Ask Dave Taylor
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • YouTube Videos
  • Top Categories
  • Subscribe via Email
  • Ask A Question
  • Meet Dave
  • Home
  • Alexa, Kindle, and Nook Help
  • How Do I Download [Sideload] EPUB ebooks to my Nook reader?

How Do I Download [Sideload] EPUB ebooks to my Nook reader?

December 31, 2021 / Dave Taylor / Alexa, Kindle, and Nook Help / No Comments

I just got a new Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader, a Glowlight 4, and it’s fantastic. I love it. How can I download and add some of my own EPUB ebooks to the device, however? I think it’s called “sideloading” in the Nook world.

Barnes & Noble sent me a Nook GlowLight 4, and I agree, it’s a terrific little handheld ebook reader with that cool eInk screen technology. It’s crisp and clear in direct sunlight too, so it’s the perfect reader for at the pool, the park, even just relaxing on a bench on a sunny afternoon. Used to be you had to go through all sorts of hoops to get a digital book file of your own onto an e-reader, but the latest generation of software makes it a breeze. In fact, it’s easier on the new GlowLight than any other Nook device.

The biggest challenge is that you need to get the source ebook in EPUB format. If you have it in MOBI format, that’s for the Amazon Kindle, but isn’t compatible with your Nook. Have a PDF? There are some tools online that can do the conversion if you want to dig around. I haven’t tried any of them so cannot make any recommendations…

I happen to have an EPUB file on my computer – The Gunslinger, the first book in the terrific Stephen King series The Dark Tower. It’s small – about 550KB – and in the correct format, with .epub as the filename suffix. Let’s get to work sideloading, uh, downloading this ebook!

PREP YOUR NOOK FOR FILE DOWNLOADS

The first step is to plug your Nook into your Mac or PC. Once you do, you’ll see this screen pop up on the GlowLight unit:

nook - switch to usb mode

Tap on the “Turn on” button and it changes to being just slightly grey as a background. It’s subtle. You’ll know you did the right thing, however, when it pops up on your computer.

ACCESSING YOUR NOOK FROM A WINDOWS PC

On a PC, you’ll see this appear in the lower right corner of your screen:

nook on windows pc - what happens when connected

Click on it and you’ll get a couple of choices of what to do:

nook on windows pc - choices what to do when connected

I recommend choosing “Open folder to view files“, treating it as an external storage unit. Once you’ve done that, the experience will be identical to on the Mac, so let’s show that too…

ACCESSING YOUR NOOK FROM AN APPLE MAC SYSTEM

If you have a Mac instead of a PC, no worries, plug in your Nook, enable USB mode, and it’ll just show up on your Desktop:

barnes & noble nook icon on mac desktop

Double click on it to open the device in the Finder. You’ll find that there are two folders:

nook usb connection mac - main folders android nook

On older Nook devices, the NOOK folder contains “My Files”, which is then split into further subfolders. With the latest generation, that’s all irrelevant, so you can just drop the EPUB file into the NOOK folder…

nook usb connection mac - epub copied

Notice the kind listed is “EPUB”. If it’s something else, it might not work. Also notice that this particular GlowLight 4 has 5.36GB of space available (shown on the very bottom line, above) and that this ebook is only 550KB. That means that if all your ebooks are 1MB or smaller in size, you could easily store hundreds of ebooks on the device!

Once the file’s copied across, make sure you EJECT the Nook from your Mac (or PC) before you continue. Then unplug the cable.

FINDING EPUB SIDELOADED EBOOKS ON THE NOOK

It’s quite probable that when you unplug your Nook and open up the regular home screen that the new title or titles will just show up on the device:

barnes & noble nook glowlight 4 - sideloaded downloaded epub books

If that isn’t the case, try tapping on the dual arrow “update” icon on the top right. Still can’t see it? You might have it in the wrong format or have not properly ejected the device. The very first time I copied across a file, I did end up restarting (hold down the power button for 5 seconds, then choose RESTART) for it all to work too, so that might be worth a try.

Assuming it works, however, you’re good to go! Congrats.

Turns out you can view just the titles you’ve sideloaded / downloaded onto your Nook too. Where it says “ALL TYPES by MOST RECENT” tap on “ALL TYPES” and a few options appear:

barnes & noble nook glowlight 4 - all types menu

Choose “My Files” from this menu and you’ll see just those titles that you’ve downloaded:

barnes & noble nook glowlight 4 - MY FILES ebooks

Does it all actually work? A tap on the cover of The Gunslinger shows that it does:

barnes & noble nook glowlight 4 - epub ebook the gunslinger

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a book to read…

Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about ebook readers since they were first introduced. Please check out my Kindle and Nook Help area for more tutorials and articles.

About the Author: Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since the early days of the Internet. Author of over 20 technical books, he runs the popular AskDaveTaylor.com tech help site. You can also find his gadget reviews on YouTube and chat with him on Twitter as @DaveTaylor.

Let’s Stay In Touch!

Never miss a single article, review or tutorial here on AskDaveTaylor, sign up for my fun weekly newsletter!
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz
Please choose a color:
Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
download to nook, how to sideload ebooks, nook ebook reader, sideload to nook

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Recent Posts

  • How to Check AirPods Pro Case Charge Level on a Mac
  • How to Adjust Equalizer EQ Settings on an Amazon Echo Speaker
  • Can I Read Ebooks for Free on my iPhone in the Books app?
  • Google Form: Acknowledge Membership? To What??
  • Tools That’ll Help You Monitor Vehicle Location and Maintenance Like a Pro

On Our YouTube Channel

Amazon Echo POP Smart Speaker with Alexa -- UNBOXING, DEMO & REVIEW

SoundPeats "Engine 4" TWS HiRes Earbuds -- DEMO & REVIEW

Categories

  • AdSense, AdWords, and PPC Help (106)
  • Alexa, Kindle, and Nook Help (101)
  • Amazon, eBay, and Online Shopping Help (166)
  • Android Help (234)
  • Apple iPad Help (151)
  • Apple Watch Help (54)
  • Articles, Tutorials, and Reviews (346)
  • Auto Tech Help (20)
  • Business Advice (201)
  • ChromeOS Help (39)
  • Computer & Internet Basics (790)
  • d) None of the Above (166)
  • Facebook Help (385)
  • Google, Chrome & Gmail Help (192)
  • HTML & Web Page Design (248)
  • Instagram Help (49)
  • iPhone & iOS Help (633)
  • iPod & MP3 Player Help (173)
  • LinkedIn Help (90)
  • Linux Help (178)
  • Linux Shell Script Programming (90)
  • Mac & MacOS Help (921)
  • Most Popular (16)
  • Outlook & Office 365 Help (35)
  • PayPal Help (68)
  • Pinterest Help (54)
  • Reddit Help (21)
  • SEO & Marketing (82)
  • Spam, Scams & Security (100)
  • Trade Show News & Updates (23)
  • Twitter Help (224)
  • Video Game Tips (66)
  • Web Site Traffic Tips (62)
  • Windows PC Help (964)
  • Wordpress Help (206)
  • Writing and Publishing (72)
  • YouTube Help (47)
  • YouTube Video Reviews (159)
  • Zoom, Skype & Video Chat Help (65)

Archives

Social Connections:

Ask Dave Taylor


Follow Me on Pinterest
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on LinkedIn
Follow me on Instagram


AskDaveTaylor on Facebook



microsoft insider mvp


This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to our terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. Our lawyer says "Thanks for your cooperation."
© 2023 by Dave Taylor. "Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.
Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions - Accessibility Policy