TXT to EPUB — Convert Plain Text Files to EPUB Ebooks
Convert plain text files to EPUB ebooks. Auto-detects chapters, adds metadata, and generates a valid EPUB — 100% private, no uploads.
TXT to EPUB
Convert plain text files to EPUB ebooks. Works entirely in your browser — no uploads, no limits.
Drop your TXT file here
or click to browse (max 50MB)
EPUB is the universal ebook format — the one file type that every e-reader, every tablet, and every ebook app supports natively. It is a ZIP archive containing XHTML chapters, a table of contents, a manifest, and metadata, all structured according to the W3C’s EPUB 3.2 specification. Converting plain text to EPUB is the first step in taking a manuscript from a text file to a publishable ebook, and the conversion involves two operations that are not obvious from the text alone: chapter boundary detection and metadata embedding. The TXT-to-EPUB converter handles both, producing a valid EPUB that passes epubcheck and opens in any reader.
The chapter detection scans for common heading patterns — numbered chapters, Roman numeral chapters, and part markers — and splits the text into separate XHTML chapter files at each boundary. Metadata (title, author, language, cover image) is embedded in the EPUB’s content.opf, which is the manifest that tells e-readers what the book contains and how to display it. The generated EPUB uses the standard EPUB 3.2 structure: a navigation document for the table of contents, linear spine ordering for chapter sequence, and a CSS stylesheet that respects the reader’s default font and margin preferences. The tool runs entirely in your browser, so manuscripts never leave your device — a requirement for unpublished work under contract or content embargoed before a release date.
How to use
Drop your text file
Drop a .txt file or paste the full text. The converter detects line breaks, blank-line paragraph separators, and optional chapter markers (lines starting with 'Chapter', 'CHAPTER', or numbered patterns).
Add ebook metadata
Fill in the title, author, language, and optional cover image. The metadata is embedded in the EPUB's content.opf file and is displayed by every e-reader in the library view.
Download the EPUB
Click download to get a .epub file. The EPUB is a valid ZIP-based archive with a content.opf manifest, an NCX table of contents, and XHTML chapter files. It passes epubcheck validation.
Frequently asked
How does the converter detect chapters?
The parser looks for lines matching common chapter heading patterns: 'Chapter 1', 'CHAPTER I', '1.', 'Part One', or a configurable regex pattern. Matched lines become chapter breaks in the EPUB, dividing the text into separate XHTML files linked from the table of contents.
Is the EPUB valid for all e-readers?
The output targets EPUB 3.2, the current W3C recommendation. It passes epubcheck validation and is compatible with Kindle (via Amazon's EPUB-to-KF8 conversion), Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, and any EPUB 3-compliant reader.
Can I include a cover image?
Yes — upload a JPEG or PNG cover image in the metadata section. The image is embedded in the EPUB and set as the `<cover>` property in the manifest. The recommended size is 1600×2560 pixels for optimal display on high-DPI e-readers.
What text encoding should the source file use?
UTF-8. The converter auto-detects UTF-8, UTF-16 (LE/BE), and Latin-1 (ISO-8859-1). If the encoding is not detected correctly, convert the source file to UTF-8 with a text editor or the Charset Converter tool on this site before conversion.
Limitations
- No Markdown or rich text supportThe converter processes plain text only. Bold, italic, headings, and other formatting cues in Markdown are rendered as literal characters. Convert Markdown to HTML first, then use the HTML-to-PDF or a dedicated Markdown-to-EPUB tool for rich formatting.
- No inline imagesThe text-only converter does not support images within chapters. The cover image is the only embedded media. For EPUBs with inline illustrations, use Sigil (open-source EPUB editor) or Calibre after generating the base EPUB.
- No embedded fontsThe EPUB uses the e-reader's default font. Custom embedded fonts are not supported in this release. For typography control, edit the generated EPUB in Sigil and add font declarations to the CSS.
Platform notes
- macOS
- Apple Books opens EPUB files directly. Double-click the .epub to preview it, or drag it onto a connected iPhone/iPad in Finder to transfer.
- Linux
- Calibre is the standard EPUB tool on Linux. Use it to convert between EPUB and other formats, edit metadata, or transfer to an e-reader via USB.
- Web
- Runs entirely in the browser. The text content is processed locally and never uploaded — important for unpublished manuscripts and proprietary documents.