Legacy MOBI fixture
- Input
- 11 KB sample MOBI reported as Unknown, version 6, with BOOKMOBI in the header.
- Output
- 14,002 byte AZW3 reported as version 8; the header still contained BOOKMOBI and metadata stayed sparse.
MOBI to AZW3 upgrades an old Mobipocket package to a version 8 Kindle file while leaving DRM-protected inputs unsupported.
From real runs
| Element | Result | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Kindle container | Changed | The fixture MOBI became a version 8 Mobipocket ebook, and BOOKMOBI remained visible at byte offset 60. |
| Text order | Kept | Our ebook engine preserved the linear reading order while rebuilding the Kindle package. |
| Legacy MOBI limits | Changed | The output cannot invent rich styling that was never present in the source MOBI file. |
| Metadata | Changed | The sample kept Unknown title metadata, showing that conversion does not repair missing catalog fields by itself. |
| Images | Changed | Images can be repackaged or recompressed during the Kindle-format rebuild. |
| DRM | Lost | Encrypted MOBI inputs remain unusable because the converter does not read or strip protected payloads. |
The fixture MOBI became a version 8 Mobipocket ebook, and BOOKMOBI remained visible at byte offset 60.
Our ebook engine preserved the linear reading order while rebuilding the Kindle package.
The output cannot invent rich styling that was never present in the source MOBI file.
The sample kept Unknown title metadata, showing that conversion does not repair missing catalog fields by itself.
Images can be repackaged or recompressed during the Kindle-format rebuild.
Encrypted MOBI inputs remain unusable because the converter does not read or strip protected payloads.
We converted our MOBI sample (11 KB) with Ebook engine on 2026-09-11. It took 274 ms and produced a 14 KB AZW3 file, 1.3× larger than the input. The engine raised no warnings.
Input · sample.mobi · 11 KB
Palm database, BOOKMOBI (KF7), title “Unknown”
Output · sample.azw3 · 14 KB
Palm database, BOOKMOBI (KF8), title “Unknown”
Calibre ebook-convert
ebook-convert in.mobi out.azw3Converting from MOBI improves the container, not the source quality; missing metadata and simple styling may stay simple.
The HTTP API and the MCP server run the exact engine this page uses (Ebook engine); the response carries the same warnings the web converter shows. Check support first with GET /api/v1/pairs?from=mobi&to=azw3.
curl -X POST https://filetypeconverters.com/api/v1/convert \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $FTC_API_KEY" \
-F "file=@input.mobi" -F "from=mobi" -F "to=azw3" \
--output output.azw3AZW3 supports newer Kindle rendering than old MOBI. It still cannot recreate layout, metadata, or images that were already simplified in the MOBI source.
Both tested outputs had BOOKMOBI at offset 60, and file identified them as Mobipocket version 8 ebooks. That matched the expected AZW3/KF8 container.
No. The sample with Unknown title stayed sparse after conversion. Fix metadata before conversion if Kindle library sorting matters.