EPUB OpenDocument Swap

EPUB to OpenDocument

Choose a EPUB file

…or drop a EPUB file here

.epub

Convert

Download

FAQ and format details
Why convert EPUB to OpenDocument?

A translation workflow in Writer, a public-domain etext you are copy-editing, a team that mandates ODT as the working format. Sigil remains better for true EPUB structure.

How this conversion runs

container.xml → OPF spine → sanitized HTML → content.xml. Headings from the book become text:h. You get one ODT, not one ODT per chapter.

Keep in mind for EPUB → OpenDocument

You are leaving the ebook package. nav, landmarks, and media overlays do not become Writer fields. Round-tripping ODT back to EPUB will not restore the original spine filenames.

After you have a OpenDocument file

Edit in Writer, export PDF from Writer if print quality matters. To republish as EPUB, use ODT→EPUB or HTML→EPUB and rebuild metadata in Sigil.

Is this better than Calibre's ODT output?

Calibre knows more publisher quirks. This is smaller, local, and explicit about going through HTML. Compare on a sample for important books.

Will drop caps survive?

No. They become ordinary letters in a paragraph.

This pair at a glance
Accepts
.epub
Writes
.odt · application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text
Read fidelity
high (EPUB → HTML)
Write fidelity
high (HTML → OpenDocument)
Source size
Plan for files under 38 MB

Runs in this browser.

Something off with this pair? Send feedback.

About EPUB and OpenDocument Text

Source file

EPUB

The open ebook format: a ZIP of XHTML chapters, CSS, and a package manifest. What Apple Books, Google Play Books, and most non-Kindle readers consume.

EPUB 3 is HTML in a spine. That makes the HTML hub almost native: we concatenate or split XHTML documents and rewrite the OPF package. Kindle’s AZW/MOBI family is a different type and is not in this matrix.

Extensions
.epub
MIME types
application/epub+zip
Kind
zip · binary
Category
ebook
Standard
Open format · since 2007
Comfortable size
Up to about 38 MB in this browser converter
Read into HTML
high fidelity · implemented — Spine XHTML documents are concatenated in reading order.

What this format can hold

  • headings
  • paragraphs
  • lists
  • links
  • images
  • inline formatting
  • chapters
  • table of contents

Usually dropped on the way in

  • per chapter css
  • fixed layout pages
  • media overlays
  • encryption

Apps that consume EPUB

  • Apple Books (Apple) — opens on macOS, iOS
  • Google Play Books (Google) — opens on Web, Android, iOS
  • Calibre — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Thorium Reader — opens on Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Foliate — opens on Linux
  • Kindle (via conversion) (Amazon) — opens on e-ink, iOS, Android
  • Sigil — creates on Windows, macOS, Linux

Catalog notes

  • DRM-encumbered EPUBs are rejected.
  • Kindle AZW3/MOBI is a later type, not an alias of EPUB.

Destination file

OpenDocument Text

The ISO text format used by LibreOffice Writer and OpenOffice: a ZIP of XML, the open counterpart to DOCX.

ODT is part of the OpenDocument family (ODS spreadsheets, ODP presentations). Governments and open-source shops standardize on it. Internally it is content.xml plus styles, metadata, and media. Conversion through HTML maps text:h / text:p / tables onto HTML equivalents.

Extensions
.odt
MIME types
application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text
Kind
zip · binary
Category
word processing
Standard
Open format · since 2005
Comfortable size
Up to about 24 MB in this browser converter
Written from HTML
high fidelity · implemented — Writes a minimal ODT package with nested lists, emphasis styles, and Pictures/ embeds for data-URL images.

What this format can hold

  • headings
  • paragraphs
  • lists
  • tables
  • links
  • images
  • inline formatting
  • styles

Usually dropped on the way out

  • css positioning
  • webfonts

Apps that consume OpenDocument

  • LibreOffice Writer (The Document Foundation) — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Apache OpenOffice Writer (Apache) — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Google Docs (Google) — creates and opens on Web
  • Microsoft Word (Microsoft) — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Web
  • Calligra Words (KDE) — creates and opens on Linux
  • OnlyOffice — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Linux, Web

Catalog notes

  • FODT (flat XML OpenDocument) is not yet a separate type; save as ODT first.
  • ZIP collision with DOCX/EPUB is resolved by checking mimetype or META-INF/manifest.xml.
Other conversions

Other conversions from EPUB: HTMLMarkdownWordRTFPDF

Other ways to get OpenDocument: HTMLMarkdownWordRTFPDF