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The Official Guide to Converting Kindle to PDF (3 Methods)

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How to convert Kindle to PDF easily? When you purchase an eBook from Amazon books, you will find your non-Kindle eReader (Nook, Kobo Vox, Sony Reader etc.) cannot open it. Before we solve this problem, let's talk about eBook-formats briefly. As the eBook-leader in the world, Kindle books support AZW, KFX, AZW3, PRC, MOBI and TPZ formats. Nevertheless, other readers do not support these formats, but support PDF and EPUB. So if you intend to read Kindle books on other readers, you will have to convert Kindle AZW / TPZ / PRC / MOBI to PDF or EPUB.

First things first: Download Kindle books to computer/eReader

Before the kindle to pdf conversion, the first thing is to download purchased Kindle titles to the kindle eReader or to computer via Kindle desktop app. As I've introduced this point in this guide The Ultimate Guide to Download Kindle Books.

After the Kindle books are downloaded well, you can convert those files to PDF format as the steps below.

No. kindle to pdf converter tools free or paid Cons
1 Calibre free need dedrm plugin intalled
2 Epubor Ultimate Paid (with free trial) paid software
3 kindle to pdf online, zamzar free kfx format no support

Method 1: Convert Kindle books to PDF with Calibre

Calibre is a super star in eBook software area, you can use it as a free Kindle to PDF converter. It allows you to convert the formats of your books to another one.

Calibre offers you several versions on different operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux and portable. We record the video on windows, but you can also convert Kindle to PDF on Mac with the same method. 

Step 1 Download Calibre and select a proper version for your PC. Here we select "Windows". Make sure your Kindle books have been copied or downloaded on your computer.

Step 2 Install and launch Calibre.

Please install Calibre deDRM removal plugin to remove drm from your kindle books at first, otherwise your kindle books cannot be converted successfully.

convert kindle to pdf - drm

Step 3 Click “Add books” button to add your Kindle books, then they will be listed on the center zone of the screen.You can drag and drop your books here as well.

add books into calibre

Step 4 Select the books that you prepare to convert. Also, you can click "Edit metadata" button to customize the cover images, title, authors and other metadata of your eBooks.

edit book metadata calibre

Step 5 Click "Convert books” button. The ebook converting window will pop. Select "PDF" as output format and click "OK". Calibre will start to convert books.

bulk convert with calibre

The status zone at the bottom of the right corner “jobs: 2" will show the progress of conversion.

Step 6 When the status turns to "Jobs: 0", the conversion is completed. Click the status zone to get the details of the conversion on the pop-up window.

conversion details

Step 7 Go back to the main screen. If the books have been converted from Kindle to PDF successfully, the "Formats" will contain both the original one and the converted one.

click to open

Click "Click to open", you will get your PDF books on the pop-up window.

convert kindle to pdf - suc file

Now you have completed converting Kindle books to PDF. The whole Kindle to PDF conversion progress is free and convenient. 

Pros:

  • Free;
  • Easy to use if the books are drm free.
  • Can be used as an eBooks management tool.

Cons: Should use Calibre DeDRM plugin to remove kindle drm first, and then you should also add the kfx-zip file into calibre for the kindle kfx to pdf conversion.

Method 2: Convert Kindle to PDF with Epubor Ultimate (Mac and Windows)

If you feel that the above steps are still a bit complicated and you are not that satisfied with it, I would recommend the Epubor Ultimate for you. It combines the DRM removal and formats conversion perfectly. The most important is, you will get your Kindle books converted just with a simple click. It's a one-stop solution to convert Kindle (drm) books to PDF.

Step 1: Download and install epubor ultimate.

   

Step 2: Add Kindle books to remove DRM.

If your Kindle books are downloaded to your Kindle Oasis or Kindle Paperwhite, just connect your device to computer via USB, then run Epubor Ultimate software. It will detect all the books that saved in your device and list them at the left area. Drag and drop them to the right area of its main interface.

convert kindle to pdf with epubor ultimate

As the image shows above, books added, drm header removed. This step is easier than using calibre, right?

If your books are downladed to Fire tablet, or Kindle for Android, you want to convert kindle app books to PDF quickly, please use Kindle desktop to sync them and download them to your computer. Downloaded files will be saved in local "My Kindle Content" folder, please check.

Step 3: Convert drm free kindle to PDF

From the "Convert to.." selection please choose PDF as the target format, and then click the button again, the conversion will begin soon.

convert drm free kindle to pdf

Pros:

  • Easier to use than calibre, clean interface.
  • Remove drm from Kindle KFX books fast.
  • And epubor provides 6*24 online customer service.
  • Handle drm-ed and drm-free kindle books.

