# How to read web articles and Substack on a Kobo

Kobo's built-in way to read web articles is Instapaper: link it under More \> My Articles, save to the main list and sync. What syncs and what doesn't.

Editorial responsibility: Eduardo · October 16, 2026

![An e-reader held in one hand beside paper clippings of articles on a table.](<https://www.keepanalog.com/images/blog/ka-071-971aa6cbb3d3.webp>)

Editorial illustration created with AI assistance for KeepAnalog.

To read web articles on a Kobo eReader, use the Instapaper integration built into Kobo: on the Kobo, tap **More** > **My Articles** > **Link with Instapaper**, enter the code at kobo.com/instapaper, then save articles to Instapaper's main list and sync over Wi-Fi. Substack posts work the same way when you save the post's web link.

The steps come from Kobo's help center and Instapaper's documentation, checked on October 16, 2026. Menu names can change with your Kobo's software version.

This guide is part of [A guide to saving articles and reading them later](</blog/saved-reading/guide-to-saving-articles-to-read-later>), which organizes every guide on the topic.

## How do you link Instapaper to a Kobo?

According to [Kobo's help article on using Instapaper](<https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/33359968957463-Use-Instapaper-with-your-Kobo-eReader>), you first need an Instapaper account. Then:

1. On your Kobo, go to the Home screen and tap **More** at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap **My Articles**, then **Link with Instapaper**.
3. On a computer, go to kobo.com/instapaper, or scan the QR code with your phone.
4. Enter the code shown on your eReader, click **Link with Instapaper** and then **Authorize**.
5. Your Kobo signs in to Instapaper and shows the articles you have saved.

[Instapaper's Kobo page](<https://www.instapaper.com/docs/ereaders/kobo>) says the integration works with a free account, with no limitations, on all currently supported Kobo eReaders.

## How do you get a Substack post onto the Kobo?

Save the post's web page to Instapaper, as you would any article. Kobo lists these ways to save: the Instapaper browser extension, the save page at instapaper.com/save, and the Instapaper app for iPhone or Android. Then sync your Kobo.

Instapaper says the Kobo integration does not support some save types, "like videos and emails". So a newsletter you forward from your inbox to Instapaper may not reach the Kobo. Open the post on the web and save its link instead.

## What syncs to the Kobo and what doesn't?

- **Syncs:** articles in Home, Liked and Archive, according to Instapaper. Kobo's help adds that only articles in Instapaper's main list appear on the eReader.
- **Doesn't sync:** articles inside an Instapaper folder. Move an article back to the main list to see it on the Kobo.
- **Not supported:** tags, highlights, notes, videos and PDFs (Kobo); folders, tags, highlights and notes, videos and emails (Instapaper).
- **More than one Kobo:** articles sync to each one, but you sign in to Instapaper on each device separately.

## What if an article doesn't appear?

Connect the Kobo to Wi-Fi: Kobo says you need a connection to download Instapaper articles. Then, in **My Articles**, tap the **Menu** icon in the grey bar and tap **Refresh**. If the article is still missing, check that it is in Instapaper's main list and not in a folder, and that it is a web page rather than an email or video.

## Can you like, archive or delete articles from the Kobo?

Yes. Kobo's help describes three icons while reading: **Archive** closes the article and sends it to Instapaper's archive, **Like** adds it to your Liked list, and **Delete** removes it from your Instapaper list.

## Kobo or Kindle for web articles?

Kobo used to read saved articles through Pocket, which Mozilla shut down on July 8, 2025, according to its [announcement](<https://blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/building-whats-next/>). Instapaper says its integration focuses on matching Kobo's previous Pocket integration. A Kindle works differently: you send each page with Amazon's Send to Kindle, as explained in [How to send web articles to Kindle](</blog/reading-habits/send-web-articles-to-kindle>).

## Three habits so the Kobo list gets read

These habits are an original KeepAnalog suggestion, not steps from Kobo or Instapaper:

1. **Keep the main list short:** since only the main list syncs, keep there what you will read this week and leave the rest in a folder.
2. **Archive after reading:** tap **Archive** at the end of each article, so the list shows only what is pending.
3. **Keep the link for what you will cite:** highlights and notes do not sync, so write down the link and title of anything you want to quote.

## What next?

If you are leaving Instapaper, see [Export Instapaper articles](</blog/saved-reading/export-instapaper-articles>); if you lost your Pocket list, [Pocket shut down: where to save articles](</blog/saved-reading/pocket-shut-down-where-to-save-articles>). And if you prefer paper, KeepAnalog turns eligible public links chosen by one person (HTML pages or PDFs) into a monthly printed issue. Nothing is printed or charged until that person approves the issue. For now, KeepAnalog's pilot is in Argentina only, with no delivery in the United States.

[Explore KeepAnalog](</>)

## Sources

1. [Rakuten Kobo Help, Use Instapaper with your Kobo eReader](<https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/33359968957463-Use-Instapaper-with-your-Kobo-eReader>)
2. [Instapaper Docs, Kobo](<https://www.instapaper.com/docs/ereaders/kobo>)
3. [Mozilla blog, Building what's next](<https://blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/building-whats-next/>)

[Explore KeepAnalog](</>)