What is an EPUB file?
EPUB stands for Electronic publication. It was created by the International Digital Publishing Forum and first released in 2007. An EPUB is a ZIP archive of web pages, one per chapter, plus a file that lists their order. That is why its text can be extracted with ordinary web tools.
| Type | document |
|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless |
| In a browser | opens in Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo and most e-reader apps; a Kindle needs it sent through Send to Kindle |
| Common uses | e-books from stores other than Amazon and free e-book libraries |
| MIME type | application/epub+zip |
Which format should you convert EPUB to?
- EPUB to TXT to get just the words, for copying, searching or pasting elsewhere.
- EPUB to HTML to read it in any browser with headings and links kept.
- EPUB to PDF for a fixed page to print or share.
How to open an EPUB file
Whether an EPUB file opens with a double click depends on the device. Here is what works on each, without buying software:
| Windows | Word or the free LibreOffice opens DOCX; any browser opens HTML; Notepad opens TXT and MD. |
|---|---|
| Mac | Pages or TextEdit open DOCX; Safari opens HTML; TextEdit opens TXT and MD. Apple Books opens EPUB. |
| iPhone and iPad | Pages, Word and the Files app open DOCX; Apple Books opens EPUB. |
| Android | Google Docs and Word open DOCX; Google Play Books opens EPUB. |
| Web browser | EPUB opens in Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo and most e-reader apps; a Kindle needs it sent through Send to Kindle. |
Want the technical details? See what a .epub file is, with its MIME type, file signature and a viewer.
EPUB compared with other document formats
How EPUB stacks up against the formats people most often convert it to or from:
| Format | Compression | Usually contains | Released | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| DOCX | Lossless | formatted text, images, tables and styles in a ZIP of XML files | 2007 | letters, reports, CVs and most documents shared at work |
| TXT | Lossless | characters only, with no formatting | 1963 | notes, logs, extracted text and anything that must open everywhere |
| HTML | Lossless | text with tags for headings, lists, links, tables and images | 1993 | web pages, emails and documents meant to be read in a browser |
| MD | Lossless | plain text with simple symbols for headings, lists, links and emphasis | 2004 | documentation, README files, notes and blogging tools |
How to use the EPUB converter
- Choose the format you want in the Convert to menu.
- Drop your EPUB files on the box, or press Choose EPUB 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. Converting to AZW3, DOCX, JPEG, JPG, MOBI, PDF, PNG, RTF, SVG uses our server, which deletes the file right after; the rest never leave your device.
Tips for converting EPUB files without losing anything
Converting an EPUB file keeps the words exactly; what can change is formatting and layout, depending on what the target format can hold.
- Keep the original document; exporting to plain text or HTML drops layout that cannot be added back.
- Use HTML or Markdown when you want to keep headings, lists and links, and TXT when you only need the words.
- For scanned documents, OCR is the only way to get text; converting the file format alone will not find words in an image.
- Save text as UTF-8 so every language is preserved.
- Check headings after converting to HTML or Markdown; they come from the styles used in the original, so manual bold text stays plain text.
- Plain text has no pages, so page numbers and headers from the original document are dropped.
- For long documents, convert once and search the text output rather than scrolling the original.
- Markdown and HTML both keep links, so check that relative links still point somewhere once the document moves.
Convert EPUB files from the command line
Pandoc converts between document formats on the command line:
pandoc input.epub -o output.htmlThe converter on this page does the same job in your browser, without installing anything.
EPUB converter FAQ
What is an EPUB file?
EPUB stands for Electronic publication, a document format created by the International Digital Publishing Forum in 2007. An EPUB is a ZIP archive of web pages, one per chapter, plus a file that lists their order. That is why its text can be extracted with ordinary web tools.
How do I open an EPUB file?
EPUB opens in Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo and most e-reader apps; a Kindle needs it sent through Send to Kindle. If the program you need will not open it, convert it to a more widely supported format above.
What is the most common EPUB conversion?
EPUB to HTML is the conversion people search for most. The chapters are read in their reading order from the EPUB's own table of contents and joined into one HTML file.
Does converting EPUB files here upload them?
Only for some conversions. Converting to AZW3, DOCX, JPEG, JPG, MOBI, PDF, PNG, RTF, SVG uses our conversion server, where the file is deleted as soon as the result is sent back; the other conversions run inside your browser and never leave your device.
Is the EPUB 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 EPUB files on iPhone or Android?
Yes. Open this page in Safari on iPhone and iPad, or in Chrome on Android, choose your EPUB files and download the results to your Downloads folder.
Can I convert several EPUB files at once?
Yes. Drop as many as you like; they are converted one after another, each with its own download button.