EPUB to MOBI Converter
MOBI is the e-book format the first Kindles were built around. Convert a DRM-free EPUB to MOBI when you read on an early Kindle or sideload books over a cable, and keep EPUB or AZW3 for everything newer.
E-book Converter
or drop EPUB, MOBI, AZW … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
0 keeps the book's own size. E-readers let the reader change size anyway; this mainly matters for PDF, DOCX and TXT output.
Space around the text on each page. 5 mm suits e-ink screens; use 15–20 mm for a PDF you plan to print.
Justified text has straight edges on both sides like a printed book; left-aligned avoids wide gaps between words on small screens.
A5 is close to a paperback and reads well on tablets. Match device sizes the page to the reading device chosen above.
Keep the book's cover, use the first image as the cover (comics and photo books), or leave the book without one.
JPEG quality for pictures and comic pages. 85 looks identical on e-ink; lower it to shrink large comics.
Leave empty to keep the title stored in the file. This is the name shown in the reader's library.
Leave empty to keep the existing author.
How to use this tool
- 1
Upload the EPUB
Drop one or more DRM-free .epub files, up to 20 books of 95 MB each. Store purchases with DRM cannot be read.
- 2
Check the Kindle settings
Reading device is set to Kindle and Table of contents is on, so chapters show up in the Kindle's Go To menu. Fill Title and Author under Advanced settings if the library shows the wrong names.
- 3
Convert and copy
Press Convert to MOBI, then connect the Kindle by USB and drag the file into its documents folder. Files are deleted from our server after 30 minutes.
How MOBI became a legacy Kindle format
2000
Mobipocket
A French company launches the MOBI format for PDAs and early phones.
2005
Amazon buys Mobipocket
MOBI becomes the base of Amazon's e-book plans.
2007
First Kindle
The Kindle reads MOBI and AZW, Amazon's DRM-wrapped variant.
2011
KF8 / AZW3
Kindle Format 8 adds HTML5 and CSS3 layout; newer Kindles adopt it.
2022
EPUB in, MOBI out
Send to Kindle accepts EPUB and stops accepting MOBI by year's end.
For years EPUB to MOBI was the most common e-book conversion on the web, because Kindles could not open EPUB and every other store sold it. That changed in 2022. Amazon added EPUB to Send to Kindle, then removed MOBI from the accepted list, and recommends EPUB for documents sent to a Kindle. Behind the scenes Amazon converts the EPUB into its own format, so the book still arrives in KF8 form.
MOBI did not stop working on the devices themselves. Every Kindle still opens a MOBI file copied over USB, and the oldest models, which never received the KF8 update, can read nothing better. An EPUB is a ZIP package of XHTML chapters, a stylesheet and images; the converter reads those chapters, simplifies the styling to what MOBI supports, and writes a single file with the cover and table of contents.
Expect plainer typography in the result. If the book relies on embedded fonts or detailed layout and your Kindle is newer than 2011, AZW3 keeps far more of it.
Send to Kindle limits and MOBI over USB
- largest attachment Send to Kindle takes by email
- 50 MB
- largest file in the Send to Kindle app or website
- 200 MB
- MOBI files accepted by Send to Kindle since late 2022
- 0
- still delivers MOBI to any Kindle
- USB
EPUB to MOBI, AZW3 or plain EPUB
MOBI
Kindle 1, 2 and DX, USB sideloading, older reading apps.
AZW3
Kindles from 2011 on, copied over USB with better layout.
EPUB as is
Any current Kindle through Send to Kindle email or app.
EPUB
Electronic Publication
EPUB is the open ebook standard, first published by the International Digital Publishing Forum in 2007 and now maintained by the W3C. It packages XHTML, CSS, images and metadata in a ZIP file, so text reflows to fit any screen size and font setting. EPUB 3 adds audio, video, fixed layouts and accessibility features. Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books and most reading apps open EPUB, and Kindle accepts it through Send to Kindle.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 2007 · IDPF (now W3C)
MOBI
Mobipocket ebook
MOBI is an ebook format created by Mobipocket around 2000; Amazon bought the company in 2005 and used MOBI as the basis of early Kindle books. It supports reflowable text, bookmarks and basic formatting but handles complex layouts, fonts and images poorly. Amazon has phased MOBI out in favour of EPUB uploads and its newer KF8/AZW3 format. Older Kindles and Calibre still read it.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 2000 · Mobipocket (acquired by Amazon)
EPUB to MOBI is now a niche move for early Kindles and USB sideloading, since Amazon's own Send to Kindle takes EPUB; the reverse conversion rescues old MOBI files for Kobo, Apple Books and other readers.
EPUB to MOBI questions
Can I still email a MOBI file to my Kindle?
No. Amazon stopped accepting MOBI through Send to Kindle in late 2022, the same year it added EPUB support. Emailing the original EPUB is now the recommended route for current Kindles, and our guide on how to send an EPUB to Kindle walks through it. MOBI still works when copied over USB.
Which Kindles actually need MOBI?
The original Kindle, the Kindle 2 and the Kindle DX never gained support for the newer KF8 format and read MOBI, AZW, TXT and PDF only. Later models read AZW3 as well, which handles fonts, images and styling better, so use EPUB to AZW3 for those.
Why does my book look plainer as MOBI than as EPUB?
The original MOBI format understands a small subset of HTML and very little CSS. Custom fonts, floating images, drop caps and colored boxes are simplified or dropped. The text, chapters and cover come through; complex layouts do not.
Will books I sent as MOBI years ago disappear from my library?
Amazon said MOBI files already in a Kindle library would stay there; the change only blocks new MOBI uploads through Send to Kindle. You can keep reading them as before.
Can I convert Kindle store books from MOBI back to EPUB?
Only if they are DRM-free. Books bought from the Kindle Store are encrypted, and converting them is blocked here. Your own DRM-free MOBI files convert with MOBI to EPUB.
Does the cover show in the Kindle library?
When the EPUB has a cover image and Cover is set to Keep, the MOBI carries it. On sideloaded books, older Kindles sometimes show a generic cover in the library view while the cover still appears as the first page.
- EPUB to AZW3 ConverterConvert EPUB to AZW3 (KF8) for copying to a Kindle over USB. Embedded fonts, cover thumbnails and chapter navigation kept, sized for Paperwhite and Oasis.
- Send EPUB to KindleTwo ways to get an EPUB onto a Kindle: Send to Kindle by email or app, or convert it to AZW3 here and copy it by USB. Limits, steps and fixes.
- MOBI to EPUB ConverterConvert DRM-free MOBI e-books to EPUB for Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play Books or Send to Kindle. Cover, chapters and author kept; up to 20 books at once.
- MOBI to PDF ConverterTurn a DRM-free MOBI e-book into a PDF with real pages: A5, A4, Letter or your reader's screen size, with margins, chapters and a clickable contents list.
- EPUB to PDFConvert DRM-free EPUB e-books to PDF with a real page size (A5 by default), chapter bookmarks and embedded fonts. For printing, annotating or any reader.
- PDF to EPUB ConverterConvert a PDF into a reflowable EPUB that adjusts to Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books and phone screens. Font size becomes adjustable, images stay in.