How to convert ePub to Mobi ebook format – for free
ePub and Mobi have emerged as likely the most popular ebook formats on the net, and If you find yourself needing to convert ePub to Mobi (whether it is because the Kindle supports the latter and not the former or for any other reason) then read on. This article will present FIVE different ways to perform the conversion.
As you might expect, ePub to Mobi conversions can be performed using downloadable tools running on your desktop as well as online tools that you can upload your ePub file to (and then download the converted Mobi version). The tools presented in this post are all 100% free and include: Kindle Previewer (Windows, Mac), Convert EPUB to MOBI (Windows), Calibre(Windows, Mac, Linux), 2Epub (online, browser based), and Free File Converter (online, browser based).
Here are the 5 tools. You can use any one of them to perform the conversion.
1. Kindle Previewer (Windows, Mac)
This software from Amazon is designed to give you a preview on your desktop of how any particular ebook file will be displayed on the Kindle, useful for when you are converting ebook formats and would like a preview of the result. However, Kindle Previewer can also perform ePub to Mobi conversions on the fly. It is available for both Windows and Mac, and can be downloaded and installed without requiring an Amazon account.
Here’s a step-by-step:
Step 1: download it here and install. You will need to accept the terms of use.
Step 2: run Kindle Previewer then drag and drop your ePub file onto the interface.
You will see a notification that is compiling the book (Screenshot on the left, below).
Step 3: Once the process is finished (and before actually previewing the book), you can access the converted Mobi file.
Click on the blue link in ‘The Output File Has been generated here’ notification in order to access your Mobi file (see the red arrow in the screenshot below, right). You may want to copy the Mobi file to the desktop and rename it, as Kindle Previewer adds a date string to the converted file name.
2. Epub to Mobi (Windows)
A freeware that can convert ePub to Mobi in batch. It can process ebook files in batch and uses the same ‘engine’ that Kindle Previewer uses (Kindlegen from Amazon). However, you will need to download this file from the Amazon site separately and move it into the appropriate folder on your PC.
Step 1: download Epub to Mobi here and install it.
Step 2: download Kindlegen here, and extract it the archive into a folder using your favorite uzip program.
Step 3: copy ‘kindlegen.exe’ from the extraction folder and paste it in the ‘Epub to Mobi’ installation folder (this will typically be ‘C:\Program Files\EPUB TO MOBI\’ or on 64 bit PCs it will be ‘C:\Program Files (x86)\EPUB TO MOBI\’). If unsure, wait on this step and the program will tell you once you attempt to start a conversion (see below).
Note that you will need administrative privileges on Windows in order to do this.
Step 4: run Epub to Mobi. Add some ePub files using the file menu ‘File/Add Files’ or via Ctrl+O.
Step 5: run the conversion from the file menu ‘File/Convert’ or via Ctrl+E. Choose the output folder and press ‘OK’.
That’s it, you’re done.
3. Calibre (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Calibre is the world’s foremost open source e-book library management application. It can perform a myriad of ebook format conversion operations, including ePub to Mobi.
Note that Calibre is a very ambitious program, and is designed to manage your entire ebook collection rather than simply convert a file (or files).
Step 1: download Calibre here and install it. Note that it is a 44 meg download, and that there is a portable version if you like.
Step 2: run Calibre, then drag and drop your ePub file onto the interface.
Note that when you do this, Calibre immediately creates a copy of your file in it’s own ‘Library’ folder.
Step 3: right click on the book that appears in the list, then select ‘Convert books’ and ‘Convert Individually’
Step 4: select ‘EPUB’ for input format and ‘MOBI’ for output format using the dropdowns. (They may both be selected by default, see screenshot below).
Next, click ‘OK’
Step 5: when the conversion is finished, you can grab the MOBI file from the ‘Calibre Library’ folder. You can move it to wherever you want it.
An easy way to find the file is to simply right click on the ebook entry in the Calibre interface and select ‘Open containing folder’.
That’s it, you’re done.
4. 2EPUB (online service, browser based)
Despite the name, this service can convert documents to and from a range of formats, including ePub to Mobi. Here’s the step by step.
Step 1: go to 2Epub.com using any browser.
Step 2: click on the ‘browse’ button (in the middle of the page), then select your file. You can select multiple files if you want. Click the ‘Upload Files’ link to start uploading.
Note that you you can upload a maximum of 25 megs for a single file or all of your files combined.
Step 3: once uploaded, you can enter ‘Title’ and ‘Author’ data and even change the text encoding (if uncertain, leave it as is on ‘auto’). Click on the ‘Convert Files to EPUB’ to start the conversion.
Step 4: Finally, right click on your book and select ‘save as’ to save it, or simply click on the ‘files.zip’ link to download all of your converted ebooks at once.
That’s it, you’re done.
5. Free File Converter (online service, browser based)
Another free document conversion service that supports a wide array of formats. This one is similar to ‘2Epub’ above, but will allow you to upload a document as large as 300 megs.
Step 1: go to the Free File Converter service using any browser.
Step 2: click on the ‘Convert File’ tab, then press the ‘Choose File’ button and upload your file. Next, select ‘mobi’ in the output format dropdown and click the ‘Convert’ button.
Step 3: after a brief wait, you can download the converted file from the links provided (including a zipped archive for faster download).
That’s it, you’re done.
More options:
Although we stopped at five in this article (because sometimes less is more), there are a couple more free options which you might want to look at: Hamster Free eBook Converter for Windows (which uses the Calibre engine, and is a 48 meg download), and Convert.Files (another online conversion service).