What Does This Error Mean?

Nook highlights are saved locally and synced to your Barnes & Noble account — if they disappear, the device may have lost its sync connection or the highlights were made in a sideloaded book that does not support cloud sync. Check your Wi-Fi connection and verify the book is from your official Nook library.

Affected Models

Nook GlowLight 4
Nook GlowLight 4e
Nook GlowLight Plus 7.8
All Nook e-reader models

Common Causes

Wi-Fi not connected when highlights were made — highlights queue for sync but can be lost if the device restarts before syncing
Book is a sideloaded file (EPUB, MOBI) not registered to the Nook account — highlights are stored only locally
Nook firmware bug on certain versions causing highlights to clear on close
Nook account signed out — highlights cannot sync without an active account session
Highlight made in a DRM-locked book that prevents annotation features

How to Fix It

Connect to Wi-Fi before making highlights.

Nook syncs highlights to the cloud in real time when connected to Wi-Fi. Without Wi-Fi, highlights are saved locally but may not persist if the Nook restarts before syncing. Always ensure Wi-Fi is connected (check the status bar icon) when reading and annotating important passages.
Force a sync after highlighting.

After making highlights, tap the top bar to open the reading menu and look for a Sync option. Or go to the Nook home screen, open Settings → Sync, and tap Sync Now. Manual sync pushes your highlights to the Barnes & Noble servers immediately.
Check if the book is from your Nook account.

Sideloaded books (transferred via USB or downloaded from outside the Nook store) do not sync highlights to the cloud — they are stored only on the device. Open your Nook library and confirm the book shows a Nook purchase icon. For sideloaded books, highlights are saved in the book file itself and can be lost if you reinstall the book.
Check your Nook account sign-in.

Go to Nook Settings → Account and confirm your Barnes & Noble account is signed in. If it shows as signed out, sign back in — your synced highlights will be restored from the cloud the next time you open the book. Highlights made while signed out are not recoverable after signing back in.
View highlights from the reading menu.

Open the book and tap the center of the screen → tap the menu icon → look for Notes & Highlights. All saved highlights for that book are listed here. If highlights show in this menu but not visually in the text, close and reopen the book — a display refresh usually restores the highlight color markers.

When to Call a Professional

If highlights consistently disappear from Nook-purchased books even with Wi-Fi connected, contact Barnes & Noble support — your account's annotation data may need to be restored from their servers.