KoboPatch Web UI

Custom patches for your Kobo e-reader

Device
Patches
Build
Install

Patching modifies system files on your Kobo, and will void your warranty. This process allows for custom modifications to be applied, or undone. If something has gone wrong, you may need to manually reset your device.

Connect your Kobo e-reader via USB. It should appear as a removable drive. Then click the button below and select the root of the Kobo drive.

Don't want to use Chrome? Select your firmware version manually instead.

Patching modifies system files on your Kobo. If something goes wrong, you may need to manually reset your device. Proceed with care.

Tip: if you use Chrome or Edge, this tool can auto-detect your device and write patched files directly to it. Even easier, but sadly requires a Chromium based browser.

Select your Kobo model and firmware version. Not sure which model you have? Identify your Kobo eReader.

You can identify your model by the serial number prefix shown on your Kobo under Settings > Device information. Match the first characters (e.g. N428) to the list above.

Model --

Serial --

Firmware --

Enable or disable patches below. Patches in the same group are mutually exclusive.

Firmware for will be downloaded automatically from Kobo's servers and will be patched after the download completes.

Firmware download URL

You can verify if this URL matches your Kobo's model on Kobo's support page. The most important bit is that "koboXX" matches, for example "kobo13" for Kobo Libra Color.

Starting...

Please wait while the patch is being applied...

An existing KoboRoot.tgz file was found on your Kobo. This means an update has not been applied yet. If you choose to write the new file to your Kobo, the existing one will be overwritten.

Build log

KoboRoot.tgz has been written to your Kobo. Safely eject the device before unplugging the USB cable — it will reboot and apply the patches automatically.

Connect your Kobo via USB so it appears as a removable drive.
Copy KoboRoot.tgz into the .kobo folder on the Kobo drive.
Safely eject the Kobo — do not just unplug the cable, as this can corrupt data.
The device will reboot and apply the patches automatically.

Something went wrong

How does this work?

Built on kobopatch by pgaskin. Patches and discussion on the MobileRead forums.

Source code available on GitHub. This project is not affiliated with Rakuten Kobo Inc.

How does this work?

KoboPatch Web UI is a fully client-side web application for applying custom kobopatch patches to Kobo e-readers. Nothing is uploaded to a server — everything runs in your browser.

The patching process

Device selection — On Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge), the app can auto-detect your Kobo via the File System Access API when connected over USB. On other browsers, you manually select your model and firmware version.
Patch configuration — You choose which patches to enable or disable. Patches in the same group are mutually exclusive (radio buttons). The patches themselves are community-contributed via the MobileRead forums.
Build — The correct firmware is downloaded directly from Kobo's servers (ereaderfiles.kobo.com). The patcher, compiled from Go to WebAssembly, runs inside a Web Worker so the UI stays responsive. It extracts the firmware's KoboRoot.tgz, applies your selected patches as in-place byte replacements to the ELF binaries, validates the results (ELF headers, file sizes, archive consistency), and produces a new KoboRoot.tgz.
Install — On Chromium, the patched file is written directly to the .kobo folder on the device. On other browsers, you download the file and copy it manually. After safely ejecting, the Kobo reboots and applies the update.

Restoring original software

You can also use this tool to restore the original unpatched firmware. In that case, no patches are applied — the original KoboRoot.tgz is extracted from the firmware zip as-is.

Safety

Each patched binary is validated before being included in the output: ELF magic bytes, 32-bit ARM architecture, file size (must match the original), and archive integrity are all checked. If anything looks wrong, the build fails with an error. That said, patching modifies system files, so you should know how to manually reset your Kobo if needed.