EPUB Primer: Everything You Need to Know And More

July 26th, 2010 by K. T. Bradford

How to Transfer EPUB Books

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide for how to transfer EPUB books bought from any eBook store that uses Adobe DRM to any eReader that can read Adobe Digital Editions books.

1. Get an Adobe.com ID

a) Visit Adobe.com to Create an Adobe Account.

b) The e-mail address you enter during the registration process will be your ID.

2. Download and install the Adobe Digital Editions Software.

This free software is available from Adobe.com as well. (It’s compatible with PC and Mac, but not Linux.)

3. Authorize your computer.

a) Once installed, navigate to Library > Authorize Computer.

b) Enter your Adobe ID e-mail and password. If you have multiple computers, be sure to authorize them all with the same ID.

4. Authorize your eReader(s).

Not all eReaders work with Adobe Digital Editions, but the device manufacturer will usually tell you on its website or in the documentation. If you’re not sure, check there first. Adobe also keeps a list of supported devices. However, the list is not comprehensive.

a) With ADE open, plug your eReader into your notebook’s USB port. Some devices require an extra step that allows the computer to access the memory. You’ll need to do this before the software will detect the eReader. Check the instructions on screen or in the documentation.

b) ADE will recognize the device and ask if you want to authorize it. Click Authorize Device.

c) Once the process is complete, the eReader will show up as an icon in the left menu.

Note: Some eReaders, such as the Alex, required us to enter our Adobe ID on the device itself in order to authorize it. If ADE doesn’t recognize your eReader automatically, contact the manufacturer to find out if the device requires a unique process.

5. Add eBooks to Adobe Digital Editions’ library.

When you first start the program, ADE will scan your computer and add all of the ePUB files it finds. If you load books to your computer later, you can still add them to the library.

a) Click Library > Add Items to Library.

b) Navigate to a folder with .epub files. Some eBook stores require users to install their own software in order to download books. This won’t interfere with ADE, but you may end up with books in several different folders. See the Help section of those programs if you can’t find it.

c) Select one or multiple files, then Open.

d) The files will show up in the main Library view, and are now authorized for copying to other devices.

6. Add eBooks to your device.

Drag books from the library to your eReader icon and drop them when the circle on the lower right of the icon turns green and shows a “+” sign.