reMarkable: Local File Transfer Without the Cloud

The reMarkable tablet is excellent for reading and annotating PDFs, but by default it routes everything through reMarkable's cloud. If you prefer to keep files local -- for privacy, or simply because you do not want a subscription -- you can unpair the device and use the built-in USB file server instead.

Table of Contents

  1. Unpairing from the Cloud
  2. Enabling the USB Web Interface
  3. Transferring Files via http://10.11.99.1/
  4. Tips and Limitations

1. Unpairing from the Cloud

Unpairing stops the device from syncing to reMarkable's servers. Your existing documents remain on the device; they are simply no longer backed up or accessible from the reMarkable apps on other devices.

On the tablet:

  1. Open Settings (gear icon, bottom-left of the home screen)
  2. Go to Storage
  3. Tap Unpair device
  4. Confirm when prompted

Once unpaired, the tablet no longer requires a reMarkable account or internet connection for normal use. The cloud sync icon will disappear from the top bar.

Note: Unpairing is reversible. You can re-pair the device at any time from the same Settings screen by signing back in to your reMarkable account.

2. Enabling the USB Web Interface

The reMarkable has a built-in HTTP file server that becomes accessible over USB. When enabled, the tablet presents itself as a USB network adapter and serves files at http://10.11.99.1/.

On the tablet:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Go to Storage
  3. Enable USB transfer (the toggle may be labelled "USB web interface" depending on firmware version)

Connect the tablet to your computer using the supplied USB-C cable. The tablet will appear as a network device (USB Ethernet adapter) rather than a mass storage drive.

On Linux the interface typically appears as usb0 or enp0s20u1 and receives an address in the 10.11.99.0/24 subnet automatically via DHCP from the tablet.

Verify connectivity:

ping 10.11.99.1

3. Transferring Files

Open a browser and navigate to:

http://10.11.99.1/

The web interface shows all documents and notebooks currently on the device, organised in folders matching the tablet's home screen layout.

Uploading PDFs

  1. Click Import (or the upload button, top-right)
  2. Select one or more PDF files from your computer
  3. The files appear on the tablet home screen immediately -- no restart required

Supported formats: PDF and EPUB.

Downloading annotated files

  1. Click on any document in the web interface
  2. Select Download to save the annotated PDF to your computer

The downloaded file includes all pencil annotations, highlights, and notes made on the tablet.

Command-line upload with curl

For scripting or batch uploads:

curl -X POST http://10.11.99.1/documents/ \
  -F "file=@/path/to/document.pdf"

To upload into a specific folder, first find the folder UUID from the web interface URL, then:

curl -X POST "http://10.11.99.1/documents/{folder-uuid}" \
  -F "file=@/path/to/document.pdf"

4. Tips and Limitations

  • No Wi-Fi required. The USB file server works entirely over the USB cable with no network connection needed.
  • Cable must stay connected. The web interface is only available while the tablet is plugged in. Unplugging immediately drops the 10.11.99.1 address.
  • One client at a time. The built-in server is minimal; avoid opening multiple browser tabs uploading simultaneously.
  • Folder structure is flat internally. The reMarkable stores documents with UUIDs internally; the folder hierarchy you see in the web interface is a virtual view maintained by the device.
  • Firmware updates still work offline. Updates are downloaded over Wi-Fi separately from the cloud sync; unpairing does not block firmware updates if Wi-Fi is available.
  • Annotations on existing PDFs are exported as a new annotated PDF -- the original on- device file is not modified.

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