Version 6.8.0 released on 18 June, 2020
Welcome to Apprentice Alf’s blog
This blog is intended to help anyone looking for free and simple software for removing DRM from their Kindle ebooks, stripping DRM from their Adobe Digital Editions ebooks, getting rid of DRM from their Barnes and Noble ebooks, freeing their Kobo ebooks of DRM, or decrypting their Fictionwise eReader ebooks.
If you want to find out more about ebooks, DRM and why you will probably want to remove the DRM from your ebooks, see this post: Ebook Formats, DRM and You — A Guide for the Perplexed.
If you already know that you want to strip the DRM from your ebooks, you’ve found the right place.
The Tools
To get started on removing DRM from your ebooks, just download the tools archive from the link below. Unzip the archive, and start reading.
The latest release can be found at the top of this page:
https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools/releases
Getting Help with the Tools
If you have any questions about the tools, ebooks, and DRM, check the FAQs at the GitHub repository:
https://github.com/apprenticeharper/DeDRM_tools/blob/master/FAQs.md
If you have any problems with the current tools, please ask for help in a comment on this post or open a new issue at the GitHub repository. If you are having a problem with an older version of the tools, please first update to the current version, and see if that solves your problem.
Before commenting here, please check the ReadMe file and the FAQs (see link above).
In any bug report or help request, please include:
- which tool was used
- which OS you are using
- where the ebook file came from (device or application)
- any error messages
- a log of the DRM-removal attempt (see the FAQs on how to get a log).
Anti-Piracy Notice
Please only use these tools for gaining full access to your own ebooks for archiving/conversion/convenience. De-drmed ebooks should not be uploaded to open servers, torrents, or other methods of mass distribution. No help will be given to people doing such things. Authors, retailers and publishers all need to make a living, so that they can continue to produce books for us to read. Don’t be a parasite.
Origin of the Tools
The tools for removing DRM from ePubs were originally posted at i♥cabbages’ blog. The tools for Kindle/Mobipocket were originally posted at The Dark Reverser’s blog.
They have since been improved by many people, but mostly some_updates, DiapDealer, Apprentice Alf, and Apprentice Harper. While there are many sites that redistribute these tools, the most up-to-date versions of the tools are currently released here.
Other Sources
Anyone trying to sell you ebook DRM removal tools for Adobe Adept ePub and PDFs, Barnes & Noble ePubs, Kindle ebooks, Kobo ebooks, or eReader ebooks has probably just repackaged (an earlier) version of the tools available here.
An exceptionally naive question. Does the tool work with files downloaded to Adobe Digital Editions earlier versions? I know it does with 2.0.1, but I cannot launch it on Win10; however, I can launch 1.7.2. Does 1.7.2 fit?
I believe it should be okay as long as you have it authorized with your Adobe ID and can read your book with it. Also, needs to be on the same machine and user as calibre with DeDRM. Although I have no issue myself using ADE 2.0.1 on Windows 10.
Hello, I have used your tools for Calibre for years with no problem. However, last night I did. I purchased a book from the Amazon web site and Calibre could not format to epub because of DRM. I am using Windows 10, Calibre 5.3, Kindle for PC 1.16.0 and your tools 6.8.0. I see on your blog tthat it won’t work with Calibre beta that requires Python 3 for plugins. I do not know if I have the beta version or not. Here is the debug log:
calibre Debug log
calibre 5.3 embedded-python: True is64bit: False
Windows-10-10.0.18362-SP0 Windows (’32bit’, ‘WindowsPE’)
32bit process running on 64bit windows
(‘Windows’, ’10’, ‘10.0.18362’)
Python 3.8.5
Windows: (’10’, ‘10.0.18362’, ‘SP0’, ‘Multiprocessor Free’)
Interface language: None
Failed to initialize plugin: ‘C:\Users\sally\AppData\Roaming\calibre\plugins\DeDRM.zip’
Successfully initialized third party plugins: Gather KFX-ZIP (from KFX Input) (1, 33, 0) && Package KFX (from KFX Input) (1, 33, 0) && KFX metadata reader (from KFX Input) (1, 33, 0) && KFX Input (1, 33, 0)
calibre 5.3 embedded-python: True is64bit: False
