How to Export Highlights and Notes from Kobo: The 2026 Guide
Quick Answer: Kobo has three real ways to get highlights and notes out of the app, and none of them are prominently advertised. The official method lives on Kobo.com: go to My Books, click the Actions icon (three dots) next to a title, choose Export Annotations, pick a format (PDF, HTML, TXT, or Markdown), and click Generate File — but this only works for books purchased from Kobo or Kobo Plus, excludes sideloaded and library-loan titles, and the generated file is deleted from your account after 30 days. If you own a Kobo e-reader, there is also a hidden on-device export: editing a config file unlocks an "Export highlights" option per book, though recent firmware has a known bug that truncates long highlights with "…". For sideloaded books, library loans, or a bulk pull across your whole library, third-party tools like Kobo Highlights Export and Kobo Note Up read the device's own database and cover the gap the official tools leave open.
If you read on a Kobo e-reader or the Kobo app, you have probably already noticed that "export my highlights" is not a button anywhere near your library. It exists — in three different forms, on three different surfaces, each with a different set of restrictions — but Kobo has never consolidated it into a single, obvious feature the way some competitors have. That fragmentation is the whole story of this guide: which method you need depends on where the book came from and what device you read it on.
Why Kobo's Export Situation Is More Confusing Than It Should Be
Most reading platforms make you choose between "good export" and "no export." Kobo makes you choose between three partial exports, each covering a different slice of your library.
The official Export Annotations tool on Kobo.com only recognizes books you actually bought from Kobo or through a Kobo Plus subscription. If you sideload EPUBs (say, from a library, a DRM-free purchase elsewhere, or your own files) or borrow through OverDrive/Libby-style library lending, that tool will not see those titles at all — a real gap for anyone whose Kobo library is mixed. Kobo's own support documentation is explicit about this restriction, and it also notes that export "may not work for all books and depends on author approval," which means even qualifying Kobo Plus and Kobo Store titles are not guaranteed to export successfully.
The on-device method solves the sideloading problem — it works on the highlights physically stored on your e-reader regardless of where the book came from — but it requires editing a hidden configuration file, which is a meaningfully higher bar than clicking a button, and it is not available at all if you only read in the Kobo mobile app rather than on a physical device.
Compare this to Kindle's approach, which centralizes everything on one web page (read.amazon.com) regardless of format quirks, or Libby's 2026 update, which added a genuine per-title export button inside the app itself. Kobo's three-path system is more capable in total than Nook's total absence of export, but it requires you to know which path applies to your specific book before you start.
Method 1: The Official Kobo.com Export Annotations Tool
This is the right starting point for anyone whose highlights come from books purchased directly through Kobo or Kobo Plus.
Step 1: Sign In and Open My Books
Go to Kobo.com and sign in with your account. Hover over My Account at the top of the page and click My Books.
Step 2: Find the Book and Open Actions
Locate the title you want to export. Click the Actions icon (three small dots) next to it.
Step 3: Choose Export Annotations
Select Export Annotations from the menu. A dropdown lets you choose the output format: PDF, HTML, TXT, or Markdown. Markdown is the most portable choice if your goal is moving the highlights into another note-taking or review tool.
Step 4: Generate and Download
Click Generate File. Once it finishes processing, download it from the Annotations tab on the same page.
What This Method Does Not Cover
- Sideloaded books (EPUBs you added yourself) are not eligible — the tool only recognizes titles purchased from Kobo or Kobo Plus.
- Library loans (borrowed through OverDrive-style lending) are not eligible either.
- Markups (drawing or freehand annotation on supported devices) are excluded — only highlights and typed notes export.
- Generated files expire. Kobo stores the exported file in your account for 30 days, after which it is permanently removed. If you generate a file and forget to download it, you may need to regenerate it.
- Availability varies by book. Export "may not work for all books and depends on author approval," per Kobo's own support documentation — so occasional failures on qualifying titles are a known, not a bug you caused.
Method 2: The Hidden On-Device Export Feature
If you read on a physical Kobo e-reader (not just the app), there is a second, unofficial-but-supported path that works regardless of where the book came from — including sideloaded EPUBs.
Step 1: Connect Your Kobo and Reveal Hidden Files
Connect your Kobo e-reader to your computer via USB. On a Mac, press Cmd+Shift+Period to reveal hidden files and folders in Finder.
Step 2: Edit the Configuration File
Navigate into the .kobo folder, then the Kobo subfolder. Open Kobo eReader.conf in a plain text editor and add these two lines at the end of the file:
[FeatureSettings]
ExportHighlights=true
Save the file — make sure it stays saved as .conf, not accidentally renamed to .txt by your text editor.
Step 3: Eject and Use the Feature On-Device
Hide your files again if you want (Cmd+Shift+Period toggles it back), then safely eject the Kobo. On the device itself, touch and hold any book cover, and you should now see an Export highlights option that was not there before. Selecting it saves a .txt file containing that book's highlights to the device's root directory. Reconnect to your computer to grab the file.
The Known Limitation
Recent Kobo firmware has introduced a truncation bug in this feature: long highlights sometimes export with an ellipsis ("…") where the rest of the passage should be, cutting off the highlighted text mid-sentence. If you rely on this method for passages you actually need in full, cross-check a few against the book itself before assuming the export is complete. For readers who hit this consistently, some have had better luck pulling annotations through Calibre with an annotations plugin instead, which reads the highlights directly rather than generating a truncated text file — though the output is not as neatly packaged as a single .txt export.
