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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Calibre 8.5 adds a Kobo-driver option for controlling how series numbers appear on a Kobo eReader. The feature changes their display through a user-defined template; it is not a new Kobo reading app or a requirement to buy a new device. The release, dated June 20, 2025, also includes support for new Tolino firmware.
What’s new for Kobo in calibre 8.5?
The release note describes the Kobo change as an option to “change how the Kobo displays series numbers using a template.” In practical terms, it gives calibre users more control over how series-number information is presented on a connected Kobo. It concerns display formatting, not a change to the underlying book or a new feature for managing series on every Kobo model.
Calibre 8.5’s official release entry is dated June 20, 2025: calibre 8.5 release notes.
Other changes in the release
- Support for new Tolino firmware. Tolino is a separate device brand from Kobo.
- Higher-contrast scrollbars in light mode.
- A control to cancel remaining books when managing multiple data files.
How does the series-number template fit into Kobo support?
The template is an incremental driver improvement, not the start of calibre’s Kobo format support. In the calibre 8.0.1 era, the project added out-of-the-box support for Kobo’s KEPUB format. Calibre can natively edit, view, and convert KEPUB, and can automatically convert EPUB to KEPUB when sending a book to a Kobo device. Details are in the calibre feature documentation and the project changelog.
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Do you need KoboTouchExtended for calibre 8.5?
The specific 8.5 series-number option is listed as a feature of calibre’s Kobo driver, and the earlier KEPUB work is described as built-in support. The release materials do not say that KoboTouchExtended is required for either of those features. They also do not provide a full feature-by-feature comparison with that plugin, so whether a plugin is useful for your particular setup depends on what you need beyond the built-in functions.
How to use calibre with a Kobo eReader
Kobo’s user guide describes using calibre to organize eBooks on a computer, convert them to formats such as EPUB or PDF, and transfer books to a Kobo eReader. The guide is older, so it should not be read as a guarantee of identical behavior across every current Kobo model or firmware: Kobo’s guide to transferring eBooks from a computer.
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- Install calibre for your computer’s operating system. The calibre 8.5.0 download page lists Windows 64-bit, a portable Windows build, macOS, Linux ARM 64-bit, Linux Intel 64-bit, and source code: calibre downloads.
- Connect the Kobo eReader to the computer and use calibre to manage or transfer books, following the device prompts.
- For an EPUB sent to a Kobo, calibre can automatically convert it to KEPUB as part of transfer. Calibre also supports working with KEPUB directly.
- To customize series-number display, use the Kobo driver’s template option in calibre 8.5. The release note confirms the option exists but does not specify a click-by-click setup path or prescribe a template syntax.
Who benefits from the update?
The most direct audience is Kobo owners who already use calibre and want more control over the presentation of series numbers. The feature is software-side support for an existing device, not a reason by itself to replace or purchase hardware. If you do not use a Kobo, the series-display option is unlikely to matter; other calibre 8.5 changes may still be relevant.
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