How to Convert a Kindle Format to an Epub

Books downloaded from the Amazon Kindle Store come in .azw format. This format was developed by Amazon from the open source .mobi format. The two formats are basically the same except Amazon added digital rights management (DRM) to the .azw format. DRM prevents the legal conversion of the files to a different format. However, some books in the Kindle Store do not have DRM and they can be converted to other formats such as .epub, which is the format used by Barnes & Noble's Nook.

Things You'll Need

• Kindle USB cord
• Calibre

Instructions

1. Download and install Calibre (See Resources), a free digital library management program.

2. Connect your Kindle to your computer using the USB cord that came with the Kindle. When the Autoplay menu appears, click "Open folder to view files."

3. Double-click the "Documents" folder. Scroll through the list of books on your Kindle and find the book you want to convert. Drag it to your desktop to copy it to your computer.

4. Open Calibre. Click "Add Books." A navigation window will appear. Find the book on your desktop, highlight it, then click "Open." Calibre will process and add the book.

5. Highlight the book in Calibre's menu. Click "Convert Books." In the next screen select "epub" from the "Output format" drop-down menu. Click "OK." The program will convert the book.

Tips & Warnings

• The publisher determines whether to include DRM in a Kindle book. Calibre will not convert any book with DRM.

References

• eBook Converter: How to Convert Kindle AZW to EPUB/PDF/RTF/TXT Format?

Resources

• Calibre: Get Calibre