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Method 3: Third-Party Tools for Bulk or Sideloaded Exports
Both official Kobo methods have real gaps: the web tool excludes sideloaded and library books, and the on-device method requires a physical e-reader and a config-file edit. A handful of third-party tools fill this in by reading the KoboReader.sqlite database directly — the file Kobo itself uses internally to track every book's highlights, notes, and reading activity, stored in the hidden .kobo directory at the root of the device when connected via USB.
Kobo Highlights Export is a browser-based tool that processes your KoboReader.sqlite file entirely locally (nothing uploads to a server) and converts it into Markdown, CSV, or plain text — a genuine bulk option covering every book on the device at once, sideloaded or not.
Kobo Note Up is a similar no-install, browser-based tool, with the added ability to pull stylus handwriting (on Kobo devices that support it) alongside highlights and notes, exporting directly to Notion, Markdown, or plain text.
Readwise also has an official Kobo integration, according to Kobo's own help center, letting you view and manage your Kobo annotations through the Readwise app and re-export them to Evernote, Notion, and other destinations — useful if you already run a Readwise-centered workflow across multiple reading platforms. If you are still deciding whether Readwise should be that hub, our side-by-side of Chapterly and Readwise compares how each one handles review and long-term retention.
Kobo vs. Kindle vs. Libby vs. Nook: How Export Actually Compares
| Kobo | Kindle | Libby (OverDrive) | Nook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native export exists? | Yes — three separate methods, each partial | Yes — web page or My Clippings.txt | Yes, since Feb 2026 | No |
| Covers sideloaded/non-store books? | Only via on-device method or third-party tools, not the official web tool | N/A (device-based file covers everything on it) | N/A | N/A — no export exists at all |
| Bulk, whole-library export? | Only via third-party tools reading KoboReader.sqlite | Yes, via My Clippings.txt on a connected device | No — per-title only | No |
| Export formats | PDF, HTML, TXT, Markdown (official); Markdown/CSV/text (third-party) | Plain text or HTML table | Table (web page) or Spreadsheet | None — manual copy only |
| Any expiration on the export itself? | Yes — official web export deleted after 30 days | No | No | N/A |
The practical takeaway: Kobo is more capable than Nook, which has no export path whatsoever, but it asks more of you than Kindle or Libby, both of which consolidated export into one primary method. If your Kobo library is entirely Kobo Store purchases, the official web tool alone will get you most of the way. If it is a mix of store purchases, sideloaded EPUBs, and library loans — which is common for Kobo owners specifically, since the platform is popular with readers who buy DRM-free or borrow from libraries — expect to combine two of the three methods above.
What to Actually Do With the Export
Getting your highlights out of Kobo, in whatever format you land on, is only the setup step. What happens next determines whether the effort was worth it.
The common failure mode is the same regardless of platform: the exported file — a Markdown export, a CSV, a plain-text dump from KoboReader.sqlite — gets saved somewhere and never opened again. Cognitive science on memory is consistent here: rereading a wall of your own highlights does very little for retention on its own. The mechanism that actually works is spaced retrieval — being prompted to recall a highlight from memory, in your own words, at expanding intervals after you first captured it, rather than passively re-reading the original text.
This is the gap Chapterly is built to close. Rather than letting your exported Kobo highlights sit in a folder, you can import them into a system that resurfaces them on a spaced schedule, asks you to explain each one back before revealing the source passage, and uses an AI tutor to push further on the highlights you are shakiest on. It turns a one-time export job into an ongoing review habit instead of a file you forget about by next month — the same problem this guide's companion posts on Libby, Nook, Everand, and Kindle exports all end on, because it is the same problem regardless of which e-reader you use. The underlying fix is spaced repetition applied to whatever highlights you managed to get out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I export highlights from sideloaded books on Kobo?
Not through the official Kobo.com Export Annotations tool — it only recognizes books purchased from Kobo or Kobo Plus. For sideloaded EPUBs, use the on-device method (editing Kobo eReader.conf to enable the hidden "Export highlights" option) or a third-party tool like Kobo Highlights Export that reads the KoboReader.sqlite database directly, since both work on any book physically on the device regardless of where it came from.
Why does my Kobo highlight export get cut off with "…"?
This is a known bug in recent Kobo firmware affecting the on-device export feature (the one enabled by editing Kobo eReader.conf). Long highlights are sometimes truncated with an ellipsis instead of exporting in full. If this happens consistently, try the official Kobo.com Export Annotations tool for eligible books, or use a third-party tool that reads the underlying database rather than generating the device's own truncated text file.
How long do I have to download my Kobo.com export before it disappears?
30 days. Kobo stores the generated annotation file in your account for 30 days after you click Generate File, then permanently removes it. If you miss that window, you will need to regenerate the export from the same Actions menu.
Does the Kobo.com export include everything I highlighted?
It includes highlights and typed notes, but not markups (freehand drawing or annotation on devices that support it). It is also subject to publisher approval — Kobo's own documentation notes that export "may not work for all books," so occasional failures on eligible titles are expected rather than a sign of user error.
What is KoboReader.sqlite, and do I need it?
It is the internal database file your Kobo e-reader uses to track every book's highlights, notes, and reading activity, stored in the hidden .kobo folder at the root of the device when connected via USB. You only need to interact with it directly if you are using a third-party tool like Kobo Highlights Export, which reads that file to produce a bulk export covering your entire library, sideloaded books included — something neither official Kobo method offers on its own.
Exporting your Kobo highlights is the easy part — Chapterly turns whatever you pull out into a spaced-review habit so your reading actually sticks. Try it free.