Adobe Digital Editions 4.5 not working with Mac OS X Catalina.

[sat each]

Since updating to Mac OS X 10.15 (Catalina) Adobe Digital Editions will not allow me to open books downloaded from the public library.  Error message insists that the "device is not authorized".  I have followed all the instructions from the ereader manufacturer (Kobo) on "re-setting" the device, de-authorizing and re-authorizing the device and still the same problem.  

I factory reset the device and still no solution.

I downloaded an older version of ADE version 3.0 and Catalina will not recognize 32-bit apps - only 64-bit apps.

Any suggestions from people who have had this same experience since updating to Catalina?

[Micker]

I am having a similar problem. I have a new MacBook Air. I have followed a similar path as the above and my kobo is still not authorized. Help

[thetelp]

Having the same problem.  Neither Kobo nor Adobe has been helpful to solve the problem.  Super annoying. If anyone has found a solution, please post.

[jackieb10890080]

I'm reposting a response here -- thought it might be helpful after spending hours trying to find a solution to this same problem.

I'm on Mac Catalina, using Adobe Digital Editions 4.5 to manage library books on my Kobo Aura.  I began getting the "you aren't authorized" message suddenly after being able to use ADE 4.5 successfully with Catalina for a few weeks.

I tried all the device deauthorizing/reauthorizing/ADE uninstall/ADE reinstall/factory reset suggestions and nothing worked UNTIL I tried deleting some of my old e-book files I no longer wanted (stored in Documents/Digital Editions). Next I renamed the Digital Editions folder, and as suggested by another Kobo user, went to the library site and downloaded a random book I'd never downloaded before. That book opened perfectly on my Kobo, as did all the books that previously hadn't opened because of the authorization glitch.

This approach makes no logical sense to me, but it did work in my case. Hopefully it will work for others.

Good luck!

[figgmeister]

jackieb... I followed the steps you suggested but did not have any success. The same old "not authorized" message showed up when I tried to open my library book on my Kobo. Both the Kobo and ADE show that my device IS authorized. Grrrr

[jackieb10890080]

I'm sorry this didn't work -- I share your frustrations! The problems with Adobe Digital Editions and Kobo have been going on for years (for me anyway). 

The process above stopped working for me after a couple of months.  Nothing worked until I used ADE to delete all the library books from both my Kobo and my Mac ADE library. I then downloaded books at random from the library (one at a time). I'd transfer the book to the Kobo and try to open it, quitting ADE and ejecting the Kobo after each attempt.  It took 2-3 different random book downloads, and finally one didn't have the "not authorized" message when I tried to open it on the Kobo. 

At that point, I re-downloaded all the books I actually wanted from the library, transferred them to the Kobo via ADE one at a time...and it worked.

It's a silly and complicated and fiddly process, but if I only have to do this every couple of months, I can live with it. I hate having to buy a new Kobo when this one is working fine in every other way...seems to me it would be a reward to Kobo for their bad service.

I wonder if the problem is related to particular book publishers?

[Chandra0D45]

Thanks so much for this post jackieb.  I have mac Catalina & encountered the same problem using ADE 4.5.  I wasn't able to open a couple of new books from my library, but after seeing this post, I erased & re-authorized my Kobo in ADE, downloaded a single 2012 book & found it would open.  After that, I transferred over the two newer books one at a time & both would now open.  It seems like ADE just needs one book to recognize the authorization & then it will allow the others.

[jasselin1982]

Completely frustrated with this process and the fact that both Adobe and Kobo are of no help in getting the issue fixed.

[zuxy13]

I had the same problem but realized that it is not all the books that I download from my library that have the problem with authorization. Only the latest issued books have the problem, not the older one. So I wonder if it would be a problem with the libraries the way they save their books?

[jackieb10890080]

I wonder too if it's related to specific publishers? I'm finding the problem is intermittent—everything works great and then suddenly some books get the authorization error message.  Today I downloaded two books from Harper Collins that got the error message and wouldn't open.  I then borrowed and downloaded a book from Zebra.  It opened as it should—and then the two Harper Collins books would open as well.  So at least the problem was fixed quickly, without following all the steps to authorize, deauthorize, delete and redownload books.

All it took was to download a book from a different publisher than the ones that wouldn't open.

All three books were moderately new, so not sure about the age of the book as a trigger, but that could be a factor too. So strange.  Thanks!

[claudeg25843092]

Merci beaucoup, beaucoup!  Ça a fonctionné pour moi!  

[claudeg25843092]

Merci beaucoup, beaucoup!  Ça a fonctionné pour moi!  

[jn6563884]

4 years later, another Catalina user - your solution worked perfectly for me. THANK YOU!!!!

[LGBCOMP]

Bonjour, 

J'ai un problème du même genre. Depuis la mise à jour MacOS 10.15.2 Catilina sur mon MacBook Air, un livre acheté aux éditions Le Robert disparaît d'Adobe Digital Editions chaque fois que je ferme le logiciel (l'option "ajouter à la biblotèque" ou "copier dans ma bibliothèque"est en grisé et donc inacessible)  : je dois donc le retélécharger chaque fois, ce qui suppose d'avoir une connexion Internet à ce moment-là, mais surtout je perds tous les signets que j'ai mis sur ce livre et qui me sont primordiaux car c'est dans le cadre d'un travail. 

