Export Highlights and Annotations from Kobo eReaders
Kobo eReaders do not expose highlight/annotation export by default. A hidden configuration option enables a per-book “Export highlights” menu item.
Enable the export feature
- Connect the Kobo to your computer via USB.
- Navigate to the Kobo mount point (e.g.,
D:\on Windows, or the mounted volume on macOS/Linux). - Open
.kobo/Kobo/Kobo eReader.confin a plain-text editor. - Add (or modify) the
[FeatureSettings]section:
[FeatureSettings]
ExportHighlights=true- Save the file (ensure the extension remains
.conf, not.txt). - Safely eject the Kobo.
Export a book’s highlights
After enabling the feature:
- On the Kobo, go to My Books.
- Long-press (or tap the menu icon) on the book with highlights.
- Select Export highlights (or Export Annotations on newer firmware).
- Enter a filename when prompted.
- The annotations are saved as a plain-text file in the root of the Kobo mount.
The exported file starts with the book title, followed by each highlight and annotation as a separate paragraph.
Alternative: Kobo.com export
For books purchased from Kobo, you can also export annotations from the web:
- Sign in to your Kobo account at kobo.com.
- Go to My Books.
- Click the Actions icon next to the book.
- Select Export Annotations.
- Choose a format: PDF, HTML, TXT, or Markdown.
- Download the generated file.
Note: Web export only works for Kobo-purchased content and may depend on publisher approval. Exported files are stored for 30 days.
Known issues
- Truncated highlights: Some users report that long highlights are truncated in the exported text file. Third-party tools like Calibre with the Kobo Utilities plugin can extract complete annotations from the device’s database.
- Firmware changes: The feature may stop working after firmware updates; re-adding the configuration option usually restores it.
Sources
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