Cons: Paid software, but you can use the free trial version first to decide whether to use or not.

epubor kindle to pdf converter

Method 3: Convert Kindle to PDF online (free)

There are some good kindle to pdf online converter that could help us:

Zamzar Kindle to PDF Converter

Convert.Files

If you are interested(especially for those people who have 2 or 3 books only that need to be processed), pleaese try this way.

Pros:

  • Free.
  • No need to install third-party software.

Cons:

  • Ads everywhere, because it's a free online site.
  • Should input email address to receive the converted file.
  • Each time to open a site to convert hundreds of books will be a littly messy.
  • Only handle drm-free kindle books.

FAQs about converting kindle books to PDF

FAQ 1: Convert Kindle to PDF Windows 8

Some customers leave comments to complain that, they can't find the downloaded Kindle books on their Windows 8 computer, which stopped them successfully converting a Kindle book to a PDF.

The downloaded kindle books will be saved in "My Kindle Content" folder. But if you failed to find them, you can check following path:

  • C:\Users\<userid>\AppData\Local\Amazon\Kindle\application\content
  • Or

  • C:\Users\<userid>\AppData\Local\Packages\<Package Name>\LocalState or Roaming State or SystemAppData

Details you can read how to remove Kindle DRM on Windows 8. After you succeeded to strip the drm, continue to follow this guide to convert your kindle books formats please.

FAQ 2: Convert Kindle AZW6 to PDF

After the conversion finished, when we open the PDF book, we will find that all the pages of some PDF books (which we converted from Kindle) are blank, but just with one cover image. Why?

It's likely that the original Kindle book you got from amazon store is an azw6 book. This format is only used in Amazon Japan.

Until now I haven't found a tool that could help us directly handle azw6 format Kindle books. The unique solution and easiest way is to sync these books via Kindle for PC/Mac and download them again to your computer, so that epubor or calibre could recognize them.

convert kindle azw6 to pdf

FAQ 3: Convert Kindle KFX to PDF

kindle bookerly kfx

Since 2017 Amazon started widely using their new format, KFX, into their kindle books, after they upgraded the Kindle desktop version to version 1.19.

This format features at the new enhanced typesetting engine and new Bookerly font. Reading KFX on Kindle devices especailly on KPW3 is really nice and cool, but it's really a pain when we want to read them on non-Kindle devices.

epubor support kfx

To convert kindle kfx books to pdf, you need to use an older version of Kindle desktop app or an e-ink kindle device to help download old format kfx format, this is because the newest kfx format books can't be converted to other formats, no tools works for this issue.

FAQ 4: Convert Kindle to PDF A5 size

Thoug A4 is the default page size, but you know that there are some readers such as Sony DPT-CP1, will only supports A5 PDF. So, is it possible to change or reduce the PDF page size from A4 to A5? The anwser is Yes.

Open Calibre, add your A4 pdf books into the calibre, "Convert books". From the new window select the output as "PDF", and then from the left side area choose "PDF Output", set the "Paper size" as "a5", OK.

change pdf page size from a4 to a5

a5 pdfWaiting for the job finished. When it's completed, you can click to open the new page size PDF books with Calibre built-in viewer. If you think it's good, then try to transfer the A5 page size PDF book to your Sony digital reader please (may also need Digital Paper App to sync the files).

Please note: Not all of the PDF books will be displayed correctly or perfectly on your new device after being changed the size into A5. The PDF output quality is always being the century problems. So here I will recommend you preview the pdf file first before transferring them to your device.

FAQ 5: Kindle to PDF vertically

For those Kindle Japan users, they already were familiar with the vertical layout. But after converting Kindle to PDF, you will find that some books have been horizantal, and with badly layout. This is because some tools will help you rotate the PDF, which results in the vertical to horizontal and with bad display.

horizontal display

I would say that, there is nearly no tools works for convert books to vertical PDF. If yes, the layout is not as good as what you want. My personal suggestion is to convert kindle books to vertical ePub foramt. And you can use either Calibre or vertical supported version of Epubor Ultimate.

Solution 1 Convert Kindle to vertical ePub Calibre

Convert Kindle to ePub with Calibre, and select "Look&Feel" > "Styling".

Then copy the following css codes into the blank area please.

Then choose "EPUB" as the output format, convert.

horizontal to vertical display

You will find the epub books are vertical and displayed well.