Robert ne peut pas m'aider et me renvoie vers le service Abode, qui est injoignable au téléphone (des heures à attendre en vain en ligne). Quelqu'un a-t-il une solution ? Merci d'avance

Hello,
I have a similar problem. Since the MacOS 10.15.2 Catilina update on my MacBook Air, a book bought from Le Robert editions disappears from Adobe Digital Editions each time I close the software (the option "add to the library" or "copy to my library "is grayed out and therefore inaccessible): I must therefore redownload it each time, which implies having an Internet connection at that time, but above all I lose all the bookmarks that I put on this book and which me are essential because it is within the framework of a work.
Robert cannot help me and refers me to the Abode service, which is unreachable on the phone (hours to wait in vain online). Anyone have a solution? thank you in advance

[Jenna928]

This exact thing is happening to me. I hadn't realized the cause of it was updating my Mac, but now that I think about it, that is when the problem started occuring for me as well. I've also tried all the things you did and called B&N for Nook help but they said it was an Adobe problem and that I'd need to figure out how to authorize the device on my own. Anyone who's solved this problem I'd be interested to learn how! Missing my Nook during social distancing :'( ...

[angelikae54669266]

Ich habe das gleiche Problem, mit meinem Tolino

ich bitte inständig um lösung des Fehlers

[kaleighs10334648]

Same exact issue: I installed the latest iOS on my mac (macOS 10.15 Catalina) and it wouldn't let me run Adobe Digital Editions 3.0. 

I was using Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 because I was unable to open books downloaded from Overdrive to my Kobo using more recent software.

I have tried re-installing, and deauthorizing the Kobo and the computer. Any other fixes?

[OakHollow]

I've been having the same problem and tried all the same troubleshooting steps that everyone else has. I really miss being able to borrow ebooks in these days when the physical libraries are closed! Does anyone know if Adobe is working on this? Is there a way to ask them to? By the way, as many others have probably discovered during this adventure, Rakuten Kobo's technical assistance is appalling.

[L_F]

I'm also having these same issues, SO frustrating! But at least - after all the hours I've wasted trying to overcome the issue - it's nice to finally know it's an Adobe 4.5 problem (and a Mac Catalina + ADE 3.0 incompatability) - and not just me!! Is there not a way to transfer library-borrowed ePub books to a Kobo without having to utilise ADE as an intermediate?

[figgmeister]

I had the same problems. I now download my epub book via Overdrive to my iPad and then sync my Kobo. The book then loads in my Kobo. Both the iPad and Kobo are on my Wifi network.

[Ben5C67]

I also had the same problem. 

I have removed 

/Users/xxx/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Digital Editions/activation.dat 

then authorised computer without problem

then authorised kobo without promlem.

now it works for me, hope it helps!

[Jim0D4C]

The solution for me, my issue being 'loan token not found',  believe it not, was to 'borrow' an 'old book' from overdive/library.

I had previously spent countless  frustrated hours, on just about all the other suggested solutions (including uninstalling ADE, deregistering devices, wiping, deauthorizing, reauthorizing, removing hidden files/dirs, synching accounts, reinstalling, every solution out there - even went so far as completly wiping my nook) all to no avail. I was to the point of 'OK I'll give up on my Nook.  I'll buy a kindle,  I'll just buy paperchecks, I'm done I give in'.

The only thing I did, in beween the  'not working pulling my hair out' and the 'working' phase, was to delete ( not return) the books on my nook ( via ADE) and then borrow an 'old title' from overdrive/library and then load that 'old title'  onto nook via usual method. After that 'old title' opened successfully on nook, I could copy over and open all the more recent titles.

Running Cataline w/ ADE 4.5.11 and an old nook glowlight.  For the 'old title' I just sorted the 'Available Now' titles by 'Date Added' and chose the last page of titles available ( which was 'Crusader Gold' by David Gibbins - which I feel obligated to read now). The thinking behind the solution is that somehow the DRM, or the way it's being applied *by the ibraries/overdrive*, has changed by date - and intially loading an 'old title' seems to reolve the issue ( at least it  did so for me after many.many hours on trying other solutions).  ( Hard to believe I know, YMMMV)

[defaulttltez84b39tb]

This worked for me! I can't believe it. Thanks for figuring this out!!

[default9nqsi800mr6y]

This worked for me! Thank you so much 🙂 

[Dani5E36]

I can't tell you how frustrating I found this problem! But I'm happy to tell everyone I found a roundabout solution to it. I downloaded the overdrive app onto my phone and signed in with the same information I used for my Kobo. I then synched my Kobo and the books downloaded onto the ereader and I was FINALLY able to open them. I hope this helps! Totally ridiculous that Adobe and Kobo have not solved this issue yet