FB2 to EPUB Converter
FB2 is the e-book format of Russian-language libraries and stores, and most readers outside that world never learned to open it. Converting to EPUB keeps the sections, cover and notes and makes the book readable on Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play Books and, through Send to Kindle, on a Kindle.
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
Add the FB2 files
Upload .fb2 files or zipped .fbz copies, up to 20 per batch and 95 MB each.
- 2
Check title and author
The EPUB reuses the title and author stored in the FB2 header. To show them in Latin letters instead of Cyrillic, type them into Title and Author under Advanced settings.
- 3
Convert to EPUB
Press Convert to EPUB and download each book, or all of them as a ZIP. Files on the server are removed after 30 minutes.
FB2 describes a book's structure, not its look: sections, titles, epigraphs, poems and notes are tagged in XML, and the reading app decides the typography. That makes it one of the cleanest formats to turn into EPUB.
What an FB2 file is
- FictionBook (FB2)FictionBook 2 · .fbz · .fb2.zip
- An XML e-book format created by Russian developers around 2004. One .fb2 file holds the whole book: metadata in a
descriptionelement, the text inbodysections and pictures embedded as Base64binaryelements.
Because the entire book is a single XML document, an FB2 file can be read, searched and repaired in a plain text editor, which helped it spread through Russian online libraries in the 2000s. LitRes, one of the biggest Russian e-book stores, offers it as a download option, and PocketBook readers along with many Android reading apps open it natively.
The large Western platforms never adopted it. Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books and Google Play Books do not read FB2, so a book downloaded in that format needs converting before it reaches any of them. EPUB is the natural target: it also describes structure rather than fixed pages, it is an open W3C standard, and under the hood it is a ZIP of XHTML chapters with a stylesheet, which maps neatly onto FB2's nested sections.
Calibre, the free e-book manager, has read FB2 for years and is the usual desktop reference for this conversion; the result here follows the same mapping without installing anything.
How FB2 sections become EPUB chapters
Kept as they are
- Chapter text with emphasis and strong
- Poems, stanzas and verse lines
- Epigraphs with their authors
- Embedded illustrations
Rebuilt for EPUB
- Top-level sections become chapters
- Section titles feed the table of contents
- The notes body becomes linked footnotes
- The coverpage image becomes the EPUB cover
Left behind
- document-info: who produced the FB2 and when
- custom-info entries
- Source and OCR history fields
Which readers open FB2 and which need EPUB
| from ↓ · to → | FB2 | EPUB |
|---|---|---|
| Kindle | – Kindle to FB2: no | Kindle to EPUB: yes |
| Kobo | – Kobo to FB2: no | Kobo to EPUB: yes |
| Apple Books | – Apple Books to FB2: no | Apple Books to EPUB: yes |
| Google Play Books | – Google Play Books to FB2: no | Google Play Books to EPUB: yes |
| PocketBook | PocketBook to FB2: yes | PocketBook to EPUB: yes |
FB2
FictionBook 2
FB2 (FictionBook 2) is an XML-based ebook format that became popular in Russia and Eastern Europe in the 2000s. It describes the logical structure of a book, such as chapters, poems and notes, rather than its visual layout, and embeds images and metadata in a single file. Many free ebook libraries and Android reading apps support it, but Kindle, Apple Books and Kobo do not.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- –
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)
FB2 to EPUB moves books from Russian-language libraries and stores onto Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play Books and Kindle, none of which open FictionBook; going back to FB2 matters mainly for PocketBook and FB2 reader apps.
FB2 to EPUB questions
My file ends in .fb2.zip. Can I upload it?
Unzip it first and upload the .fb2 inside; the other zipped form, .fbz, can be uploaded as it is. The guide on how to unzip files on any device covers phones and computers.
Will Cyrillic text display correctly in the EPUB?
Yes. FB2 files declare their encoding, usually UTF-8 or Windows-1251, and the EPUB is written in UTF-8, which every current reader understands. If a device shows empty boxes instead of letters, its built-in font lacks Cyrillic; keep Embed fonts on or pick another font on the reader.
Do FB2 footnotes still work after conversion?
FB2 keeps notes in a separate notes body linked from the text. They become EPUB note links, so tapping the number jumps to the note; Apple Books and Kobo may show them as pop-ups, other apps as a jump and a back link.
Can I send the converted book to my Kindle?
Yes. Email the EPUB to your Send to Kindle address or use the Send to Kindle app, which has accepted EPUB since 2022. For a Kindle loaded by cable, EPUB to AZW3 produces a file it opens directly.
Is FB2 to MOBI a better choice for an old Kindle?
Only for the original Kindle, the Kindle 2 and the Kindle DX, which never gained the newer KF8 format. Every later model is better served by EPUB through Send to Kindle or AZW3 by USB, and MOBI to EPUB can bring old MOBI files into the same library.
Can I convert a whole FB2 collection in one go?
Up to 20 books per batch, each converted to its own EPUB. A larger collection simply takes several batches with the same settings, and every book keeps its own file name.
- TXT to EPUB ConverterTurn a plain .txt file into an EPUB with chapters, a contents menu and rewrapped paragraphs. For web novels, Gutenberg texts and your own drafts.
- 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.
- 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.