Free online TXT to FB2 converter

Some e-readers and ebook libraries support FictionBook 2 more effectively than plain text, particularly when a book needs a title, author, encoding, and chapter structure. Converting a TXT manuscript or ebook to FB2 adds XML structure and metadata without requiring the original publishing software.

What the TXT format is

TXT is a plain-text format that stores characters without dependable support for fonts, headings, images, page layout, hyperlinks, or embedded metadata. Operating systems and editors create TXT files, including Windows Notepad, macOS TextEdit, Linux text editors, programming tools, and applications using Save as plain text.

TXT is common for notes, manuscripts, source code, logs, documentation, and books distributed without formatting. A file can use UTF-8, UTF-16, Windows-1252, or another character encoding. If the wrong encoding is selected during import, accented characters, Cyrillic, and other non-ASCII text can become corrupted.

What the FB2 format is

FB2, or FictionBook 2, is an XML-based ebook format designed mainly for fiction and other flowing text. It stores metadata such as title, author, language, genre, annotation, and cover information separately from the book body, while representing paragraphs, sections, epigraphs, poems, quotations, notes, and images as structured elements.

FB2 is useful when an e-reader or cataloging application supports it directly, or when a digital library needs searchable metadata and predictable chapter structure. XML makes the file relatively easy to inspect and edit. FB2 does not create page layout that was absent from the TXT source, and compatibility with covers, styles, annotations, and embedded images varies between readers.

Convert with Calibre

1. Install and open Calibre.
2. Choose Add books and select the TXT file.
3. Select the imported book and choose Convert books.
4. Set the output format in the upper-right corner to FB2.
5. Open Metadata and enter the title, author, language, and cover. TXT files normally contain none of this information.
6. Open the TXT input settings and select the source file's actual encoding. Use UTF-8 when the file was saved as UTF-8; changing the setting cannot repair characters that are already corrupted.
7. Configure chapter detection in the structure or heuristic-processing settings only when the source uses consistent headings, such as numbered chapters. Disable heuristic processing for poetry, scripts, technical listings, or text containing deliberate line breaks.
8. Click OK. Calibre creates an FB2 copy and keeps the original TXT file. Use the book's Open containing folder command to locate the result.

For repeatable conversions, Calibre also provides the command-line utility ebook-convert:

ebook-convert book.txt book.fb2 --title "Book title" --authors "Author Name" --language en

Replace the filenames and metadata values with the actual information, then open the generated FB2 file in a compatible reader for verification.

Convert on 101convert.com

1. Open the TXT-to-FB2 converter on 101convert.com.
2. Upload the TXT file.
3. Select FB2 as the output format and start the conversion.
4. Download the resulting FB2 file and check it in the intended reading application.

This method requires no software installation and is free to use. Do not upload unpublished manuscripts or confidential text unless the service's privacy terms are acceptable for that material.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Paragraphs depend on line breaks. A TXT file containing a hard line break at the end of every displayed line can become a sequence of short paragraphs. Reflow the source into real paragraphs before conversion, or adjust the text-import settings.
• Chapter detection is not guaranteed. Inconsistent headings, decorative separators, and unusual capitalization can produce missing or incorrect sections. Check the generated table of contents and section breaks.
• TXT cannot provide original images, bold or italic formatting, hyperlinks, footnotes, or reliable chapter metadata unless the source encodes them through conventions that the converter recognizes.
• Save the source as UTF-8 when possible and confirm the encoding before conversion. Changing the output format cannot restore characters already lost in the TXT file.
• Inspect the FB2 file on the target reader for character errors, metadata, cover display, chapter navigation, paragraph flow, notes, images, and the final paragraph.