Markdown EPUB Swap

Markdown to EPUB

Choose a Markdown file

…or drop a Markdown file here

.md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd

Convert

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FAQ and format details
Why convert Markdown to EPUB?

Self-publishers and teachers often write in Markdown because Git diffs and because it is not InDesign. Markdown→EPUB is the shortest path to Apple Books or Thorium without Calibre if your needs are simple: chapters, paragraphs, lists, a few tables.

How this conversion runs

GFM becomes HTML. Two or more h1s become separate XHTML spine items; a single title heading stays one chapter. package.opf, nav.xhtml, and a modest CSS file are added. Front matter YAML is not used as EPUB metadata beyond the filename-derived title unless a heading supplies one.

Keep in mind for Markdown → EPUB

This is not a press toolchain: no ISBN metadata UI, no cover-image picker, no footnote-to-popup mapping. Wikilinks will not resolve to other chapters. Code-heavy books look better as HTML or PDF. Kindle's preferred store format is still not EPUB on every device generation.

After you have a EPUB file

Open in Thorium or Apple Books and check the TOC. Add a cover and metadata in Sigil or Calibre if you are distributing. For Amazon, run Calibre's converter. Keep writing in Markdown; regenerate the EPUB rather than editing XHTML by hand unless you are done drafting.

How should I mark chapters in the Markdown?

Use a single # heading per chapter, then ## for sections. If every heading is ##, you will get one chapter and a flatter nav.

Will my images from a relative path embed?

Only if they are already inlined (data URLs) or present as HTML <img> with data URLs after a prior conversion. This page does not read a folder of sibling PNGs next to the .md.

This pair at a glance
Accepts
.md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd
Writes
.epub · application/epub+zip
Read fidelity
high (Markdown → HTML)
Write fidelity
high (HTML → EPUB)
Source size
Plan for files under 3.8 MB

Runs in this browser.

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About Markdown and EPUB

Source file

Markdown

A lightweight plain-text syntax for structured writing that compiles to HTML. The lingua franca of README files, wikis, and note apps.

Markdown stores documents as readable plain text with a small set of punctuation conventions for headings, emphasis, lists, links, and code. GitHub-Flavored Markdown (GFM) adds tables, strikethrough, task lists, and fenced code blocks. Conversion through HTML is a natural fit because Markdown was designed as an HTML shorthand.

Extensions
.md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd
MIME types
text/markdown, text/x-markdown
Kind
text · utf-8
Category
markup
Standard
Open format · since 2004
Comfortable size
Up to about 3.8 MB in this browser converter
Read into HTML
high fidelity · implemented — Parsed as GitHub-Flavored Markdown.

What this format can hold

  • headings
  • paragraphs
  • lists
  • tables
  • links
  • images
  • inline formatting
  • code blocks
  • blockquotes

Usually dropped on the way in

  • raw html passthrough is sanitized

Apps that consume Markdown

  • GitHub (GitHub) — creates and opens on Web
  • Obsidian (Dynalist) — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
  • VS Code (Microsoft) — creates on Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Typora — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Notion — creates and opens on Web, Windows, macOS
  • Jupyter — creates and opens on Web
  • Discord — opens on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

Catalog notes

  • Front matter (YAML between --- lines) is preserved as a prefix when converting from Markdown, and ignored when converting to Markdown.
  • Obsidian wikilinks and footnotes have no lossless HTML equivalent yet.

Destination 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
Written from HTML
high fidelity · implemented — Emits EPUB 3 with a single content document split on h1, plus nav.xhtml.

What this format can hold

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

Usually dropped on the way out

  • multi file chapter map unless h1 split

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.
Other conversions

Other conversions from Markdown: HTMLWordRTFOpenDocumentPDF

Other ways to get EPUB: HTMLWordRTFOpenDocumentPDF