How to edit an EPUB file

Published November 1, 2026 · 3 min read

It depends on what you want to change. To fix the title, author or cover, an online metadata editor does it in a minute. To change the text or the styling, use a free EPUB editor such as Sigil or the editor built into Calibre. Here is how to do each, without breaking the file.

Which tool for which change

Edit the title, author and other metadata

The metadata is the information reading apps show in your library: title, authors, series, language, publisher and description. Fixing it is the most common edit, and you don't need to install anything:

1. Open the EPUB metadata editor.
2. Choose your EPUB. It is read on your device, not uploaded.
3. Change any field, then click Download edited EPUB.

Wrong or missing metadata is also a common reason for failed Send to Kindle deliveries, so this is worth checking before sending a book to a Kindle.

Change or add the cover

Use the EPUB cover changer with a JPEG or PNG image. A good size is 1600 × 2560 pixels. If the book already has a cover, the new image replaces it in place, so every page that showed the old one shows the new one.

Edit the text with Sigil

Sigil is a free, open-source EPUB editor for Windows, Mac and Linux. It edits the book's files directly, so nothing is converted:

1. Open the EPUB in Sigil.
2. In the Book Browser, double-click a chapter to open it.
3. Edit the text in the preview or in the code view, and use Find & Replace for changes across the whole book.
4. Save. Sigil writes a valid EPUB back to disk.

Edit with Calibre

Calibre has two editors. Edit metadata changes the library information, and Edit book opens an editor similar to Sigil for the text and styles. Right-click a book in your library to find both.

Can you edit an EPUB by unzipping it?

Yes: an EPUB is a ZIP archive, so you can rename it to .zip, extract it and edit the files. The tricky part is putting it back together. The archive must start with a file called mimetype, stored without compression, and most ZIP tools don't do that. A book zipped the wrong way may not open, or may be rejected by stores and Send to Kindle. Unless you know the format well, use one of the editors above.

Check the book after editing

Open the edited book in a reading app to check it; how to open EPUB files lists free ones. For anything you'll publish or sell, also run it through EPUBCheck, the official validator, which reports structural errors that some apps ignore and others reject.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free EPUB editor?

Yes. Sigil and Calibre are free and open source, and the metadata and cover tools on this site are free and run in your browser.

Can I edit an EPUB on my phone?

For metadata and covers, yes: the browser tools work on phones. Editing text is much easier on a computer.

Can I edit a DRM-protected EPUB?

No. DRM prevents changes to the file, and editors will refuse to open it.

How do I change the author name in an EPUB?

Open it in the metadata editor, change the Authors field, and download the edited copy.

Related guides

Free EPUB tools