PDF to EPUB turns a PDF into a reflowable EPUB 3 ebook. Lines are joined into paragraphs, headings and lists are kept, repeated headers, footers and page numbers are removed, and the book is split into chapters. Scanned pages are read with text recognition. The EPUB opens on Kindle (through Send to Kindle), Kobo, Apple Books and Google Play Books. The conversion runs in your browser, so your PDF is never uploaded.
How to convert PDF to EPUB
- Click Choose a PDF or drop a PDF on the page. If it is protected, type its password and click Open.
- Check the Title and Author. They are filled in from the PDF when it has them; type your own to change them.
- Set the options: Keep pictures, Rebuild tables and, for scans, the Text mode and Text language.
- Click Convert to EPUB. The .epub is saved with the same name as the PDF.
What happens to the PDF
| In the PDF | In the EPUB |
|---|---|
| Lines of text | Flowing paragraphs that reflow to fit any screen |
| Words split with a hyphen at a line end | Joined again |
| Large headings | Chapter starts, listed in the table of contents |
| Smaller headings | Headings inside the chapter |
| Bulleted and numbered lists | Lists |
| Bold and italic | Kept |
| Headers, footers, page numbers on every page | Removed |
| Pictures | Kept in the text (option) |
| Tables | Rebuilt as tables (option), otherwise text |
| Scanned pages | Read with text recognition |
Chapters and contents
A new chapter starts at each large heading, and every chapter appears in the book’s table of contents, so you can jump between them on your reader. If the PDF has no clear headings, a new chapter starts about every 10 pages, so the book is still easy to navigate. The EPUB includes both the EPUB 3 contents page and the older table of contents file, so older readers find the chapters too.
Send it to your e-reader
- Kindle: use Send to Kindle (by e-mail to your Kindle address, the Kindle app or the Send to Kindle web page). It accepts EPUB and delivers it as a Kindle book. See PDF to Kindle.
- Kobo: copy the .epub to the reader over USB, or add it to your library.
- Apple Books: open the .epub on an iPhone, iPad or Mac and it is added to Books.
- Google Play Books: upload the .epub in Play Books on the web or in the app.
Options
- Keep pictures places photos and figures in the text. Untick it for a smaller, text-only book.
- Rebuild tables turns tables into real tables. The first time, it downloads the table model (about 19 MB), which your browser then caches. Leave it off for books without tables.
- Text: Use the PDF’s text; read scanned pages is the default. Choose Read every page as a scan when a PDF has a broken or garbled text layer.
- Text language helps text recognition with Korean, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Thai, Greek, Tamil or Telugu.
What converts well
- Novels, non-fiction books, manuals and long reports with a single column of text: these turn into clean ebooks.
- Two-column papers are read in reading order.
- Complex layouts, like magazines, comics, brochures and forms, become simple flowing text and lose their design. For those, a PDF reader is the better choice.
Related tools
- Going the other way? EPUB to PDF turns an ebook into a printable PDF.
- Want an editable document instead? Use PDF to Word.
- Only need the plain text? PDF to Text copies it straight away.
Private by design
Your files are processed on your own device and never uploaded. See how it works.