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Help - Basics - Adobe EPUB eBooks

What follows are frequently asked questions about Adobe EPUB eBooks and Adobe Digital Editions. Click the question to hear the question and answer. Each answer is followed by a back to top link that leads back to the list of questions.

• What is an Adobe® EPUB eBook?
• How is an Adobe EPUB eBook different from a PDF file?
• What is Adobe Digital Editions?
• How do I download Adobe Digital Editions?
• Does Adobe Digital Editions run on Windows and Mac?
• Does Adobe Digital Editions require additional software?
• How do I download Adobe Flash® Player?
• I already have Adobe Reader installed. Should I uninstall it?
• What is 'activation'?
• Should I activate Adobe Digital Editions anonymously or with an Adobe ID?
• How do I activate Adobe Digital Editions anonymously?
• How do I activate Adobe Digital Editions using an Adobe ID?
• How do I activate a supported eBook device using an Adobe ID?
• To which devices can I transfer Adobe eBooks?
• Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to an Amazon® Kindle?
• Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to a Barnes & Noble nook™?
• Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to a Sony® Reader?
• Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to Palm® and Pocket PC devices?
• Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to other computers?
• How do I transfer Adobe eBooks to supported eBook devices?
• How do I return Adobe eBooks early?
• Are Adobe eBooks deleted when they expire?

What is an Adobe® EPUB eBook?

An Adobe EPUB eBook is a digital version of a print book that has been optimized for on-screen reading. The text in an EPUB eBook is reflowable, which means that you can change the font, resize the text, or alter the size of your display, and the text will rewrap itself to fit the available viewing area. Adobe EPUB eBooks also support embedded content, allowing, for instance, a Flash video to be embedded within an eBook. In order to use the DRM-protected Adobe eBooks available at this site Adobe Digital Editions must be installed and activated.

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How is an Adobe EPUB eBook different from a PDF file?

Adobe EPUB eBooks offer reflowable text, which means that you can change the font, resize the text, or alter the size of your display and the text of the Adobe EPUB eBook 'reflows' to fill the available view area. This makes Adobe EPUB eBooks the optimal choice for reading eBooks on small screens. While some PDFs are reflowable on some devices (such as the Sony Reader), one of the main strengths of the PDF format is its ability to preserve the layout of complex documents.

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What is Adobe Digital Editions?

Adobe Digital Editions is a free eBook reader application used to read DRM-protected Adobe eBooks. Adobe Digital Editions must be installed and activated in order to use the DRM-protected Adobe eBooks available at this site.

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How do I download Adobe Digital Editions?

To review system requirements and download instructions for the free Adobe Digital Editions software, click here.

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Does Adobe Digital Editions run on Windows and Mac?

Adobe Digital Editions runs on many Windows® and Macintosh™ computers. For more on supported operating systems and system requirements, click here.

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Does Adobe Digital Editions require additional software?

To use Adobe Digital Editions, Adobe Flash Player must be installed. The required version of Adobe Flash Player varies depending on operating system…

• Windows Vista (or newer) requires Adobe Flash Player v9.0.28 (or newer).
• Windows XP and Windows 2000 require Adobe Flash Player v7.0 (or newer).
• Mac OS® X requires Adobe Flash Player 8 (or newer).

Additionally, JavaScript must be enabled in your browser to install Adobe Digital Editions…

• For instructions on enabling JavaScript in your Windows-based browser, click here.
• For instructions on enabling JavaScript in your Macintosh-based browser, click here.

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How do I download Adobe Flash® Player?

To review system requirements and download the free Adobe Flash Player, click here.

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I already have Adobe Reader installed. Should I uninstall it?

No, you do not need to uninstall Adobe Reader, but you must have Adobe Digital Editions installed. To review system requirements and download instructions for Adobe Digital Editions, click here.

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What is 'activation'?

Activation of Adobe Digital Editions allows you to read DRM-protected Adobe eBooks. The first time that you open Adobe Digital Editions, you must activate the program. Adobe Digital Editions can be activated anonymously, or by using an Adobe ID.

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Should I activate Adobe Digital Editions anonymously or with an Adobe ID?

Activating Adobe Digital Editions using an Adobe ID allows you to do more with Adobe eBooks, such as downloading them on multiple computers and transferring them to supported portable devices. However, this is a matter of personal preference. Before deciding, please consider the following…

If you use anonymous activation, note these limitations…

• You will only be able to read a downloaded Adobe eBook on a single computer.
• You will not be able to download an Adobe eBook on more than one computer. After the initial download of an Adobe eBook, subsequent downloads of that title can only be completed on the same computer.
• You will not be able to transfer Adobe eBooks to supported eBook devices.
• You can decide to activate using an Adobe ID at any time. However, if you activate Adobe Digital Editions with an Adobe ID which has already been used to activate Adobe Digital Editions on another computer, the Adobe eBooks you originally downloaded when using anonymous activation will no longer work.

If you use an Adobe ID…

• You will be able to download an Adobe eBook on computers that have been activated with the same Adobe ID (up to 6 computers/devices can be activated using the same Adobe ID).
• After the initial download of an Adobe eBook, subsequent downloads of that title can be completed on computers activated with the same Adobe ID.
• You will be able to transfer Adobe eBooks to supported eBook devices activated with the same Adobe ID.

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How do I activate Adobe Digital Editions anonymously?

