Why Convert PDF to EPUB?
A PDF is a fixed page, usually A4 or Letter size. On a 6-inch e-reader or a phone, that page shrinks until the text is too small to read, so you zoom in and scroll sideways along every line, then do it all again on the next page.
EPUB is the standard ebook format, and its text isn't tied to a page size. It rewraps to fit whatever screen you read on, and you choose the font, text size, line spacing and margins. Your reading app remembers where you stopped, and night mode, highlights, bookmarks, dictionary lookup and read-aloud all work.
Converting PDF to EPUB is worth it for anything you read from start to finish: novels, reports, manuals, course notes, research papers and long articles. Instead of a page you keep zooming, you get a book you can read anywhere.
How to Convert PDF to EPUB Online
- Choose your PDF Click Convert PDF to EPUB above and pick your PDF file. It's uploaded over an encrypted connection. Files up to 50 MB are accepted.
- We build your ebook Our server reads the text in reading order, turns the chapters into a table of contents, and keeps the pictures and tables. Most files take less than a minute. Long books and scanned pages can take a few minutes.
- Download and read The EPUB downloads automatically, named after your PDF. Copy it to your e-reader, send it to your Kindle, or open it in your reading app.
Read Your EPUB on Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books and More
EPUB opens on almost every e-reader and reading app. Here's how to get your ebook onto yours.
Kobo, PocketBook and Nook
These e-readers, like most others, open EPUB files directly. Connect the reader to your computer with a USB cable and copy the file onto it.
Kindle
Send the EPUB with Amazon's Send to Kindle, using its app, its website or your Kindle email address. Amazon adds the book to your library, and it appears on your Kindle and in the Kindle app. Copying an EPUB onto a Kindle with a USB cable doesn't work.
iPhone, iPad and Android
On iPhone and iPad, open the EPUB in Apple Books. On Android, upload it to Google Play Books, which keeps your place across all your devices.
Mac, Windows and Linux
Apple Books opens EPUB files on a Mac. On Windows or Linux, use a free reader such as Calibre or Thorium Reader.
What Your Ebook Keeps from the PDF
- Chapters, taken from the PDF's bookmarks or headings and listed in the table of contents
- Headings, paragraphs, lists and code, in the right reading order
- Tables, kept as tables, and photos, charts and diagrams, kept as pictures
- Two-column pages, read one column at a time. Page headers, footers and page numbers are left out, so they don't break up the text.
- Scanned pages, read with text recognition (OCR) so they become real text you can resize
What changes
An EPUB has no fixed pages, so the PDF's page layout isn't kept: the text flows from one screen to the next, and the original page numbers are gone. That's what lets it fit your screen. Your reading app chooses the font, and maths formulas come through as plain text, so complex ones may not look like the original.
Best fit: EPUB is ideal for documents that are mostly text. Magazines, comics, brochures, slide decks and forms depend on their page design, so they're usually better read as PDF.
Tips for the Best Results
- Start from a PDF with real text. PDFs made from Word, Google Docs or a publisher's files convert best. To check yours, try selecting a word in it. If you can, the text converts as it is. If you can't, the page is a scan and is read with OCR, which depends on how clear the scan is.
- Convert only the part you want to read. Only need a few chapters of a long report? Split the PDF first, then convert just those pages. Split your PDF
- Check the ebook before you delete the PDF. Open the EPUB and look through the table of contents and a few pages. Keep the PDF in case you need the original layout.
Your Files Stay Private
- Encrypted upload. Your PDF travels to our server over an encrypted HTTPS connection.
- Deleted automatically. Your PDF is deleted as soon as the conversion finishes. The EPUB is deleted when you download it, or after an hour if you don't.
- Fully automatic. The conversion runs automatically. Nobody looks at your document, and we don't keep, share or use its contents.
Questions About Converting PDF to EPUB
What is an EPUB file?
EPUB is the standard file format for ebooks. Unlike a PDF, its text isn't fixed to a page: it reflows to fit your screen, and you can change the font and text size. Almost every e-reader and reading app opens EPUB files, and Kindle accepts them through Send to Kindle.
Is the PDF to EPUB converter free?
Yes. Converting PDF to EPUB is free, and you don't need an account or an email address.
Can I read the EPUB on my Kindle?
Yes. Send it with Amazon's Send to Kindle app, website or email address, and it appears in your Kindle library on all your devices. Copying an EPUB onto a Kindle with a USB cable doesn't work.
Can I convert PDF to EPUB on my phone?
Yes. The converter works in the browser on iPhone and Android. Choose the PDF from your files, and the EPUB is saved to your downloads, ready to open in Apple Books, Google Play Books or another reading app.
Can I convert a scanned PDF?
Yes. Scanned pages are read with text recognition (OCR) automatically, so there's no separate step. The result depends on how clear the scan is, so check names and numbers in the ebook.
Will my ebook keep its chapters and pictures?
Yes. Bookmarks or clear headings in the PDF become the ebook's chapters and table of contents, and photos, charts and diagrams are kept as pictures. A PDF with no bookmarks or headings still converts, but its text may not be split into chapters.
Why doesn't my EPUB look exactly like the PDF?
EPUB is made to fit any screen, so the text reflows instead of keeping the PDF's pages. You choose the font and text size in your reading app. If you need the exact page design, keep reading the PDF.
Which PDFs can I convert?
Any PDF up to 50 MB. If yours is bigger, compress it or split it first. If it asks for a password when you open it, remove the password before you convert it.
Related Tools
- PDF to Word — turn a PDF into a document you can edit
- Split PDF — keep only the chapters you want to convert
- OCR PDF — make a scanned PDF searchable and keep it as a PDF