How to Convert E-Books Between Kindle, EPUB, and PDF
Everything you need to know about converting e-books between formats for different readers and devices.
Understanding E-Book Formats
EPUB
EPUB is the open standard for e-books, supported by Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo, and most reading apps. It uses reflowable text that adapts to your screen size.
MOBI / AZW3
These are Amazon Kindle formats. MOBI is the legacy format; AZW3 (KF8) is the modern version with better formatting support. Newer Kindles (2022+) now support EPUB directly.
PDF preserves exact page layout, making it great for printing but poor for reading on small screens. Text doesn't reflow, so you'll be zooming and scrolling on a phone.
Converting Between Formats
EPUB to MOBI (for older Kindles)
If your Kindle doesn't support EPUB, convert to MOBI or AZW3. AZW3 preserves more formatting than MOBI and is recommended for Kindle Paperwhite and newer.
PDF to EPUB (for better reading)
Converting PDF to EPUB gives you reflowable text that's comfortable on any screen. Works best with text-heavy PDFs. Complex layouts with tables and images may need manual cleanup.
EPUB to PDF (for printing)
When you need to print an e-book or share it with someone who doesn't have an e-reader, convert to PDF for a fixed-layout version.