Have you lost your e-reader cable? Your laptop doesn't have a USB-A port? Or you're just a tech savvy looking for a nerdy way of transferring files to your Kobo?
You will need:
You will need:
- a computer connected to Wi-Fi (you won't need internet access)
- any Kobo that has a built-in browser (I think most models have)
- Python installed in your computer (we'll spin up a web server using this)
To start off, make sure your computer and your e-reader are connected to the same Wi-Fi. You want to do this in a private Wi-Fi network. If you're in a public space, you can use your phone's tethering/hotspot. You won't need internet access, just the network.
Let's move to the books. In your computer, create a folder with the books you want to transfer. As we'll spin up a web server, do keep a separate folder for this. You don't want to share more than that.

Let's spin up the web server. If you don't have Python installed in your computer, go to python.org/downloads. You could use any other web server, I chose Python because it has a built-in one and it's easy to work with. Open a terminal inside your books folder. If you don't know how to do this, click here if you're on Mac, or here if you're on Windows. If you're on Linux, I'm sure you know. Inside the terminal, run the following command:
python -m http.server 8000
If that doesn't work, try this:
python3 -m http.server 8000
If you see a "Serving HTTP on..." message, you're all set. You now have a web server hosting your books. The last thing you need to do in your computer is to discover your private IP address. If you know how to do this, go for it. If you don't, this link might help.
Now it's time for Kobo! Go to More > Beta Features > Web Browser > Start. You should see Google. Type the following URL in the address bar:
http://<< your private ip >>:8000
For example: http://172.16.0.0:8000. You should see a list of your books. Just click the ones you want to download and they will automatically appear in your Kobo library.

Happy hacking!