"Sorry, cannot open this book" error when trying to open a transferred ebook on an ereader

You may see a "Sorry, cannot open this book" error on your ereader if you transferred an ebook with special characters (like -, #, &, or %) in the title.

To resolve this error, remove the special characters from the ebook's file name in Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) and transfer it again.

Windows

  1. In ADE, right-click on the ebook and select Show file in Explorer.
  2. In the pop-up window, right-click on the ebook's file name, then click Rename.
  3. Remove any special characters from the file name. This only changes the name of the download file on your computer, and doesn't affect the ebook's contents.
  4. Drag and drop the newly renamed file into ADE.
  5. Transfer the renamed file to your ereader using ADE. You should be able to open and read it without trouble.

Mac

  1. In ADE, control-click on the ebook and select Show File in Finder.
  2. In the "Finder" window, control-click on the ebook's file name, then click Get Info.
  3. Under "Name & Extension," remove any special characters from the file name. This only changes the name of the download file on your computer, and doesn't affect the ebook's contents.
  4. Drag and drop the newly renamed file into ADE.
  5. Transfer the renamed file to your ereader using ADE. You should be able to open and read it without trouble.
Last Updated: 10 January 2024 01:03 PM