How to convert EPUB to Text
- Drop your EPUB files into the box above, or click it to choose from your device.
- Text is already selected for you. Press "Convert to Plain text".
- Download each new Text file, or grab them all at once as a ZIP.
Why convert EPUB to Plain text?
EPUB files are best for e-books that reflow to fit any screen size. Plain text is the better choice for raw text with no formatting. It opens in everything, while EPUB opens in apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, Calibre and Kindle (via Send to Kindle).
Text is lossless, so nothing your EPUB file contains is thrown away on the way.
EPUB vs Plain text at a glance
| EPUB | Plain text | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Zipped web pages (XHTML) plus a table of contents | None |
| Opens in | Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, Calibre and Kindle (via Send to Kindle) | Everything |
| Best for | e-books that reflow to fit any screen size | raw text with no formatting |
What happens to your file
An EPUB is a zip of web pages. The converter unpacks it in your browser, reads the book's own reading order from its package file, and joins the chapters into one document. Pictures and links between chapters only make sense inside the book, so they are left out. DRM-protected books cannot be read.
The page structure is read with your browser's own HTML parser. Scripts and styles are removed, every paragraph, heading and table row gets its own line, and extra blank lines are collapsed, so you get clean, readable text.
Tips for a clean conversion
- Drop a whole folder's worth of EPUB files at once. They convert one after another and you can download everything as a single ZIP.
- Keep your original EPUB files until you have checked the results. Converting back later is rarely lossless.
- Text keeps everything it receives, so the result is only ever as good as the EPUB file you start with.
- Only DRM-free e-books can be converted. Books bought from Kindle, Apple Books or Kobo are usually locked; free and publisher DRM-free EPUBs work. Pictures inside the book are left out.
- There is no direct EPUB to Text converter that runs in a browser, so your file is passed through 1 intermediate format automatically.
About the formats
EPUB: The open e-book format read by Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books and most e-readers.
Plain text: Raw text with no formatting. Opens in anything.
Questions
- Is it safe to convert EPUB to Text here?
- Yes. The conversion runs entirely inside your web browser. Your EPUB file is never uploaded to a server, so nobody else can see it.
- Will I lose quality?
- Text is lossless, so nothing your EPUB file contains is thrown away on the way.
- Can I convert several EPUB files at once?
- Yes. Drop as many files as you like. Each one is converted in turn, and you can download them one by one or all together as a ZIP.
- Is it free?
- Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you convert.
- Does it work on a phone?
- Yes. The converter runs in any modern browser, including Safari on iPhone and Chrome on Android, so you can convert EPUB files without installing an app.