Back in the day, Amazon seemed completely against the EPUB format. You couldn’t upload an EPUB book to Amazon KDP, and you couldn’t side-load an EPUB either. Instead, you had to convert the EPUB to MOBI, then use that file to upload to Kindle.
But after a series of changes and announcements, the MOBI file is essentially dead, and Amazon has embraced the EPUB file like every other ebook retailer out there. Kindle devices did not support EPUB files until recently, making the term ‘kindle epub' relevant for those looking to transfer EPUB eBooks to their Kindle.
Now that the EPUB is readily available to Kindle readers, how can you add the EPUB to your specific Kindle device? Because this is something you might need to do if you have received a free ebook from an author, or an advanced reader copy (ARC).
- How to send your ebook to the Kindle via email
- How to send it using the “Send to Kindle” desktop tool
- How to send EPUBs through your Kindle app on iOS and Android
Let us dive into each of these individually.
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Method #1: Email the EPUB File to Your Kindle Address
The first method to upload your EPUB file to your Kindle, is to email it to your Kindle device. Since Kindle devices do not support EPUB files directly, you need to convert EPUB to Kindle-compatible formats like MOBI.
This method may seem a little complicated at first, but don’t worry, it gets easier every time you do it.
Part 1: Find Your Kindle Email Address
Every Kindle device that you have is automatically assigned an email. So before you can send an EPUB to that email address, you need to find it and authorize your main email address (the one you use for day-to-day interactions) to send it books. The ‘Send to Kindle' service makes it convenient to transfer files and ebooks from various sources to your Kindle device.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Log into your Amazon account, go under Account & Lists and select Content & Devices
- Select the Devices tab
- Find your device in the list of devices and click on it
- Once you have found your device, it should have the Kindle email listed (one that ends in “@kindle.com”). You can now copy that email and save it for later.
Next, we need to make sure your main email, the one you normally use, is authorized to send emails to this @kindle.com address. To do this, follow these steps:
- In the Content & Devices area, go to the Preferences tab
- Find the section that says Personal Document Settings
- Find the link that says “Add a new approved e-mail address” under the Approved Personal Document E-mail List section
- Enter your regular email here
Once you have that all squared away, it’s time to send your EPUB file to your Kindle…
Part 2: Email Your EPUB File
Once you have found your Kindle address, and authorized your main email to send it books, the rest is relatively easy. Simply follow these steps:
- Create a new email in whatever email service you use (gmail, hotmail, etc.)
- Attached your EPUB file to the email
- Send it to your @kindle.com email that you collected earlier
- Once you send the email, you will get a verification email from Amazon. Simply open up that email and hit the verify button.
That's it! No need for a subject line or content in the body of your email. All you need is the EPUB file, and the @kindle.com address to send it to.
Additional Notes on Sending Ebooks to Kindle Via Email
- You can send up to 25 attachments in one email
- You can have up to 15 email addresses approved to send emails to your Kindle
- The total email size must be 50 MB or less
- To save space you can compress your EPUBs into a ZIP file. Amazon is smart enough to unzip those files before transferring them to your Kindle
- Amazon also allows the following file types to be emailed to your Kindle:
- .DOC, .DOCX
- .HTML, .HTM
- .RTF
- .TXT
- .JPEG, .JPG
- .GIF
- .PNG
- .BMP
- Your device must be connected to the Internet when you send the email
While the MOBI format was once standard for Kindle, it has been phased out in favor of EPUB and other formats.
Method #2: Use the Send to Kindle Desktop Tool
If you own a PC or a Mac, you can download the “Send to Kindle” desktop application for your computer.
This application makes it extremely simple to upload ebooks to your Kindle.
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Check It OutAfter you have installed the application, it will ask you to link it with your account. Simply follow the prompts that they give you, and within seconds you can link your account.
Once your account is linked, you simply drag and drop the ebook file to the send to Kindle app. And voilà, your ebook will soon be available on your Kindle.
This is by far the easiest method to upload an ebook to your Kindle. Other compatible file types include:
- Microsoft Word (.DOC, .DOCX)
- PDF (.PDF)
- Text (.TXT)
- Images (.JPG, .JPEG, .PNG, .BMP, .GIF)
- RTF (.RTF)
- HTML (.HTML, .HTM)
Download the Send to Kindle App Here
Method #3: Use the Kindle iOS or Android App (Not Recommended)
One last way to add an ebook file to your Kindle device is through a mobile device. The Kindle app is compatible with various Kindle devices, making it easy to access your files. For example, if an ebook is emailed to you, or you use a service like BookFunnel or StoryOrigin to deliver these files to your phone, you might want to use this method.
Start with these steps:
- Make sure the Kindle app is installed on your iOS or Android device
- Find your ebook (wherever it is stored on your device, be it email, files, etc.)
- Find the share menu for that file
- You should see an option for “Kindle” or “Share to Kindle”
- Select that option and you should be good to go!
This system is overly complicated, can vary from one device to the next, and is overall a pain to do. That is why we recommend one of the above two methods instead. Even when using a mobile device, it is easier to use Method #1 and send the EPUB via your phone’s email app.
The Method We Recommend: Email
If you are sending an EPUB file to your Kindle device, right now we recommend using “Send to Kindle”. The desktop app makes things super simple. There are also free services available for converting and sending EPUB files to Kindle devices.
If that doesn’t work for whatever reason, or you’re using a phone, we would recommend emailing the ebook file to your Kindle email in order to side-load your EPUB file to your Kindle device.
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