How to convert a PDF to EPUB for a phone or e-reader
Open PDF to EPUB, choose EPUB e-book, and press Make the e-book. The text then reflows to fit any screen instead of making you zoom and scroll.
PDF to EPUB or web pageFree. Nothing is uploaded.
How to do it
- Open PDF to EPUB or web page and add the PDF.
- Choose EPUB e-book, or A web page for one .html file.
- If the PDF is a scan, choose Editable words under Scanned pages.
- Press Make the e-book.
- Open the EPUB in Apple Books, Google Play Books or another reader, or send it to a Kindle.
Why a PDF is hard to read on a phone
A PDF keeps every page the size it was printed, so on a phone you zoom in and drag sideways along every line. An EPUB holds the text, not the page, so the reader app wraps it to your screen and lets you choose the font size.
What to expect
Chapters start at each main heading, or at each section when the title is the only main heading, and photos come along in their places. Page numbers and running headers are dropped. The page layout gives way to plain flowing text, so it suits books, reports and notes much better than forms, slides or anything laid out in columns. Amazon’s Send to Kindle accepts EPUB files.
Reading the PDF as it is
If the layout matters, Read opens the PDF itself with zoom, find and a night mode. For a scan, Editable words reads the words first; for a better reading, Make searchable offers more languages.
A worked example
You have a 200-page novel as a PDF and want to read it on your phone on the train. Open PDF to EPUB or web page, add it, keep EPUB e-book and press Make the e-book. Open the file in Google Play Books or Apple Books, set the text size you like, and the lines wrap to your screen. The chapters appear in the app’s contents, taken from the book’s headings.
EPUB or web page?
Choose EPUB for a reading app: most of them remember your place, let you change the font and size, and list the chapters. Choose a web page for something to open in a browser with no app at all, to send to someone, or to read with a screen reader. Both hold the same text, and both are made on your device.
If you are not sure, make both. Each takes moments, the PDF you picked is never changed, and you can keep whichever reads better on your phone or e-reader.
Common mistakes
Converting a form, a slide deck or a page of wide tables, which loses its layout; read those as PDFs. Converting a scan with Scanned pages left as pictures, which gives a book of page pictures with no text to reflow. And converting a picture book or a comic: its pictures come along, but cut from the pages and set between the words, so it reads better kept as a PDF.
Questions people ask
Is my book uploaded?
No. It is converted in your browser.
Are pictures kept?
Yes. Photos and pictures come along in their places, cut from the page as it looks. For a picture-heavy PDF, reading it as a PDF may still suit better.
What is the web page option for?
One .html file that opens in any browser, with the text reflowing like an e-book. Handy for sharing or for screen readers.
Can I convert a book in Malayalam?
If the PDF holds real Malayalam text, it comes across as it is stored. Scanned pages are read in English only, so a scanned Malayalam book will not convert well.
Why did my book come out as one long chapter?
Chapters start at each main heading the converter finds. A book whose chapter titles look like ordinary text gives it nothing to cut at.
Can I read it on a Kindle?
Yes. Amazon’s Send to Kindle accepts EPUB files and delivers them to your Kindle and the Kindle app.
Your file stays on your device. Foolscap does the work inside your browser, so nothing is uploaded and there is nothing for anyone to keep. How you can check