Windows-10-10.0.18362-SP0 Windows (’32bit’, ‘WindowsPE’)
32bit process running on 64bit windows
(‘Windows’, ’10’, ‘10.0.18362’)
Python 3.8.5
Windows: (’10’, ‘10.0.18362’, ‘SP0’, ‘Multiprocessor Free’)
Interface language: None
Successfully initialized third party plugins: Gather KFX-ZIP (from KFX Input) (1, 33, 0) && Package KFX (from KFX Input) (1, 33, 0) && KFX metadata reader (from KFX Input) (1, 33, 0) && KFX Input (1, 33, 0)
Turning on automatic hidpi scaling
devicePixelRatio: 1.0
logicalDpi: 96.0 x 96.0
physicalDpi: 92.53889943074003 x 92.67567567567568
Using calibre Qt style: True
[0.00] Starting up…
[0.00] Showing splash screen…
[0.39] splash screen shown
[0.39] Initializing db…
[0.39] db initialized
[0.39] Constructing main UI…
[0.88] main UI initialized…
[0.88] Hiding splash screen
Starting QuickView
Failed to initialize plugin: ‘C:\Users\sally\AppData\Roaming\calibre\plugins\DeDRM.zip’
Gather KFX-ZIP (from KFX Input) 1.33.0: Importing C:\Users\sally\Documents\My Kindle Content\B084VV1P3K_EBOK.azw
Gather KFX-ZIP (from KFX Input): File is not KFX format
[7.88] splash screen hidden
[7.88] Started up in 7.88 seconds with 120 books
stdout+stderr from file dialog helper: [b”, b”]
piped data from file dialog helper: [b’W\xf26g\xeb\xce\xd8\x04\xf3k\xf8k7kbU\x99R\x18I3\xf6lk\x17\xd1\xe4\x1a\x15\x87\xf0\x99′, b’C:\Users\sally\Documents\My Kindle Content\B084VV1P3K_EBOK.azw’]
Added The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return to db in: 0.1
Added 1 books in 0.5 seconds
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “calibre\customize\ui.py”, line 703, in initialize_plugins
File “calibre\customize\ui.py”, line 61, in load_plugin
File “calibre\customize\zipplugin.py”, line 285, in load
File “importlib__init__.py”, line 127, in import_module
File “”, line 1014, in _gcd_import
File “”, line 991, in _find_and_load
File “”, line 975, in _find_and_load_unlocked
File “”, line 671, in _load_unlocked
File “calibre\customize\zipplugin.py”, line 177, in exec_module
File “calibre\customize\zipplugin.py”, line 173, in get_code
File “calibre_plugins.dedrm.init“, line 168
print u”{0} v{1}: Copying needed library files from plugin’s zip”.format(PLUGIN_NAME, PLUGIN_VERSION)
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
I would appreciate any help or information you can supply.
Thank you for all you do!
Python 3 is now part of the regular calibre release starting with version 5. Until the next update to DeDRM is released, stick with calibre 4.23… the last with Python 2.
Thank you. So do I just install the Calibre 4.23 version that I previously downloaded like I normally do the updates, or should I uninstall Calibre and reinstall version 4.23?
I’ve recently had the same issue. You need to uninstall, then install the 4.23, should be all good then.
And don’t forget to also delete and re-import the book(s) on which DeDRM failed.
Thanks yep did that 😁
Calibre recently stopped removing DRMs for me. I reverted to Calibre version 4.23.0 and the DeDRM version 6.8.0 plugin. I also reverted to Adobe Digital Editions version 2.0 for some forgotten reason. I can now remove DRMs. My question is – can I update ADE to the current version or should I leave things as they are? Thanks
I’m hoping someone posts in this thread when it’s ok to upgrade.
Alf will let us know when there’s a new DeDRM release.
I meant, I want to know when I can update Calibre without losing the ability to convert my books.
When Alf releases a version of DeDRM that will work with Python 3 used in Calibre 5, he will let us know.
I wish we could edit posts.
Once Alf informs us, then and ONLY then should anyone install Calibre 5 (if their OS allows it, mine doesn’t allow any version higher than 3.48)
That’s what the next DeDRM update which is currently in the works is for.
All you need to do is install the portable version of 4.23. Copy your configuration on top of the default configuration and you can use that to remove the DRM and use 5.x for everything else. It has to be 4.23 because it’s the only PY2 version that is fully compatible with the database changes in 5.x.
Leave ADE at 2.0.1 to avoid the possibility of getting newer hardened Adobe DRM.
Thank-you Laura
I see that work is being done on Kindle DRM removal, what what about work on removing the DRM from ePub eBooks? This is for the 7.0.0 Calibre 5 version of the plugin.
Yes, work is being done on those parts of DeDRM too.