Send to Kindle with PDF: What “convert” Really Does and When to Use It

Send to Kindle is Amazon’s free service for sending files like PDFs to your Kindle without a cable. If you email a PDF and use the 'convert' option, Amazon tries to turn it into a Kindle book with resizable text, but the results depend on how your PDF is built. For the best reading experience, convert complex PDFs before sending them.

How to use Send to Kindle

• In your browser: Go to amazon.com/sendtokindle, sign in, and drag your file into the window.
• With the desktop app for Windows and Mac, or from the Kindle app on your phone using the “Share” feature.
• By email: Every Kindle has its own @kindle.com address. Send your file as an attachment from an approved email (set up in Content & Devices → Preferences → Personal Document Settings).

The file size limit is 200 MB per file. Send to Kindle accepts PDF, EPUB, DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, HTML, and images. It does not accept AZW3 or MOBI; AZW3 files must be transferred by cable.

PDFs on Kindle: Fixed page or converted?

Sending a PDF without conversion keeps it as a fixed page: the entire page is scaled down to fit your Kindle screen. Text may be small, and you’ll need to zoom in. If you email your PDF with "convert" in the subject, Amazon attempts to make a Kindle book with flowing, resizable text.

Here’s what to expect:

• Simple text PDFs: Conversion can work well if the PDF is straightforward, with continuous text.
• Headings and chapters: Converted files often lose chapter structure and table of contents, making navigation harder.
• Two-column layouts: Conversion may mix columns, leading to jumbled text.
• Scanned PDFs: If your PDF is a scan or photocopy, conversion won’t work because there’s no real text.

How to get readable PDFs on your Kindle

Send to Kindle is reliable for delivering files, but converting PDFs directly can be hit-or-miss. For complex PDFs, first convert them with a tool that understands the layout. Then send the resulting EPUB to your Kindle. Send to Kindle accepts EPUB and preserves chapters and table of contents if they’re included.

Legible is one option for converting PDFs to Kindle format. Drop your PDF, preview the finished book, and download the EPUB for Send to Kindle. Other tools for conversion include Calibre (manual.calibre-ebook.com), though its manual notes that "PDF documents are one of the worst formats to convert from" and warns about issues with complex layouts.

If your file doesn’t show up on your Kindle

• Make sure your Kindle is connected to Wi-Fi, then swipe down and tap "Sync."
• If you used email, confirm your sender address is approved. Amazon will email you if a document is rejected.
• Your own documents appear with the "Documents" filter in the library, not under "Books."