How To Convert Kindle Books To EPUB?

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For your own book, export an EPUB from your formatting tool, such as Atticus, and you don’t need to convert anything. If you have a DRM-free Kindle file (MOBI or AZW3), you can convert it to EPUB for free with Calibre. A Kindle book you bought from Amazon usually has DRM, which normal tools can’t convert, and I won’t show you how to remove it. Below is how DRM decides what you can do, how to convert a DRM-free file, and how to skip converting altogether.

Can you convert a Kindle book to EPUB?

It depends on whether the file has DRM, which stands for Digital Rights Management. When I started self-publishing I ran into this problem with formats. DRM sits on some Kindle files and makes it hard to get at your book. When you publish, you also decide whether to put DRM on your own books.

Both Kindle files (MOBI or AZW3) and EPUB are commonly used. Amazon has moved to newer Kindle formats, and KDP no longer takes MOBI for new uploads (I explain the change in Amazon ending support for MOBI files). For ebooks, KDP’s suggested formats are EPUB, DOCX and KPF (KDP MOBI support FAQ).

How do you convert a DRM-free Kindle file to EPUB?

Use Calibre, a free program that runs on your computer. It reads AZW, AZW3 and MOBI files and writes EPUB, among other formats. It works on your own files and on files from stores that sell without DRM. I use it myself.

What if the Kindle book has DRM?

Books you buy from Amazon usually have DRM, and Calibre can’t open a DRM-protected book (Calibre FAQ). Removing DRM is against the store’s terms and illegal in some countries, so I won’t show you how. Amazon also ended the “Download & Transfer via USB” option on 26-Feb-25 (Good e-Reader), so you can no longer download an older copy that was easy to convert.

If you want a book in EPUB, buy it from a store that sells DRM-free EPUB, or ask the author. If you only want to read an EPUB you own on a Kindle, you don’t need to convert it. Amazon’s Send to Kindle takes EPUB files and converts them for you, but it doesn’t work with DRM-protected files (TechRadar).

Which file types can Calibre read and write?

Calibre’s FAQ lists AZW, AZW3, AZW4, DOCX, EPUB and many more as input formats, and says it can convert every input format on the list to every output format, including AZW3, EPUB and MOBI (Calibre FAQ, October 2026). So a DRM-free MOBI or AZW3 goes in and an EPUB comes out. My advice: keep the original file and convert a copy, so you can go back if the result looks wrong.

How do you send an EPUB to a Kindle?

The Calibre FAQ says Amazon will stop accepting MOBI files emailed to Kindle addresses, and suggests you switch the email format in Calibre’s settings to EPUB. It also warns that Amazon’s EPUB intake is fussy and may reject an EPUB that works elsewhere, and that Amazon does not allow email delivery of AZW3 files. If an EPUB is rejected, the FAQ’s workaround is to convert it to MOBI and back to EPUB.

Which formats does KDP take when you publish?

KDP accepts EPUB 2.0 and 3.0 files that meet the Kindle Publishing Guidelines. For reflowable ebooks, which are books where the reader can change the text size, you can also use KPF (made in Kindle Create or Kindle Previewer) or DOC and DOCX from Word. KDP lists EPUB as recommended for both reflowable and fixed-layout books (KDP MOBI support FAQ, October 2026). MOBI ended for reflowable books on 1-Aug-21 and for fixed-layout books on 18-Mar-25.

Should you put DRM on your own book?

You don’t have to. Most people are not going to steal your books, and unless you are a famous publisher it isn’t something to worry about. If someone does share your book online, it usually brings more people to find you. Some musicians found the same thing when their files were shared: more people came to the concerts.

On KDP the DRM choice is yours when you publish, and you can change it later. Amazon announced in December 2025 that buyers of DRM-free KDP titles can download an EPUB or PDF copy from their account from 20-Jan-26, and that older titles need the author to confirm the setting in the KDP dashboard (TechCrunch). Check KDP’s current DRM help page before you decide.

How do I check my EPUB for errors?

After you convert, you can run the file through EPUBCheck. The W3C describes it as the conformance checker for EPUB publications, and it checks files against the official EPUB specifications for EPUB 2 and EPUB 3. It is open source under an MIT licence and maintained by the DAISY Consortium (W3C). A clean report doesn’t promise your book looks right on every device, so open it in a reader as well.

Why does Apple or Google Play reject an EPUB that KDP accepted?

Apple says every EPUB submitted to Apple Books must pass the most recent version of EPUBCheck (Apple Books for Authors). Google Play Books takes EPUB 3.3, EPUB 3 and EPUB 2, prefers 3.3, and suggests running EpubCheck before you upload. Processing errors show under the book’s Content tab in Partner Center. For fixed layout, which comics and picture books need, it supports EPUB 2 and EPUB 3, and it suggests adding yourself as a Content Reviewer to check the book in its Web Reader (Google Play Books Partner Center). Barnes & Noble Press has its own ePub Formatting Guide.

My advice: a book that looks right in KDP’s previewer can still fail EPUBCheck, so run the check above before every wide upload. Fix the error in your formatting program and export again rather than editing the EPUB by hand. For comics and picture books, check that each store takes fixed layout before you build the file. To publish on Apple Books directly or through an aggregator, see how to self-publish on iBooks.

What is the best way to avoid converting at all?

Load your book into a formatting tool like Atticus, which I recommend for formatting the ebook in the first place. When you publish, export an EPUB for Kindle and the other stores, and a PDF. KDP takes EPUB, DOCX or KPF, not MOBI. Atticus is my top pick for formatting. If you would rather not learn a tool, my team formats your book, and I check it before it goes back to you. An EPUB ready for KDP and IngramSpark is from $67. You get the file within 3 business days of sending your manuscript. See book formatting

For the format question in more detail, read what is the correct format for Kindle books. If you are just starting, grab my free 12-step self-publishing checklist. Have you found an easier way to convert Kindle books to EPUB? Tell me in the comments.

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