Sideload Nook Glowlight 4 Plus on Windows Video Tutorial

[Lunar Ronin]

I discovered a video tutorial made a few months ago which shows how to sideload content onto the Nook Glowlight 4 Plus on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Just thought that I'd share, as I know that people have had issues with it, including myself.

[RWTS]

Is the sideloading issue only with Calibre? Is it possible to drag and drop books into the GL4 Plus in Windows and/or transfer books using Adobe Digital Editions?

[cgsmom]

That seems a lot more complicated than what I do. Calibre always gives me an error message that it cannot access the device. So I just use Windows file explorer to copy the file from the Calibre library to the Nook folder on the device. It seems to work fine.

[Cactus Chef]

Originally Posted by cgsmom

That seems a lot more complicated than what I do. Calibre always gives me an error message that it cannot access the device. So I just use Windows file explorer to copy the file from the Calibre library to the Nook folder on the device. It seems to work fine.

Been an issue with my wife's GL4+ as well. I had to show her how to transfer it manually via Windows Explorer because Calibre's send-to-device option kept erroring out.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Lunar Ronin

I discovered a video tutorial made a few months ago which shows how to sideload content onto the Nook Glowlight 4 Plus on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Just thought that I'd share, as I know that people have had issues with it, including myself.

The easiest way to side load thus...

1. Save to disk from calibre
2. Exit calibre (I don't know if this needs to done or not)
3. Use Windows Explorer to move the eBooks to the nook
4. Done

[cgsmom]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The easiest way to side load thus...

1. Save to disk from calibre
2. Exit calibre (I don't know if thus needs to done or not)
3. Use Windows Explorer to move the eBooks to the nook
4. Done

That is even more steps than I use. When you import a book to Calibre, it is already saved in a folder. I just convert to epub if it is not already and then copy the epub file from the Calibre library folder to the Nook. Easy peasy.

[halfsat]

I don't have to go through that many steps to sideload to my GL4e either, but it's definitely a little strange. I just use the "Send to device" function in Calibre, but then it seems like I usually need to reboot my Nook in order for the books to actually show up. And then occasionally, they just don't seem to make it so I have to try to send them again. But most often, it really is just a matter of sending from Calibre and then rebooting.

I use KOReader on my Nook now, but I'm pretty sure I had some similar weirdness with sideloading when I just used the stock app too.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by cgsmom

That is even more steps than I use. When you import a book to Calibre, it is already saved in a folder. I just convert to epub if it is not already and then copy the epub file from the Calibre library folder to the Nook. Easy peasy.

Any changed metadata is not saved in the original file, unless you convert or use "Save to disk". I don't know if you change metadata in any way, but if you do, this is something to consider.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Any changed metadata is not saved in the original file, unless you convert or use "Save to disk". I don't know if you change metadata in any way, but if you do, this is something to consider.

Polish or Modify ePub will also save modified metadata into the library file.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by cgsmom

That is even more steps than I use. When you import a book to Calibre, it is already saved in a folder. I just convert to epub if it is not already and then copy the epub file from the Calibre library folder to the Nook. Easy peasy.

But if you want to add multiple eBooks to your nook, you have to go to each directory and copy the eBook to your nook. Doing it the way I described means you just save to one directory and then you can move all of those eBooks in one go.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Any changed metadata is not saved in the original file, unless you convert or use "Save to disk". I don't know if you change metadata in any way, but if you do, this is something to consider.

I change any metadata I want in the OPF when edit the eBook. I don't have Save to disk update the metadata. It saves the eBook as is. In the Edit metadata dialogue. I have the metadata reread from the eBook to update it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Polish or Modify ePub will also save modified metadata into the library file.

IMHO, Modify ePub is the best way to update metadata if you don't do it manually.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I change any metadata I want in the OPF when edit the eBook. I don't have Save to disk update the metadata. It saves the eBook as is. In the Edit metadata dialogue. I have the metadata reread from the eBook to update it.

Most people don't edit their books, though.

[lkmiller]

My Nook Glowlight 4 Plus has never shown up as a device in calibre. Do you have to do some sort of setup because it is MTP instead of USB Mass Storage?

I've just been saving to disk from calibre onto my desktop. Then using Windows Explorer to drag the books into the Nook folder on the device. (Trying to save to disk within calibre directly to the Nook folder does nothing. No error -- just nothing actually gets saved.)

I'm fine with continuing to sideload with Windows Explorer, and it doesn't seem like doing it through calibre works well anyway. I was just curious since the video doesn't say anything about getting calibre to see the Nook in the first place.

[cgsmom]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

My Nook Glowlight 4 Plus has never shown up as a device in calibre. Do you have to do some sort of setup because it is MTP instead of USB Mass Storage?

When I first got my GL4+ I was disappointed that Calibre cannot access it. I had a Windows 10 computer then. When I had to get a new computer with Windows 11, Calibre can see it but I get an error message that it cannot access it.

After posting in the Calibre forum, I found that Calibre on a Mac can access it but not Windows. Kovid replied that he does not have a Windows computer to test it on, so I don't think there will be a solution.