An experimental alternative reader for Kobo e-readers.
Beta
Kobalt gives your Kobo a faster, better-looking reader. It lays out books with the same engine as KOReader, but opens straight from your Kobo library, so there is nothing new to learn.
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Opens from your library
Pick a book in Kobo's library as usual. No second app and no second library.
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Typography that holds up
KOReader's layout engine, proper hyphenation in seven languages, and a built-in collection of reading fonts.
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Statistics for every chapter
A chart of the whole book, pages left in the chapter, and how long you have been reading.
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Stays in sync with Kobo
Your progress and reading time go back to Kobo, so your other devices keep up.
Installs via Chrome or Edge with your Kobo connected via USB
Why Kobalt exists
Compatibility
Latest devices
- Kobo Libra Colour
- Kobo Clara Colour
- Kobo Clara BW
Older devices
- Kobo Elipsa 2E
- Kobo Clara 2E
- Kobo Libra 2
- Kobo Sage
- Kobo Elipsa
- Kobo Nia
- Kobo Libra H2O
- Kobo Clara HD
- Kobo Forma
- Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2
- Kobo Aura ONE
- Kobo Aura Edition 2
Coming soon Official Tolino support is coming in the future.
Questions
Which books can Kobalt open?
Kobo's software has two reading engines. One opens regular EPUBs and Kobo EPUBs, which includes books from the Kobo store and Kobo Plus. The other opens EPUBs protected with Adobe DRM.
Kobalt makes a best effort to open the books that the first engine handles. That covers most EPUBs, but not every book works yet, and more testing is needed. PDFs, comics and Adobe-protected EPUBs are not supported. They open in Kobo's own reader.
Does Kobalt remove DRM?
No. Kobo's software still decides which books you can open. Kobalt only shows books that are already authorized on your Kobo.
Is Kobalt free and open source?
Yes. You can find Nico Verbruggen's projects on GitHub.
Do I keep my Kobo library?
Yes. Kobalt is not a separate app with its own library. You pick books in Kobo's library as usual, and your reading progress and reading time go back to Kobo, so they sync to your other devices.
Can I still use Kobo's own reader?
Yes. Turn off Open books in Kobalt in Kobo's Reading Settings, or long-press a book to open it once with the other reader.
What happens when my Kobo installs a software update?
Kobalt stays installed. When it starts, it checks that the new software still has everything it needs. If it does not, Kobalt turns itself off and your Kobo uses its own reader until a compatible version of Kobalt is available.
Does it support dictionaries?
Yes. Hold a word to look it up in the dictionaries you installed on your Kobo.
Can I make highlights, bookmarks or notes?
Not at the moment. Kobalt has no highlights, bookmarks or annotations.
Does it support KOSync, OPDS or KOReader plugins?
No. Kobalt uses the same layout engine as KOReader, but it does not run KOReader plugins. If you need those, KOReader is the better choice.
Which devices have page turn animations?
The latest devices: the Libra Colour, Clara Colour and Clara BW. The animations are off by default. Older devices, such as the Libra 2, do not have them.
Does it work on Kindle, PocketBook or Android?
No. Kobalt runs only on Kobo e-readers for now.
What happens if something goes wrong?
If Kobalt cannot start, or cannot open a book, your Kobo uses its own reader instead. You can remove Kobalt at any time with the button above.
How do I remove Kobalt?
Connect your Kobo, select Install or remove Kobalt and choose Remove. Then turn your Kobo off and on again.
To remove it by hand, connect your Kobo and delete the .adds/kobalt folder from its drive. The folder is hidden, so you may need to show hidden files first: press Cmd+Shift+. in Finder, or turn on Hidden items in File Explorer. Eject your Kobo, then turn it off and on again. Kobalt removes itself when your Kobo starts.
- Before you start
- Connect
- Install
- Finish
Before you start
Kobalt is beta software. It changes how your Kobo opens books and it can have bugs. If Kobalt has a problem at startup, your Kobo keeps using its own reader.
Make a backup of your Kobo before you continue. Connect it to your computer and copy the whole drive, including the hidden .kobo and .adds folders, to a safe place.
This project is not affiliated with Rakuten Kobo Inc. Modifying your Kobo can void your warranty.
Connect your Kobo
This browser cannot write to a connected Kobo. Open this page in a recent version of Chrome, Edge or another Chromium-based browser on a computer.
- Connect your Kobo to this computer with a USB cable.
- On the Kobo, tap Connect when it asks to connect to your computer.
- Select Select your Kobo below and choose the drive named KOBOeReader.
- When the browser asks, allow it to view and save changes.
Your Kobo
- Model
- Software version
- Kobalt
Remove Kobalt?
This deletes the .adds/kobalt folder from your Kobo, including Kobalt's settings and the reading positions it saved. Your books and your Kobo's own reading progress stay.
It also deletes .kobo/KoboRoot.tgz and .kobo/Kobo.tgz if they are there. These are update packages your Kobo has not installed yet, which can include one from another mod.
Do not disconnect your Kobo
Eject your Kobo
Waiting for your Kobo to disconnect
Your Kobo is still connected. Eject it when you are ready. This page stopped checking, but that does not change anything on the device.
Something went wrong
The Kobo may now hold part of the change. Do not eject yet: start over and install or remove Kobalt again. If that fails too, remove the .adds/kobalt folder and any .kobo/KoboRoot.tgz or .kobo/Kobo.tgz by hand before you eject.