Guide
How to put an EPUB on a Kindle
There are two routes, and they need different files. Send to Kindle takes the EPUB as it is. A USB cable needs a MOBI, because a Kindle will not open an EPUB copied onto it. Which one suits you depends mostly on whether you mind the book passing through Amazon’s servers.
Route one: Send to Kindle
- Keep the book as an EPUB. No conversion is needed.
- Send it with Amazon’s Send to Kindle — the web page, the desktop or phone app, or an email to your Kindle’s address.
- Amazon converts it and delivers it to every Kindle and Kindle app on the account.
The book is uploaded to Amazon and stored in your library there. Formatting is generally kept well, and reading position syncs between devices.
Route two: a USB cable
- Convert the EPUB with EPUB to MOBI. It runs in this browser; the book is not uploaded.
- Connect the Kindle to the computer. It appears as a drive.
- Copy the MOBI into the documents folder, then eject the Kindle before unplugging it.
The book never leaves your own devices. MOBI carries no stylesheet, so the book is shown in the Kindle’s own type; the chapters, images, cover and contents list are kept.
Before you send it
An EPUB that a reader rejects is usually a structural fault rather than a format problem. Check it with the EPUB validator, fix the title, author or cover in the metadata editor, or read it here first to see what the device will get.
Other files you might want on a Kindle
- A newer Kindle book for an older device: AZW3 to MOBI.
- A comic or a set of scans: CBZ to PDF, which a Kindle opens over USB.
- A whole folder of books at once: the batch converter.
Questions
- Can a Kindle read EPUB files?
- Not directly from a USB cable — Kindle e-readers do not open EPUB files copied onto them. Amazon’s Send to Kindle service does accept EPUB, and converts it to a Kindle format on Amazon’s side before it reaches the device.
- Should I convert my EPUB to MOBI before using Send to Kindle?
- No. Send the original EPUB. Amazon stopped accepting MOBI files through Send to Kindle, and the EPUB carries more of the book’s formatting than a MOBI can.
- When is the USB cable the better choice?
- When you would rather the book did not go through Amazon’s servers, when the Kindle is offline, or when it is not registered to an account. Convert the EPUB to MOBI, then copy it into the Kindle’s documents folder.
- What about comics and scanned books?
- Kindle e-readers open PDF files over USB, and a PDF keeps a page of artwork looking like a page. Convert a CBZ or a folder of scans to PDF rather than MOBI, because MOBI always reflows.
- Will this work for a Kindle book I bought?
- Not if the book is protected by DRM. Protected files are recognised and refused with an explanation; nothing on this site removes DRM.