If you prefer to activate Adobe Digital Editions anonymously…

1. Open Adobe Digital Editions.
   The 'Setup Assistant' dialog box is displayed.
2. Click 'Continue'.
   The 'Authorize Computer' screen is displayed.
3. Select the 'Don't Authorize Computer' option.
4. Click 'Activate'.
   You are prompted to confirm that you do not want to activate Adobe Digital Editions using an Adobe ID at this time.
5. Select 'Continue'.
6. Click 'Finish' to close the 'Setup Assistant' dialog box.

If you choose not to activate Adobe Digital Editions using an Adobe ID at this time, you may do so later.

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How do I activate Adobe Digital Editions using an Adobe ID?

To activate Adobe Digital Editions using an Adobe ID…

1. Open Adobe Digital Editions.
   The 'Setup Assistant' dialog box is displayed.
2. Click 'Continue'.
   The 'Authorize Computer' screen is displayed.
3. In the appropriate fields, enter the email address and password for your Adobe ID.
   If you do not already have an Adobe ID, click 'get an Adobe ID online' and follow the instructions to sign up for an Adobe ID.
4. Click 'Activate'.
   Your computer is activated to your Adobe ID.
5. Click 'Finish' to close the 'Setup Assistant' dialog box.

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How do I activate a supported eBook device using an Adobe ID?

To activate an eBook device using an Adobe ID…

1. Connect the eBook device to your computer.
2. Open Adobe Digital Editions.
   Adobe Digital Editions launches and detects the eBook device. The 'Device Setup Assistant' dialog box is displayed.
3. Click 'Authorize Device'.
   Adobe Digital Editions activates the eBook device. You can now transfer DRM-protected Adobe eBooks to the device.

Note that both Adobe Digital Editions and the eBook device must be activated with the same Adobe ID to transfer DRM-protected Adobe eBooks to the device.

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To which devices can I transfer Adobe eBooks?

To review a list of supported devices, click here.

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Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to an Amazon® Kindle?

No. The Amazon Kindle does not currently support eBooks protected with Adobe DRM.

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Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to a Barnes & Noble nook™?

Yes. To transfer Adobe eBooks to a Barnes & Noble nook, Adobe Digital Editions and the nook must be activated using the same Adobe ID.

Note that the display of Adobe eBooks on the Barnes & Noble nook may vary, depending on the nature of the content.

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Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to a Sony® Reader?

Adobe eBooks can be transferred to supported Sony Readers with v1.1 firmware installed. To transfer Adobe eBooks to the Sony Reader, Adobe Digital Editions and the Sony Reader must be activated using the same Adobe ID. Also, you must have the Sony eBook Library software installed on your computer. To download Sony Reader firmware upgrades and the Sony eBook Library software, click here.

Note that the display of Adobe PDF eBooks on the Sony Reader may vary, depending on the nature of the content.

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Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to Palm® and Pocket PC devices?

No. Adobe eBooks cannot be transferred to Palm and Pocket PC devices using Adobe Digital Editions.

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Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to other computers?

If you have activated Adobe Digital Editions anonymously, you are only able to read a downloaded Adobe eBook on a single computer.

If you have activated Adobe Digital Editions using an Adobe ID, you are not able to transfer an Adobe eBook title to another computer, but you can download the Adobe eBook on another computer that is activated with the same Adobe ID.

For more information on activating Adobe Digital Editions, click here.

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How do I transfer Adobe eBooks to supported eBook devices?

To transfer Adobe eBooks using Adobe Digital Editions…

1. Open Adobe Digital Editions.
2. Click on the Adobe eBook you want to transfer.
3. Drag the Adobe eBook to the eBook device icon in the left pane of Adobe Digital Editions.
   The 'Copy Documents' dialog box is displayed and the title is transferred.
   When transfer is complete the 'Copy Documents' dialog box closes. You can now disconnect the eBook device and enjoy the eBook on-the-go.

Note that to transfer Adobe eBooks to a supported eBook device, Adobe Digital Editions and the eBook device must be activated using the same Adobe ID.

The display of Adobe eBooks on eBook devices may vary, depending on the nature of the content.

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How do I return Adobe eBooks early?

To return Adobe eBooks early…

1. Open Adobe Digital Editions.
2. Select the 'Library View' icon (in the upper left corner).
   The Adobe Digital Editions library is displayed.
3. Under the 'Bookshelves' heading, select 'Borrowed'.
4. Click the eBook you want to return.
5. Click the 'Item Options' arrow (in the upper left corner of the selected eBook).
6. Select 'Return Borrowed Item'.
7. Click 'Return' to verify that you want to return the title.
   The eBook is returned to the library collection.

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Are Adobe eBooks deleted when they expire?

No, Adobe files remain on your computer until you delete them.

To delete Adobe eBooks…

1. Open Adobe Digital Editions.
2. Select the 'Library View' icon (in the upper left corner).
   The Adobe Digital Editions Library is displayed.
3. Under the 'Bookshelves' heading, select 'Borrowed'.
4. Select the eBook you want to delete.
5. Click the 'Item Options' arrow (in the upper left corner of the selected eBook).
6. Select 'Delete Item'.
7. Click 'Delete' to verify that you want to delete the title.
   The eBook is deleted from Adobe Digital Editions.
8. The next step varies depending on what operating system you have…
   If you have Windows 7 or Windows Vista, go to Documents > My Digital Editions and delete any copies of the eBook saved in this folder.
   If you have Windows XP, go to My Documents > My Digital Editions and delete any copies of the eBook saved in this folder.
   If you have Mac OS, go to Documents > Digital Editions and delete any copies of the eBook saved in this folder.
   The eBook is deleted from your computer.

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