How to open a .azw3 file
Kindle Format 8 ebook · Ebook
An .azw3 file is a Kindle ebook. Calibre opens it if it has no DRM. If it came from your Amazon library it is protected, and the Kindle app on that account is the only way to read it.
What a .azw3 file actually is
AZW3, also called KF8, is Amazon's successor to MOBI, with better formatting support. It is internally close to EPUB wrapped in Amazon's container.
Whether you can open it comes down to one question: DRM or not. That single fact decides everything, and it is not visible from the filename.
Why it will not open
Nothing on Windows or macOS opens AZW3 by default. And a book bought from Amazon carries DRM tied to your account, so even Calibre will refuse it.
Renaming it to an extension you can open will not help: changing the extension does not convert the file, it only changes what Windows tries to open it with.
Step by step
Windows
- 01Install Calibre, which is free, and open the file. If it was not DRM-protected, it reads and converts normally.
- 02If Calibre reports an error or refuses, the book has DRM. Read it in the Kindle app or on a Kindle device, signed in to the account that bought it.
- 03To read a DRM-free AZW3 on a non-Kindle device, convert it to EPUB in Calibre.
macOS
- 01Calibre has a macOS build and behaves the same.
- 02Apple Books does not read AZW3, so convert to EPUB first.
What usually goes wrong
DRM is not a broken file
A protected AZW3 often reports itself as damaged or unsupported, which sends people hunting for repair tools. Nothing is wrong with it. It is encrypted to an account, and the supported way to read it is Amazon's own app.
Programs that open .azw3
Our pick, in order. Every one links to the publisher's official download URL and the SHA-256 hash of the installer. Once you have downloaded it, you can check the file against our index before you run it.
If you end up downloading one of these from somewhere other than the publisher, what you can and cannot verify about that is worth two minutes.
Common questions
- How do I open an AZW3 file on my computer?
- Calibre opens DRM-free AZW3 files on any desktop platform and converts them to EPUB. Books bought from Amazon carry DRM and only open in the Kindle app on the account that purchased them.
- What is the difference between AZW3 and MOBI?
- AZW3, or KF8, is the newer Amazon format with much better formatting and layout support. MOBI is the older one, now legacy, and no longer accepted by Send to Kindle.