Kobo Clara BW · Customization
Change the sleep and power-off screens on the Kobo Clara BW
Replace the images the Clara BW shows when it sleeps or powers off with your own, using a hidden settings menu and a folder on the device.
The Clara BW keeps custom sleep images behind a developer menu that is hidden by default. Reaching it means tapping the firmware version a few times, which is a deliberate Kobo design so it is not changed by accident. Once the option is on, the device simply displays whatever images you put in a “screensaver” folder. If all you want is the cover of your current book, you do not need any of this — that is a normal setting under “Energy saving and privacy”. Note that the image size for the Clara BW’s 6-inch screen is smaller than for the larger Kobo models, so images made for a Libra will be scaled.
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Understand the two options first
Out of the box, the Clara BW can show the cover of the book you are reading when it sleeps — turn that on under Settings, then "Energy saving and privacy". This guide is for the other case: showing your own fixed images instead.
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Prepare your images
The Clara BW screen is 1072 by 1448 pixels. Portrait images that match that size look best. Convert them to greyscale PNG or JPEG first if you want to see exactly how they will appear, since the panel shows a limited range of grey.
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Open the hidden developer settings
On the home screen, open the menu, then Settings, then "Device information". Tap the firmware version line repeatedly — about seven times — until a "Developer options" or "Developer settings" entry appears in the settings list.
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Turn on custom screensaver images
In Developer settings, enable the option whose name mentions "screensaver" or "custom screensaver images". This tells the Clara BW to look for a folder of images instead of using the built-in artwork.
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Connect the device and add the images
Connect over USB and open the KOBOeReader drive. Open the ".kobo" folder (turn on "show hidden files" if you cannot see it), and inside it create a folder called "screensaver". Copy your images there.
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Eject, unplug and test
Eject the drive safely and disconnect. Press the power button once to sleep the device. It should now show one of your images, picked at random if you added more than one. Power off fully to check the power-off screen as well.
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To go back to the default
Return to Developer settings and turn the custom screensaver option off, or delete the images from the "screensaver" folder. The built-in artwork returns on the next sleep.