

The extension also supports multiple languages, so it works seamlessly whether your Kobo reader is set to English, Italian, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Dutch, or Japanese. It handles page navigation through several fallback strategies — button detection, aria-label matching, SVG icon recognition, and keyboard simulation — making it extremely reliable across different Kobo reader versions.

Free vs PRO

The free version includes all features but adds a diagonal watermark to each PDF page. Upgrading to PRO removes the watermark entirely, giving you clean, professional-looking documents.

Alternative Methods

While the Chrome extension is the most straightforward approach, there are a few other methods worth mentioning for different use cases.

Kobo Desktop App (Official)

Kobo offers an official desktop application for Windows and Mac. Once installed, you can sign in with your Kobo account and download any purchased eBook for offline reading within the app. However, the books are protected by DRM and stored in Kobo’s proprietary format, so you cannot easily transfer them to other devices or convert them to PDF without additional tools.

Adobe Digital Editions (ADE)

Some Kobo eBooks use Adobe DRM. In these cases, you can authorize Adobe Digital Editions with your Adobe ID and download the book in EPUB or PDF format through ADE. This method works well if you need the book on devices that support Adobe DRM, but the files remain encrypted and cannot be freely shared or converted.

Calibre with DeDRM Plugin

For more advanced users, Calibre is a free, open-source eBook management application that supports format conversion, library organization, and metadata editing. Combined with the DeDRM plugin, it can remove DRM protection from Kobo eBooks, allowing you to convert them to PDF, EPUB, MOBI, or any other format. This method requires some initial setup — you’ll need to install Calibre, add the plugin, and configure your Kobo account or device — but it offers the most flexibility in terms of format and device compatibility.

Kobo eReader Device Export

If you own a physical Kobo eReader, books purchased from the store are downloaded directly to the device. By connecting the eReader to your computer via USB, you can access the stored EPUB files in the device’s internal storage. Note that DRM-protected files will not be readable outside the Kobo ecosystem without additional processing.

Which Method Should You Choose?

For most users, the Kobo eBook to PDF Saver Chrome extension is the ideal solution. It requires no software installation beyond the extension itself, works with both purchased books and free previews, produces universally compatible PDF files, and respects your privacy by keeping everything local.

If you need DRM-free EPUB files for use across multiple reading apps, Calibre with the DeDRM plugin is the most powerful option — though it requires more technical setup.

And if you simply want to read your purchased books offline within the Kobo ecosystem, the official Kobo Desktop App or a Kobo eReader device will serve you well.

Whatever your needs, there’s a method that fits. Happy reading!