What is an AZW3 file?
AZW3 stands for Kindle Format 8 e-book. It was created by Amazon and first released in 2011. AZW3, also called KF8, is the Kindle format that supports modern styling. Books bought from Amazon usually carry DRM, which no honest converter can remove; DRM-free AZW3 files convert normally.
| Type | e-book |
|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless |
| In a browser | opens on Kindle e-readers and in the Kindle and Calibre apps |
| Common uses | Kindle e-readers and books loaded onto them over USB |
| MIME type | application/vnd.amazon.ebook |
How to open an AZW3 file
Whether an AZW3 file opens with a double click depends on the device. Here is what works on each, without buying software:
| Windows | Calibre, a free e-book manager, opens every e-book format; the Kindle app opens MOBI and AZW3. |
|---|---|
| Mac | Apple Books opens EPUB; Calibre and the Kindle app open MOBI and AZW3. |
| iPhone and iPad | Apple Books opens EPUB; the Kindle app opens books sent to your Amazon account. |
| Android | Google Play Books opens EPUB; FBReader opens EPUB and FB2; the Kindle app opens Amazon books. |
| Web browser | AZW3 opens on Kindle e-readers and in the Kindle and Calibre apps. |
Want the technical details? See what a .azw3 file is, with its MIME type, file signature and a viewer.
AZW3 compared with other e-book formats
How AZW3 stacks up against the formats people most often convert it to or from:
| Format | Compression | Usually contains | Released | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AZW3 | Lossless | a book's text, images, styling and table of contents | 2011 | Kindle e-readers and books loaded onto them over USB |
| EPUB | Lossless | chapters as XHTML pages, with images and a table of contents | 2007 | e-books from stores other than Amazon and free e-book libraries |
| MOBI | Lossless | a book's text, images and table of contents | 2000 | older Kindle e-readers and e-books from the 2000s |
| FB2 | Lossless | a book's text, structure and metadata as a single XML file | 2004 | e-books from Russian and Eastern European libraries |
| Either | 1993 | documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files |
How to use the AZW3 converter
- Choose the format you want in the Convert to menu.
- Drop your AZW3 files on the box, or press Choose AZW3 files. Several files can go in at once.
- Adjust the settings if you need to; the defaults suit most people.
- Press Convert and save each file with its Download button. The file is converted on our server and deleted as soon as the result is sent back.
Tips for converting AZW3 files
Converting an AZW3 file keeps the book's text, chapters and images; what changes is how it is packaged for each reader. A few habits give the best result.
- For a current Kindle, send EPUB through Send to Kindle, or copy AZW3 over USB. MOBI is for older Kindles.
- Books with DRM cannot be converted. DRM-free books from Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks and independent authors convert normally.
- Keep the original file; each conversion rebuilds the book.
- For PDF to EPUB, a PDF made from a text document converts far better than a scan or a multi-column layout.
- Calibre, the engine used here, is free for your own computer too, and handles whole libraries at once.
Convert AZW3 files from the command line
This page uses Calibre. Installed on your computer, its ebook-convert command does the same conversion:
ebook-convert input.azw3 output.epubConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
AZW3 converter FAQ
What is an AZW3 file?
AZW3 stands for Kindle Format 8 e-book, an e-book format created by Amazon in 2011. AZW3, also called KF8, is the Kindle format that supports modern styling. Books bought from Amazon usually carry DRM, which no honest converter can remove; DRM-free AZW3 files convert normally.
How do I open an AZW3 file?
AZW3 opens on Kindle e-readers and in the Kindle and Calibre apps. If the program you need will not open it, convert it to a more widely supported format above.
What is the most common AZW3 conversion?
AZW3 to EPUB is the conversion people search for most. The AZW3 is converted by Calibre, the widely used open-source e-book manager, on our conversion server.
Does converting AZW3 files here upload them?
Yes. AZW3 conversions need Calibre, an open-source program that cannot run in a browser, so they run on our conversion server. The file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept.
Is the AZW3 converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Conversions that use our server accept files up to 25 MB, with a fair-use limit per hour. The site is supported by advertising.
Can I convert AZW3 files on iPhone or Android?
Yes. Open this page in Safari on iPhone and iPad, or in Chrome on Android, choose your AZW3 files and download the results to your Downloads folder.
Can I convert several AZW3 files at once?
Yes. Drop as many as you like; they are converted one after another, each with its own download button.