How to Send an EPUB to Kindle (2026): Email, Web, and One-Click

Kindle reads EPUB files, but only if they come in through Amazon's Send to Kindle: by email, the web uploader, or the Kindle app. Copy one over USB and it won't open.

My library lives in Screvi and I read on a Kindle, so I built the shortcut: open any book or saved article, choose Send to Kindle, and it's on the device a few minutes later. Setup takes two minutes, once. Below is that route first, then Amazon's manual ones for files that live anywhere else.

Before you start

Three things about Kindle delivery that save you a support ticket later:

  • The file must be DRM-free. An EPUB bought from another store or borrowed from a library app usually carries DRM and will fail silently. Files from Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, indie authors, or your own exports work fine.
  • Sent books land under "Docs", not "Books". They read the same, but they live on a different shelf of your Kindle library.
  • Amazon only accepts documents from approved senders. Mail from anyone else is deleted with no bounce and no error. If you've ever emailed a book to your Kindle and watched nothing happen, this is why.

The Screvi way

Send EPUBs to your Kindle in 3 steps: copy your Kindle address, paste it into Screvi, approve the sender

Two minutes of setup

  1. Open Amazon's Personal Document Settings (Manage Your Content and Devices → Preferences → Personal Document Settings) and copy your Kindle's @kindle.com address. Shop on a non-US Amazon store? Use the same menu there.
  2. In Screvi, go to Integrations → Send to Kindle and paste it. The page shows your personal Screvi sender address, something like kindle+a1b2c3@screvi.com. It's unique to your account, so nobody else can push documents to your device.
  3. Back on the same Amazon page, scroll down and add that sender address to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List.

Done. You never touch this again.

The Send to Kindle settings page in Screvi, with the Kindle address saved and the sender address to approve

Sending a book

Open your Library, open the menu on any book with an EPUB file, choose Send to Kindle. Screvi emails the original file, with the cover, formatting, and images exactly as you imported them. Kindle takes EPUB natively now, so nothing gets mangled in conversion. A few minutes later the book is on your device and synced across your Amazon account.

The Send to Kindle option in the menu of a book in Screvi

Files must be under 25MB, and only EPUB works for now. No PDFs yet.

Sending an article

This is the part no uploader or cable can do. Every article in Screvi has the same Send to Kindle action. Screvi turns it into a clean EPUB with the title, author, images, and a link back to the original, then emails it like a book.

That 40-minute essay you saved three weeks ago and never opened? On e-ink, with no tabs and nothing pinging you, it finally gets read.

Coming from BookFusion? Here's how Screvi compares as a BookFusion alternative.

The manual ways

For files that don't live in Screvi, use one of Amazon's routes:

  • Send to Kindle on the web. Sign in, drag the EPUB into the browser, pick a device. Files up to 200MB, nothing to install. The method I'd give anyone for a one-off file.
  • Email it yourself. Send the EPUB as an attachment to your @kindle.com address from an email you've added to your approved senders list.
  • Your phone's share sheet. With the Kindle app installed, tap an EPUB in your downloads, hit Share, choose Kindle.
  • Calibre over USB. A raw EPUB copied by cable won't open, but Calibre converts to Kindle's native format in bulk. The trade-off: USB-loaded books skip Amazon's cloud, so no position sync and no backup. Worth it at fifty books, not at one.

Send to Kindle not working?

Send to Kindle troubleshooting checklist: sender not approved, DRM, wrong address, file too large, copied over USB, looking under Books

Start with the approved senders list. It causes more failed sends than everything else combined, and Amazon never tells you. The docs page has the full checklist.

Where the highlights go

Books go from Screvi to your Kindle by email, and highlights come back to Screvi through My Clippings.txt

One catch: highlights made in sideloaded books don't appear in your Kindle notebook, which only shows store-bought titles. They're saved on the device in a file called My Clippings.txt.

They're not lost. Sync your Kindle highlights to Screvi or drop My Clippings.txt into the free clippings viewer, and every highlight from every book, store-bought or sent, ends up in one searchable library.

Frequently asked questions

Can Kindle read EPUB?

Yes, but not by copying the file over USB. Since 2022 Amazon accepts EPUB through Send to Kindle (email, the web uploader, the apps) and converts it on arrival. An EPUB dragged straight onto the device by cable won't open.

What is my Kindle email address?

It's the @kindle.com address Amazon assigns to each device and Kindle app. Find it in Personal Document Settings on Amazon. Every device has its own, and you can rename them there.

Why won't my Kindle recognize EPUB files?

Usually because the file was copied over USB instead of sent through Amazon. Other causes: the EPUB has DRM, it's a fixed-layout file (comics, some textbooks), or the sender email isn't on your approved list. Send it through Screvi or amazon.com/sendtokindle and it converts automatically.

Does Send to Kindle by email still work?

Yes. Attach the EPUB to an email and send it to your @kindle.com address from an approved sender. Leave the subject blank or use the book title, and keep the attachment under 50MB.

Why can't I send an EPUB to my Kindle by email?

Usually the sending address isn't on your Approved Personal Document E-mail List, and Amazon drops the mail without telling you. Otherwise the file has DRM, is too large, or is a fixed-layout EPUB Amazon can't convert. Amazon usually emails you when a conversion fails, so check your inbox too.

Do I still need to convert EPUB to MOBI?

No. Amazon stopped accepting MOBI through Send to Kindle and now takes EPUB directly. You only need a converter like Calibre if you load books over USB.

Can I send web articles to my Kindle?

Yes. Save the article to Screvi with the browser extension or the share sheet on your phone, then choose Send to Kindle from its menu. It arrives as a clean EPUB with images and a link to the original.

Want the two-click version? Try Screvi free for 14 days, upload an EPUB, and send it to your Kindle in the next five minutes.