Calibre 8.5 brings batch cancel, highlight improvements, and Kobo device updates

The next release of the free, open-source, cross-platform e-book management software calibre has been launched for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Calibre 8.5 adds a button in the Manage Data Files dialog to cancel ongoing processing when managing multiple e-books. Highlight grouping in the e-book viewer works more reliably when chapter names are repeated.

On Windows 11, each Calibre worker no longer launches its own conhost.exe process, improving performance and resource usage. The Kobo driver also now supports template-based series number display and the latest Tolino firmware.

The update also introced some user interface improvements as scrollbars in light mode now adopt the style of those in dark mode, improving visual contrast and accessibility. Email delivery for sending books to Amazon and PocketBook has been refined, with randomized English text now appearing in the subject and body rather than unique identifiers. Lastly, news sources such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times have also been updated. You can read the full changelog here.