Change EPUB cover for Kindle: edit the file, then Send to Kindle

Change the cover, step by step

Steps 1 to 5 happen in your browser. The book is never uploaded.

1. Open the cover changer and drop your .epub file on it, or choose the file.
2. Read the “Cover found by” line and the warnings. “No cover found” means the book never declared a cover.
3. Pick the new cover: upload a JPEG, PNG, WebP or GIF, or switch to “Make a text cover” and type the title and author.
4. Pick the device preset that is closest to your Kindle screen, for example “6-inch e-reader 1072×1448”, “6.8–7 inch e-reader 1264×1680” or the store standard 1600×2560, and choose Fill (crop) or Fit (padding).
5. Download the new EPUB. It is saved as “your book (new cover).epub”.

Get the new EPUB onto your Kindle

Send to Kindle accepts EPUB files and converts them for the Kindle, and the cover it uses is the one your EPUB declares. Copying an EPUB to a Kindle over USB typically does not give you a readable book, because Kindles typically do not read EPUB natively. Use Send to Kindle instead.

6. Delete the old copy of the book from your Kindle, and from your Amazon library if the old copy is listed there.
7. Send the new EPUB with Send to Kindle (the web page or the app), choosing your Kindle as the destination. Amazon converts the EPUB for the device.
8. Let the Kindle sync over Wi-Fi and open your library. If the old cover still shows, restart the Kindle.

Product names and logos such as Kindle and Amazon belong to their owners. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kindle and Amazon; the names and logos are used only to show which devices this guide is about.

Kindle EPUB cover not showing: why it happens

A Kindle does not look at your computer’s folder icons or at an image next to the book. Only the cover inside the EPUB counts, so a blank or wrong cover is usually a fault in the file. These are the usual causes:

• No declared cover. The book contains pictures but its metadata never says which one is the cover.
• Broken cover entry. The entry in the package (OPF) file names an item that is not in the book. This tool lists that as a warning.
• Odd image format. A transparent PNG or an unusual JPEG variant can render badly on some readers. The tool always writes a standard baseline JPEG.
• Personal documents. Books you send or sideload are treated as personal documents, and on many models their covers are a known weak spot: a generic or blank cover can appear even when the file is right.
• An old copy. The library still has the first copy, with the thumbnail it made the first time.

How to refresh a Kindle cover that stays old

Delete the old copy from the Kindle, restart the device and send the new file again. A new copy of the book is made from the file you send, so a book with a new cover inside it typically gets a new thumbnail. If the cover is still blank after that, the file is probably fine and the model is not showing covers for personal documents; sending the file once more or restarting often helps, but it is not guaranteed.

Where a given model keeps its thumbnails differs between models and software versions, so check your model’s help pages before deleting anything by hand.

Good to know

This tool changes EPUB files you own. Books bought from a store with DRM are encrypted and cannot be changed, and we do not remove DRM. It does not promise a result on every Kindle model, because what the device shows is up to the device.