Kindle

How to Convert Kindle DRM-Protected eBooks to EPUB

You may remove DRM protection from Kindle eBooks and then convert them to EPUB format to get rid of many Amazon-imposed limitations. EPUB is a popular eBook format that is widely supported. Almost any platform, including virtually all hardware readers (with the exception of the Kindle) and eBook reader applications, can easily read EPUB books.

Here’s a great approach to turn DRM-protected Kindle books into EPUB format—use Epubor Ultimate. It’s a software program that’s really simple to use and works with both Windows and Mac. Let’s now convert Amazon Kindle books to EPUB.

Convert Kindle AZW/KFX eBooks to DRM-Free EPUB (Step-by-Step Instructions)

Regardless of the method you choose, make sure you have downloaded and installed Epubor Ultimate on your Windows or Mac computer. The free trial will convert 20% of each book in order to give you a sense of how it works.
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Method 1: Convert Books from A Kindle E-reader to EPUB

Only applicable to the following versions of Kindle firmware: V5.10.2 and lower. These are some older Kindle models.

Step 1. Take Out Your Kindle and Connect It with Your Computer

Connect your Kindle E-reader with your Windows or Mac computer via a USB cable (use a USB data cable rather than a charge-only cable).

Connect Kindle to Computer with USB Cable

Step 2. Add the Kindle Books That Need to Be Converted

Open Epubor Ultimate. It will automatically detect your Kindle device and show all the books in it. Double click on the book that you want to convert to EPUB. Wait a while until the DRM protection is removed. The book will be added to the right pane. You can click on the pencil icon to edit the book meta such as replacing the cover image.

Decrypt and Convert Kindle to EPUB

Step 3. Hit “Convert to EPUB” to Start the Conversion

Select EPUB as the output format and click on “Convert to EPUB”. After success, the converted Kindle books would be saved on your computer with .epub extensions. There will be no DRM protection within the books.

Method 2: Download the Books from Amazon’s Website and Convert Them to EPUB

You’ll need a Kindle E-reader (regardless of model) to utilize this approach because Amazon will allow you to download eBooks from its website to your computer only when your Kindle E-reader is bound to an Amazon account. You must also supply the serial number of your Kindle E-reader when utilizing Epubor Ultimate to crack eBooks that have been downloaded to your computer.

Step 1. Go to Amazon.com: Manage Your Content and Devices.

Amazon's Manage Your Content Website Page

Step 2. On the right side of the eBook, click on “More actions” and then “Download & transfer via USB”.

Select Download & transfer via USB to Save the Kindle Book to Your Computer

Step 3. Select your Kindle E Ink device and download the Kindle eBook to your computer.

Download the Kindle Book to Computer as AZW Format

Step 4. Launch Epubor Ultimate and input your Kindle Serial Number.

Input Kindle Serial Number in Epubor Ultimate

Step 5. Add the Kindle books that have been downloaded from Amazon.com.

Add AZW Kindle Books to Epubor Ultimate

Step 6. Now just need to press “Convert to EPUB” and the DRM-free EPUB books will be saved on your computer.

Kindle Books Downloaded from Amazon Have Been Added to Epubor Ultimate

Method 3: Convert Books from Kindle for PC/Mac to EPUB

This is the quickest way for batch conversion, and it doesn’t require a Kindle E-reader. However, because the operations on Windows and Mac are quite different, we’ll discuss them separately.

On Windows: Convert “Kindle for PC” to EPUB

Step 1. Run Epubor Ultimate.

Open Epubor Ultimate for Converting Kindle to EPUB

Step 2. Launch Kindle for PC (here’s the link to download it), and then sign in with your Amazon account.

*Step 1 and Step 2 are interchangeable but they all have to be done before Step 3 because you need to open Epubor Ultimate and let it automatically execute some command lines before downloading the books from Kindle for PC.

Step 3. Right-click on the book that you want to convert to EPUB, and hit “Download”. Wait a few seconds, the book will be added to the “Downloaded” tab.

Download Book on Kindle for PC

Step 4. Back to Epubor Ultimate. Double-click the “Kindle” tab to refresh it. All of your downloaded Kindle books can be found here. Drag all of them or a selection of them into the right pane, and the program should be able to decrypt them successfully. You may convert your Kindle books to EPUB with a click of the mouse.

Decrypt Books in Kindle for PC before Converting to EPUB

On Mac: Convert “Kindle for Mac” to EPUB

Step 1. Download Kindle for Mac V1.31 or below (note the word “1.31”. If you’re using a Mac that has the latest version of the Kindle app installed, you’ll need to clear all the Kindle books you have downloaded and delete the app).
Download Kindle for Mac version 1.31

One thing you need to do immediately after installing the V1.31 is to go to Kindle > Preferences > Updates to uncheck the auto-update box so you don’t unwittingly update to a newer version. Simply log into the program and you are done.

Disable Auto Update of Kindle for Mac

Step 2. Run the following command line in “Terminal”. You can open the Terminal by going to Finder > Applications > Utilities folder, then double-clicking on the application “Terminal”. Or you can open Spotlight (command-spacebar), type in “Terminal”, and click on the Terminal app that appears in the search results.

sudo chmod -x /Applications/Kindle.app/Contents/MacOS/renderer-test

Enter

Input your password

Enter

Close the window

Run Codes in Mac Terminal to Prevent Kindle for Mac from Downloading KCR Books

Step 3. Right-click the book cover on Kindle for Mac and choose “Download”.

Download Kindle Books from Kindle for Mac

There are two things to bear in mind:

  1. You must right-click the book instead of double-clicking the cover. It implies “download & open” if you double click.
  2. You should not open the downloaded eBooks to read before removing DRM.

Step 4. Open Epubor Ultimate to decrypt & convert Kindle to EPUB.

Convert Kindle for Mac to EPUB with Epubor Ultimate for Mac

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When I went to the “Kindle” tab in Epubor Ultimate, why didn’t anything show up?

A:  The V1.31’s default storage location is: /Users/UserName/Library/Application Support/Kindle/My Kindle Content, so you may alter it to that path by opening the Epubor Ultimate “Settings” and changing the “Source location”.

Change the Source Location in Epubor Ultimate for Mac

Q: Why do I still fail to decrypt the books?

A: You must first verify whether your “Kindle for Mac” is still version 1.31 or below. Then, follow the instructions and try again, paying close attention to the specifics.

Conclusion

In this post, we’ve walked you through the process of converting Kindle books to EPUBs. The steps involved in decrypting a book on Mac or Windows are different, but both can be done with Epubor Ultimate for Mac & Windows respectively.

Epubor Ultimate is not just the best Kindle eBooks Converter, but also the best Kobo/NOOK eBooks Converter and the best Google Play Books Converter. With a vast array of features, a never seen before ease-of-use and an unbeatable price, it truly is a must-have for every eBook fan.

Download it now and enjoy your reading! I hope you will love this tool and the way it performs. If you have any following doubts in your mind, please free to leave a comment in our comment section below, we will reply ASAP.
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Susanna

Susanna is the content manager and writer of Filelem. She has been an experienced editor and book layout designer for many years, and interested in trying and testing various productivity software. She is also a huge fan of Kindle, who has been using Kindle Touch for nearly 7 years and carrying Kindle almost wherever she goes. Not long ago the device was at the end of its life so Susanna happily bought a Kindle Oasis.

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