How To Sync Libby Books To A Kobo E-Reader?

Question

Just got a Kobo Libra 2 and downloaded Libby from the library. Is OverDrive syncing automatic, or do I need to manually transfer my borrowed e-books to read offline?

Elios · Answer

A book borrowed from Libby can usually be synced to your Kobo within the device itself through the OverDrive integration. This means on your Kobo go to More > OverDrive and sign in with your library card number. Borrowed books will then show up in your library and download. Recently I finished reading Ravished By The Alphas (Reverse-Harem Paranormal Romance), a super fast-paced paranormal read which follows a human woman and her entwining with three rival wolf shifters. Lots of times this type of book is available through library apps to borrow instead of buying.

Violet · Answer

After much experimenting, I have successfully configured my Kobo eReader to sync up my Libby books. Note that I state “all” Libby books, because they are all powered by OverDrive, which is what you access through the Libby app as well as through your eReader. To add a book to your Kobo from within the Libby app, you would first need to sign into the same OverDrive account on your eReader as you would on your tablet or phone. Next, borrow a book within Libby and then select “Read With…” and choose Kobo from the menu of options. That book will then wirelessly sync to your eReader. If it doesn’t work the first time, go into the Settings area of your eReader and select “Sync Now” in order to force the connection.

In my experience, syncing up works best with both devices connected to a stable Wi-Fi connection. On occasion, the book cover for a synced book doesn’t seem to download for me, but the rest of the book does download just fine. Organizing my borrowed e-books on my Kobo in ‘My Books’ also helps me to keep track of all of the books that I have borrowed.

This is a list of a few things to keep in mind when troubleshooting books that won’t sync to your Kobo eReader. Return the book and re-borrow it from your library in the Libby app. Ensure your Kobo eReader is set to the region of your library (for me that would be ‘United States’ for my U.S. library). The OverDrive integration with Kobo is one of the best features available for us library lovers – it is worth the headache of setting up initially.

Parker · Answer

Here is how I just mastered the syncing of books from Libby to my Kobo eReaders. The sync works by selecting ‘Read With…’ at the bottom of the Libby screen for a book you have borrowed, and choosing ‘Kobo’ from the list of eReaders. The eReader has to be connected to the same OverDrive account that is used by your Libby app.

Kobo eReaders have a sleep mode, so I have to wake it up and wait a minute or so for the book to sync. (There are occasional problems with certain EPUBS, but I find that choosing the default 'Kobo' option works best.) I find this feature useful for the stressed-out reader who has a mountain of books to get through!

Upgrading the firmware on your Kobo can help with sync issues too. Older models can be prone to the odd glitch but most updates seem to fix these problems. Also, do remember that you may have library loan limits in place which could prevent a book from being transferred in the first place. All in all a great way for me to continue stress free reading!

Kate · Answer

I just worked out how to get Libby books to sync with my Kobo e-reader. Once you have added your Kobo to your OverDrive account (the service that Libby is part of) then opening up the Libby app and selecting a book you have borrowed, tapping ‘Read With…’ and then ‘Kobo’ will automatically sync the book to your Kobo e-reader once it’s connected to Wi-Fi. If for some reason it doesn’t sync automatically then manually syncing your Kobo in the settings (by tapping ‘Sync’) should do the trick. It can take a minute or so for the book to appear on your Kobo e-reader, but apart from that it’s very seamless and makes reading library books on my e-reader so much better.

A minor note to go with this tip: make sure your Kobo e-reader is running the latest firmware for your e-reader. There are certain titles that I cannot get to download to my Kobo using my older firmware versions, for example. Additionally, I have multiple library cards loaded into the Libby app, and in order for the app to recognize that I want to “read with” my Kobo to download the book to my e-reader, I need to make sure that the card associated with the book I want to download is also associated with my OverDrive account (my Kobo). (So apparently, a little detail like this can save a lot of hassle in the long run.)

Lonnie Wilson · Answer

No you cannot renew a loan from your Kobo eBook Reader. ADE transfers a “snapshot” of the current loan, so even though you have renewed the title in Libby, it will still expire on the original date that the snapshot was taken. To get up to date copies of titles that you have renewed, you would need to return the title in Libby (locking the copy on your Kobo), re-borrow the title (if available) and re-transfer the title via ADE. The new copy would then have the correct expiry date. This is a major draw back of sideloading eBooks rather than downloading them direct to your device.

