Step 1: Drop your PDF files using the button above or by deposit and leave.
Step 2: Click the 'Convert' button to start the conversion.
Step 3: Receive your converted EPUB files.
PDF to EPUB Conversion FAQ
How do I turn a PDF manuscript into a publishable EPUB ebook?
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Upload the PDF and the converter builds a reflowable EPUB from it: the text re-wraps to fit any screen and font size, chapter headings become a clickable table of contents, and the book opens in Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books and most reader apps. Kindle Direct Publishing also accepts EPUB uploads. The converter works with the structure your PDF already has, so read through the result before you publish it.
Will the EPUB reflow properly on a phone or e-reader?
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That is the main thing you gain. A PDF has fixed pages, so a small screen either shrinks the whole page or forces horizontal scrolling. The EPUB stores text as text, so the reader re-wraps it to any screen width and font size. Multi-column layouts and large tables are where reflow struggles — those are the parts worth checking after conversion. EPUB reflows text to any screen size and any font size, which is what makes it readable on a phone as well as an e-reader.
What if the source is a scan with no real text in it?
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Then the conversion produces a picture of the text rather than the text itself, and searching it finds nothing. Run /pdf-ocr/ to add a recognised text layer first; optical character recognition turns the scanned pixels into selectable, searchable characters that the conversion can then carry through properly.
Is the PDF side of this conversion searchable?
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It depends entirely on whether real text is present. A PDF generated from a document carries an actual text layer and is searchable; a PDF built from scans or images is a picture of text and is not, until OCR adds a layer. /pdf-ocr/ does that, and it is worth running before any conversion that expects to read the words.
Does the converter auto-detect chapters in my PDF?
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It follows the structure of the file. In a Word document, paragraphs styled as Heading 1 and Heading 2 become the chapters, and in Markdown the # and ## headings do the same. In a PDF or a plain text file there are no heading styles, so the converter looks for lines that read like chapter titles, such as Chapter 3 or Part Two. There is no setting for defining chapters yourself, so consistent headings in the PDF give the best EPUB.
Will the EPUB have a clickable table of contents?
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Yes, built from the chapters the converter finds. Reader apps show it in their contents menu, so a reader can jump straight to any chapter. A PDF with no headings and no chapter titles produces an EPUB whose contents list is short or empty, which is the main thing to check before publishing.
Does the EPUB get a cover image?
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Yes. If a Word document starts with a picture, that picture becomes the cover of the EPUB. Otherwise the converter generates a plain cover showing the title and author, so the book still has a thumbnail in reader libraries. Markdown files are the exception and come out without a cover. There is no separate cover upload: to use your own artwork, place the image at the very start of the Word document before converting.
How do I set the title and author of the EPUB?
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Set them in the PDF before you upload, because the converter copies the title and author stored in the file. In Word, fill them in under File, Info, Properties; in Markdown, add a YAML block with title and author at the top; a PDF uses its own document properties. A plain text file stores none, so its file name becomes the title. There is no metadata form on this site, so details such as an ISBN or publisher are added afterwards in an ebook editor like Calibre or Sigil, or in the store upload form.
What about images and figures in the PDF?
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Pictures placed in a Word document are carried into the EPUB at the same point in the text. From a PDF, embedded images are extracted where the converter can find them, but charts and diagrams drawn as vector shapes may not come across, so check those pages. A Markdown file is uploaded on its own, so images it points to on your computer cannot be included. A plain text file has no images.
Does the EPUB keep my PDF formatting (italics, bold, quotes)?
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Italic and bold text carry across. Straight quotation marks are turned into curly typographic ones and double hyphens into proper dashes, so the EPUB reads like a typeset book. Page size, margins and page numbers are not kept, on purpose: a reflowable EPUB has no fixed pages, and each reader app lays the text out for its own screen.
Can I make the EPUB compatible with both Kindle and other readers?
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The EPUB opens directly in Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books and most Android and desktop reader apps, and Kindle Direct Publishing accepts EPUB files for publishing. To read it on a Kindle, send the EPUB with Amazon's Send to Kindle service, or convert it to AZW3 at /epub-azw3/ for older models.
Is my PDF manuscript private during EPUB conversion?
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Yes. Your PDF is processed on our own conversion servers and is never shared with anyone or used to train any model. The uploaded PDF and the finished EPUB are deleted automatically about 24 hours after the conversion, which leaves you time to download the result. The full policy is at /privacy/.
