Ebooks
What is a LIT file?
Updated Jul 2026
A LIT file is an ebook saved in the format Microsoft Reader used in the early 2000s. It stored the full text of a book losslessly, with no quality to lose in the first place, but the software needed to open it is long discontinued. Most LIT files today are old ebooks people bought or downloaded years ago and can no longer read on a current device.
- Extension
- .lit
- Type
- Ebooks
- Typically
- Legacy MS Reader
Why LIT exists
Microsoft Reader shipped in 2000 as a way to read ebooks on Windows PCs and early Pocket PC devices, and LIT was its native file format. It was Microsoft's answer to the growing ebook market at the time, complete with its own text rendering technology meant to make small screens easier on the eyes.
A LIT file packages a book's text, layout, and sometimes basic DRM into a single compiled file, similar in spirit to a compiled help file. There's no image compression or lossy encoding involved, it's just text and formatting, so nothing is lost or degraded compared to the original manuscript.
Microsoft retired Reader and stopped supporting LIT years ago, and most current phones, tablets, and e-readers were never built to open the format at all. People run into LIT files now mostly when clearing out an old hard drive or an ebook collection bought before Kindle and EPUB took over, and they just want to read those books on whatever device they use today.
The trade-offs
Strengths
- Stores book text losslessly with no compression artifacts
- Simple, compact files for plain text content
- Supported basic formatting like bold, italics, and images
Watch-outs
- The software needed to open it was discontinued years ago
- Not supported by current e-readers, phones, or tablets
- Many LIT files carry DRM that can complicate reading them elsewhere
- Converting to EPUB or another modern format is usually the only way to keep reading them
A note on privacy
A LIT file itself doesn't usually carry personal metadata beyond basic title and author info, but DRM-protected copies can be tied to the account that originally bought them. Uploading an old ebook to a random online converter still means handing that file, and whatever license information it holds, to a server you don't control. Converting it on your own computer keeps the book and any account ties private to your machine.
Questions
How do I open a LIT file?
Microsoft Reader, the program that opens LIT files, was discontinued and is very hard to find or run on a current computer. Converting the file to EPUB or another common ebook format is usually the more practical path.
Is LIT better than EPUB?
Not anymore. EPUB is the modern standard, supported by nearly every e-reader and reading app, while LIT only worked with software Microsoft stopped maintaining long ago.
Why do I still have LIT files?
If you bought ebooks in the early 2000s through Microsoft Reader or a store that used it, those purchases were saved as LIT. They're often still sitting untouched on an old drive or backup.
Can I convert LIT without uploading it?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts LIT files on your own computer, so an old ebook and any account details tied to it never leave your machine.
Morphjet opens and converts LIT and 1,800+ other formats, all on your own computer. Launching this July.