Solution 2 Convert Kindle to vertical ePub with customized edition of Epubor Ultimate

If you think adding css manually is a little messy, you can download the custom edition of Epubor Ultimate which helps convert Kindle books (vertical or horizontal) to vertical ePub/Mobi/AZW3.

Free Download Now

Epubor Ultimate for Windows Download Epubor Ultimate for Mac Download

This custom edition helps convert our Kindle books to vertical ePub, no matter your original Kindle books are vertical display or horizontal display.

Just add your Kindle books to its main interface to remove DRM, and then choose ePub as the output format. Please note that DON'T choose PDF as output though it supports this output format.

kindle to vertical epub

Open Adobe Digital Editions, and drag the converted EPUB books to ADE. You will find that the ePub is vertical display well.

convert kindle to vertical epub

That's all. Wish this guide will help resolve 99% of your problems when converting Kindle to PDF. If you found new questions, don't forget to leave your comments below.

author

works for Epubor and writes articles for a collection of blogs such as ebookconverter.blogspot.com.

17 Comments
reply
reply
10/10/2012 13:43:54
Excellent instruction, clear and very useful, thanks
reply
10/23/2012 23:01:56

Hi,
Many thanks!
I'm glad you'got something useful here.

Ada

reply
12/15/2012 23:45:05
Thank You so much! This helped me convert my kindle books into a format my linux system could read. Thank you =]
reply
12/18/2012 20:12:04

Hi, Christy

Glad to hear that.
Feel free to tell us if you have any other problem.

Regards.

reply
12/20/2013 22:33:30
I am so frustrated. I have purchased a DRM remover as well as Calibre in order to convert kindle ereaders to PDF so I can read them on my Sony reader. Trouble is I can't see an actual file - I can only access the ebook on the Kindle cloud reader or on the Kindle App on my Windows 8. But the actual file doesnt appear anywhere in order to import it to Calibre or the DRm remover. HELP!
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12/24/2013 18:34:16
You can read this guide: www.epubor.com/how-to-remove-kindle-drm-on-windows-8.html
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03/23/2016 02:48:17
My situation is same as Annie. I have just tried and succeeded. Thank you guys so much!!!
reply
09/8/2018 10:29:41
Thanks for this guide sharing, learnt much.
reply
10/4/2019 06:51:53
Thank you for all your valuable effort on this web page. Debby takes pleasure in conducting investigations and it is simple to grasp why. Almost all learn all about the dynamic method you give both useful and interesting tactics by means of this website and even attract contribution from some other people on the issue plus our own girl is undoubtedly discovering a lot of things. Take advantage of the rest of the new year. Your conducting a useful job.
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reply
12/7/2020 08:27:28
Not possible to download azw files anymore.
reply
12/7/2020 10:56:49
Thank you for your comments. For downloading azw file, you only need to install the older version of kindle for pc or Mac.
reply
03/2/2021 06:46:39
Thanks for every one of your efforts on this blog. Betty take interest in doing investigation and it's really simple to grasp why. We learn all of the powerful medium you provide both useful and interesting tips on this web site and as well as inspire contribution from the others about this idea and my princess is undoubtedly becoming educated a lot of things. Take pleasure in the rest of the year. Your conducting a powerful job.
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reply
07/21/2021 12:34:12

Hi,

I've succeeded in converting my Kindle book to ePUB and as pdf.
I just don't know how to get it from wherever it is on my MacBookPro into my Kobo.  

I'm thinking it'd be less of a headache to just buy the friggin book (again) via the Kobo eReader Store!!

Thanks for any tips to get these last steps...

Sherry

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01/6/2023 01:49:58

Now due to kindle 1.39 version has come new kindle books will no longer downloaded in kindle 1.32 version as before so we cannot convert in epubor also.

Is there any fix for this.

Thanks

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01/16/2023 10:24:47

We aware of this issue. It seems the amazon kindle has changed something in the new published kindle books. It requires the latest kindle app to download it.

Now we are working on this issue. Once there is a solution, we will let you know. The older kindle books still can be cracked with Epubor Ultimate.

There is still another way to remove drm from this kind of kindle books if you have any kindle eink device registered with your amazon account. Please download the kindle books via "Download and transfer via usb" and then remove kindle drm with Epubor Ultimate. Here is the detailed guide: https://www.epubor.com/how-to-remove-drm-from-kindle-kfx-ebooks.html#meth4

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04/21/2023 18:56:48
Any update on 1.39 Kindle issue. We are still waiting for the solution
reply
04/23/2023 09:03:04
Thanks for your comment. Please wait with patience, it's not an easy problem, and we're trying our best to work on this issue. Thank you so much!
reply
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