Ebooks conversion
Convert MOBI to Markdown
Updated Jul 2026
MOBI is the ebook format used by older Kindles, and Markdown is a plain text format for notes, docs, and READMEs. To convert, open the ebook in a converter and export its text as Markdown. Doing this on your own computer means the book's contents don't have to pass through anyone else's server first.
- Extension
- .mobi
- Type
- Ebooks
- Typically
- Older Kindles
- Extension
- .md
- Type
- Documents
- Typically
- Docs, READMEs, notes
Convert MOBI to Markdown on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert MOBI to Markdown
- Open Morphjet and drag in the MOBI file, or a whole folder of ebooks, to convert several at once.
- Choose Markdown as the output format.
- Convert. The Markdown file is written next to the original, and nothing leaves your machine.
MOBI vs Markdown: what actually changes
| MOBI | Markdown | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Larger, holds layout, fonts, and images | Much smaller, plain text only |
| Formatting | Keeps page layout and embedded styling | Keeps headings and paragraphs, drops layout and fonts |
| Opens in | Older Kindles and Mobipocket readers | Any text editor, note app, or website |
| Images | Embedded inline | Not embedded, usually extracted as separate files |
| Book metadata (title, author, cover) | Yes, stored in the file | No standard field, usually lost or added as plain text |
| Easy to edit | No, needs special software | Yes, it's just text |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert MOBI to Markdown when you want to pull the text out of an old ebook to edit it, search it, paste it into notes, or store it as a plain text file that will still open long after the original ebook format is forgotten.
Keep the MOBI if you plan to read the book on a Kindle or want to preserve its original page layout, cover, and embedded images, because Markdown strips most of that down to plain text.
Why not just use an online converter?
Some MOBI to Markdown converters work by uploading your ebook file to a server and sending a text file back, which means the book's contents, possibly something you paid for or wrote yourself, pass through someone else's system. Converting on your own computer keeps the file, and whatever's inside it, entirely on your machine.
Questions
Does converting MOBI to Markdown lose formatting?
Yes. Page layout, embedded fonts, and multi-column text go away. Headings and paragraph breaks usually carry over, but the look of the original book doesn't.
Will images from the ebook survive the conversion?
Not inside the Markdown file itself. Images are typically pulled out as separate files, and the Markdown can reference them, but they're no longer embedded the way they were in the MOBI.
Does the Markdown file keep the book's title and author?
Not automatically. MOBI stores that as metadata, but Markdown has no standard field for it, so it's often dropped or added back in as plain text at the top of the file.
Why convert an old MOBI file at all?
Older Kindles used MOBI, and it's not something most other apps or newer devices read easily anymore. Turning it into Markdown keeps the text readable in any editor, on any computer, indefinitely.
Can I do this without uploading the ebook anywhere?
Yes. A desktop app does the conversion locally, so the file never has to leave your computer.
Morphjet converts MOBI, Markdown, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.