Free online FB2 to TXT converter

A device, text editor, command-line tool, or archive may require a plain .txt file instead of an FB2 ebook. Converting removes ebook structure and embedded media, producing a smaller file that is easier to edit, search, script, or transfer.

What the FB2 format is

FB2, or FictionBook 2, is an XML-based ebook format designed mainly for fiction and other structured books. An .fb2 file can contain chapters, paragraphs, notes, metadata, links, emphasis, illustrations, and cover data in one document.

FB2 is common in digital libraries and ebook collections, especially in Russian-speaking markets. Calibre, FBReader, Cool Reader, Okular, and other ebook applications can open it. Ebook-management software can also create or export FB2 files.

What the TXT format is

TXT stores plain character data. It has no built-in standard for fonts, page layout, images, hyperlinks, footnotes, chapters, or other presentation features; line breaks and encoding depend on the program that writes and opens the file.

TXT works with common operating systems, text editors, scripts, restricted devices, and archival systems. Its small size and broad compatibility come from discarding ebook metadata, formatting, and media.

How to convert FB2 to TXT

Using the converter on 101convert.com

1. Open the FB2-to-TXT converter on 101convert.com.
2. Select the .fb2 file as the source.
3. Choose TXT as the target format and start the conversion.
4. Download the resulting .txt file and open it in a text editor to check its encoding and paragraph breaks.

This option runs without installing desktop software.

Using Calibre

1. Open Calibre, choose Add books, and select the FB2 file.
2. Select the imported book and choose Convert books.
3. Set the output format in the upper-right corner to TXT.
4. Open TXT Output and select UTF-8 when available. Adjust paragraph or line-break settings if the destination program requires a particular layout.
5. Choose OK. Calibre stores the converted file in its library; use Save to disk to copy it to another folder.

Using Calibre from the command line

Calibre includes ebook-convert, which converts a file without opening the graphical interface:

ebook-convert input.fb2 output.txt

Quote filenames containing spaces. On Windows, run the command from Calibre's installation directory or add that directory to PATH:

ebook-convert "My Book.fb2" "My Book.txt"

Quality and compatibility limits

The conversion normally preserves readable paragraphs and may preserve chapter headings, but a TXT file cannot retain fonts, page layout, cover art, illustrations, styling, or interactive links. Depending on the converter and the FB2 structure, notes and metadata may be placed inline, moved, or omitted.

Choose UTF-8 for books containing Cyrillic, Greek, accented characters, or other non-ASCII text. If characters display incorrectly, reopen the file in an editor such as Notepad++ or VS Code and use Encoding → Convert to UTF-8. Renaming .fb2 to .txt does not convert the XML content or change its encoding.

Check the output for XML entities, duplicated blank lines, lost paragraph breaks, misplaced notes, and missing chapter headings before importing or distributing it.