# How do I download an ebook as a PDF? — DocFind Last reviewed: September 25, 2026. HTML version: https://docfindapp.com/answers/download-an-ebook-as-a-pdf **You can, for a book you bought from a store that offers it and a publisher that allows it — and two of the big stores document exactly how.** Google Play Books and Kobo both let you download a purchased book as a PDF from your library on the web. Neither promises it for every title, and a "PDF" that arrives with copy protection needs one more app before you can read it. This page sticks to what those stores' own help pages say. ## Google Play Books

Google's steps, on a computer ([*How to export books from Google Play to your computer*](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/179863?hl=en), read 25 September 2026):

  1. Go to play.google.com and click your profile at the top right.
  2. Click **Library & devices**, then **Books**.
  3. Next to the book, click More, then **Export**, then "Download EPUB or Download PDF".

Google lists three reasons it may not work: "Some publishers don't allow file exports", "You can’t export rented books", and "You can't export large book files."

## Kobo

Kobo's route runs through your account on kobo.com: sign in, open My Account, click **My Books**, open the actions menu beside the book, then **Download** and **Download file** ([*Download books from your Kobo account to export to another device or app*](https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360019527954-Download-books-from-your-Kobo-account-to-export-to-another-device-or-app), read 25 September 2026). Kobo is upfront that "Most books are protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM)", and it carves out one market: "If you're a customer from Japan: You won't be able to download your books as a DRM file."

One detail from Kobo's format list is easy to trip over if you read on an Android phone: the Kobo Books app for iOS lists PDF among its formats, while the Android app's list reads "EPUB, EPUB2, EPUB3, FlePub, and MOBI" ([*File formats your Kobo eReader and Kobo Books app support*](https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360017763713-File-formats-your-Kobo-eReader-and-Kobo-Books-app-support), read 25 September 2026).

## What you actually get: a PDF, or an .acsm file

This is the step that confuses people. Google says what to expect for each outcome: "If you get a PDF file: You can read your book with a PDF reader like Chrome or Acrobat Reader." But "If you get an ASCM file: You need to download additional software to read your book", which is Adobe Digital Editions (that is Google's spelling; Kobo calls the same file a *.acsm*). Kobo explains the file the same way: "If your book is protected by DRM, you’ll usually download a file that ends in .acsm. Open the .acsm file in Adobe Digital Editions to download and access your eBook" ([*Add eBooks with Adobe Digital Editions*](https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360017814074-Add-eBooks-with-Adobe-Digital-Editions), read 25 September 2026).

There is a timely change here too. Google's page says "Starting June 1, 2026, Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) will use ByteBooks ID for authentication instead of Adobe ID", and both Google and Kobo advise creating the ByteBooks ID with the same email address as your old Adobe ID so that existing books stay reachable.

## Buying a book because you want the PDF

Check before you pay, not after. Google's page says "Some books aren’t supported for export. Check the “Reading Information” section of your book’s page in the Play Store for availability." That is the one place either store points you to before purchase. Kobo's pages describe the download for books already bought and say that "most items" can be downloaded and exported; they do not describe a way to check a title before buying (the Kobo download page cited above, read 25 September 2026).

If you read on a Kindle, Amazon's Send to Kindle page runs the other way: it lists PDF among the files you can send *into* a Kindle library ([*Send PDF, EPUB and Other Files to Your Kindle*](https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G5WYD9SAF7PGXRNA), read 25 September 2026). Getting a bought Kindle book out as a PDF is not something that page covers.

Related: [Add a PDF to your Apple Books library](https://docfindapp.com/answers/add-pdf-to-apple-books-library) · [Where is my downloaded PDF?](https://docfindapp.com/answers/where-is-my-downloaded-pdf) · [Which app is best for a PDF viewer?](https://docfindapp.com/answers/which-app-is-best-for-pdf-viewer) · [Open a PDF without internet](https://docfindapp.com/answers/open-a-pdf-without-internet)