How to read kindle books on my kobo?

"I have a Kobo, can I read Amzon e-books (kindle) on it? - Hi, I wanted to buy some book from Amazon but obviously I won't be able to install their reading app on my Kobo. I've searched the net and found many articles regarding this topic, and they all say that in order to do this you have to remove the DRM first, however, those articles are all pretty old, do Amazon still sells kindle books in file form or you can only read them on their apps? And how to read Kindle books on Kobo?"

Can a Kobo read Kindle books? Of course yes when you turn the Kindle books into Kobo friendly eBooks. The problem is: how to make Kindle books Kobo compatible so as to let you read Kindle books on Kobo eReader? In this guide, we would like to provide you answers to questions like "can Kobo read Kindle books" and "how to read Kindle books on my Kobo".

Part 1: Kindle vs. Kobo

The Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines and other digital media via wireless networking to the Kindle Store. Amazon has designed Kindle apps for different platforms including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, etc. The downloaded books on Kindle devices would be automatically synced to Kindle apps on different platforms in the same account. eBooks downloaded to Kindle are saved in Word (DOC, DOCX), HTML (ZIP, HTM, HTML), MOBI, ePub, RTF, TXT, PDF and KPF.

The Kobo eReader is an e-reader produced by Toronto-based Kobo Inc. The company's name is an anagram of "book". With three generations of Kobo e-readers under its belt and widely available, along with the Kobobooks.com e-book store and partnership with the (faltering) Borders book chain, Kobo has become increasingly visible in only two years and now claims to control roughly 10 percent of the US e-book market. Book formats you could open on your Kobo include EPUB, EPUB3 (Note: Kobo Original and Kobo Wi-Fi does not support EPUB3), PDF, and MOBI.

Part 2: Why Can't We Read Kindle Books on Kobo eReader

Most eBooks purchased and downloaded on Kindle device or Kindle app are DRM protected. DRM, short for Digital Right Management, is the practice of imposing technological restrictions that control what users can do with digital media. When a program is designed to prevent you from copying or sharing a song, reading an ebook on another device, or playing a single-player game without an Internet connection, you are being restricted by DRM.

In other words, DRM creates a damaged good; it prevents you from doing what would be possible without it. This concentrates control over production and distribution of media, giving DRM peddlers the power to carry out massive digital book burnings and conduct large scale surveillance over people's media viewing habits.

To protect the author and publishers’ right, most eBooks on Amazon Store have been DRM restricted. This means you could only read Amazon book on your Kindle device or Kindle app. If you want to read Kindle books on Kobo and other eReader devices or apps, you have to firstly remove the DRM protection and then convert Kindle books to Kobo or other eReaders. You could know how to convert Kindle books to Kobo below.

Part 3: How to Convert Kindle Books to Kobo with Leawo Prof. DRM

Leawo Prof. DRM features a professional Kindle eBook converter that could help you remove DRM protection from Kindle books and then convert Kindle books to Kobo formats like ePub, PDF, TXT, etc. It’s easy to use and quick in converting. What’s more, it’s actually a comprehensive media solution that could help you remove DRM protection on iTunes video, music, and audiobooks, Audible audiobooks, eBooks from Kindle, Kobo and Adobe Digital Edition, and then convert these files to DRM-free files for unlimited entertainment.

Download and install Leawo Prof. DRM on your computer. Then, follow the below steps to learn how to remove DRM from Kindle books and convert Kindle books to Kobo. You need to make sure you have downloaded eBooks to your Kindle device beforehand.

Step 1: Log in Kindle app on your computer

On your computer, log in the Kindle app with your Amazon account.

Step 2: Add Kindle eBooks

Launch Leawo Prof. DRM and then click the “Add Files” button on the main interface. You will be then guided to add Kindle books.

Step 3: Choose Kindle books to convert

On the popup “Add Files” window, open “Library > Kindle” tab to choose Kindle eBooks for converting. After selecting target eBooks, click the “Add” button.

Step 4: Set output format

Click the pencil icon within each loaded eBook title to choose either epub, mobi, azw3, or text as output format. ePub or PDF is recommended for Kobo eReader. For time saving, you could check the "Apply to all eBook files" button.

Step 5: Choose output directory

Now, set output directory in the “Output” box at the bottom.

Step 6: Remove DRM from Kindle books and convert Kindle books to Kobo

Finally, click the “Convert” button at the bottom right corner. Leawo Prof. DRM would start to remove DRM protection upon Kindle books in the background and convert Kindle books to Kobo immediately. You could see the converting progress.

Once the conversion finishes, you could refer to the below steps to learn how to import converted Kindle books to Kobo.

Part 4: How to Import Converted Kindle Books to Kobo

Now, with DRM removed from Kindle books and the Kindle books converted to Kobo friendly formats, you could now import converted Kindle books to Kobo so as to read Kindle books on Kobo eReader. The below steps would show you how to import Kindle books to Kobo now:

Section A: Adding books (EPUB files) or PDFs to your Kobo eReader using your PC

You can connect your Kobo eReader to your Windows computer, and then drag and drop books into your eReader Library.

1. Connect your eReader to your computer using a Micro USB cable.

2. Tap Connect on your eReader.

3. When Windows prompts you, click Open folder to view files.

4. A desktop explorer window will open, showing the contents of your eReader.

5. Drag and drop your books from the folders you've set in the Step 5 in the previous part above into the eReader.

6. Eject the eReader when you're finished.

Section B: Adding books (EPUB files) or PDFs to your Kobo eReader using your Mac

You can connect your eReader to your Macintosh computer and then drag and drop books into your eReader Library. Before you begin, add the books to your computer.

1. Connect your eReader to your computer using the a Micro USB cable.

2. Tap Connect on your eReader.

3. On your computer, open your Finder application.

4. Select Kobo eReader from your list of devices.

5. Open another Finder window and display the books you want to add to your eReader.

6. Drag and drop your books into the Kobo eReader Finder window.

7. Eject your eReader when you're finished.