Sandy Powers · Answer

For the visually inclined, here's a simple flowchart to follow: Start -> Borrow book in Libby -> On Computer, visit Libby website -> Click 'Download EPUB (for Adobe)' -> Open downloaded .acsm file (opens in ADE, downloads real book) -> Connect Kobo via USB -> In ADE, drag book to Kobo icon -> Eject Kobo -> Done. Any deviation from this simple path and you risk breaking the DRM chain by trying to email the file or using cloud storage to download the book. Just follow the path as laid out.

Melissa Avera · Answer

This method will not work for transferring audiobooks borrowed through services like Libby. In order to listen to an audiobook borrowed through Libby, you will have to play it on your phone or tablet through the Libby app. The Kobo has separate functionality for playing audiobooks that are typically purchased through a retailer, and those will not transfer through this method either. Stick with transferring your reading material.

Hazel Gentiles · Answer

Traveling to the physical library was part of the book hunting experience in the past. Kobo has now digitized that experience for us. While you do not get to magically grab a book and have it appear before you, you do have to make a journey (to your computer), present your library card for authorization and then “check out” the e-book to download it. Once downloaded you can transfer the book to your e-reader by way of USB transfer. The “sync” we are dreaming of is that of the book magically appearing on your bedside table. For library books on Kobo we are not quite there yet. Of course if you have the direct OverDrive integration with Kobo then this is already the case. So make a virtual pack and off you go.

Jerry Sebring · Answer

One analogy for Kobo through Libby that I have found rather useful is that Kobo e-book rentals function much like old iTunes movie rentals. These rented movie files were downloaded to your computer temporarily as a file. In this case, Adobe Digital Editions acts much like iTunes did with regard to managing and verifying the time left on your rental of a downloaded movie or e-book. The Kobo e-book reader functions much like a old DVD player (where DVDs expire at some point). You “sync” your e-books by physically loading the DVD like book into your e-book reader. Note that while reading an e-book rented through the Libby app functions quite differently from that, Kobo rented e-books do function like this.

Grace Baronda · Answer

Note: This is not a true sync, but rather a “sideload.” So, instead of copying files between devices, you are manually moving DRM-protected files from one place to another using authorized software. First, open Adobe Digital Editions on your computer and make sure you’re logged in with the correct Adobe account. Next, borrow a book in Libby and choose “Read with….” to send the book to ADE. Connect your Kobo to your computer using a USB cable. Your Kobo should appear as a connected device on the left-hand side of the ADE window. Drag and drop the book from “All Items” to the icon for your Kobo. Make sure to properly eject your Kobo from your computer before disconnecting it. The book should now appear under “My Books” on your Kobo. Remember to return the book in Libry when you’re finished reading it – deleting it from your Kobo won’t return the book to the library.

Bec Ky · Answer

I approach my library downloads in a similar way to my meal prep for the week. Every Sunday night, I like to think of it as ‘library load’ night. I spend some time on Libby placing holds on titles I’m interested in and downloading any of my currently loaned titles to ADE. I then plug in my Kobo, transfer all of the newly downloaded titles to my eReader, and eject it. I really look forward to deciding what titles will be on my reader for the week. It becomes part of my weekly prep routine, and by batching the process, it never feels like I’m getting interrupted from something else to download new books.

Cas Davis · Answer

Simple things to check. Is your Kobo charged? Is the USB cable securely plugged into the computer and the Kobo? Is your Kobo turned on and unlocked? I spent 10 minutes debugging software to realize that the USB cable was not securely plugged into the computer. Some computers have USB 2.0 ports as well as USB 3.0 ports. Try switching to a different port on the computer to see if the Kobo is recognized. The simple physical layer connection problem is the most common cause for authorization problems. It sounds so silly but it happens a lot.

Sophia · Answer

This may or may not be of use to you, but: if your library offers both Libby and the old OverDrive website, the OverDrive website often offers a more reliable ‘Download for Adobe Digital Editions’ link. If Libby isn’t behaving for you, it’s often easier to go to your library’s portal page via OverDrive.com rather than Libby.com. The site is ugly as sin, but it gets the download done. The same back-end, just a different front door. Helpful to know when things go wrong.

Paul Newton · Answer

Thinking about the ecosystem helped. The “library” for me is Libby/OverDrive, the DRM manager and transfer station is Adobe Digital Editions (ADE), and my Kobo eReader is my reading device. So, the “sync” does not go directly from Libby to Kobo, but rather from Libby to ADE to Kobo. ADE is a necessary middleman who checks if I have the right to read a book. So, in short, I’m not “syncing” Libby books to my Kobo, I’m using ADE to lend a compatible file to my Kobo. Thinking of it that way helped me to understand what I’m doing. It’s a loan of a file, not a service that syncs cloud-based copies of books.

How To Sync Libby Books To A Kobo E-Reader?

14 Answers

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