Kindle Formatting Checklist
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Kindle Formatting Checklist — 25 Things to Fix Before You Convert
This free checklist covers the 25 most common formatting errors found in Word manuscripts before Kindle conversion. Fix these before you send your file to any converter — automated or hand-coded — and your Kindle book will display correctly on every device from the first upload.
Why Formatting Errors Cause KDP Rejection
KDP’s validator checks your file against a specific set of rules. Most rejections come from the source document — not the conversion. A poorly structured Word file produces a poorly structured eBook regardless of how carefully it is converted.
The most common rejection reason is not bad conversion. It is a badly prepared manuscript.
These 25 items fix the source problems before conversion begins. Check each one in your Word document before you upload your manuscript anywhere.
The 25-Point Kindle Formatting Checklist
Section 1 — Paragraph and Text Formatting (Items 1–7)
1. Remove all tab characters from paragraph starts. Go to Find & Replace → find ^t (tab) → replace with nothing. Tab characters at the start of paragraphs create inconsistent indentation on Kindle devices. Use Word’s paragraph indent settings instead.
2. Set paragraph indentation using Word Styles — not the spacebar or tab key. Open the Styles panel. Right-click Normal → Modify → Format → Paragraph → set First Line indent to 0.3 inches. Every paragraph in the book should use this style.
3. Remove double spaces between sentences. Find & Replace → find two spaces → replace with one space. Kindle’s rendering engine handles sentence spacing automatically. Double spaces create visible gaps on e-ink screens.
4. Remove extra blank lines between paragraphs. One blank line between paragraphs is sufficient. Multiple blank lines create large unwanted gaps on Kindle. Find & Replace → find ^p^p → replace with ^p until no doubles remain.
5. Check all body text uses the Normal paragraph style. Select all text (Ctrl+A) → apply Normal style from the Styles panel. Any text using Default, Body Text, or custom unnamed styles may not convert correctly.
6. Remove manual line breaks (Shift+Enter). Find & Replace → find ^l (manual line break) → replace with ^p (paragraph mark). Manual line breaks display incorrectly in reflowable eBooks.
7. Check text colour is set to Automatic — not black. Text set to a specific black (#000000) may appear differently on Kindle’s light and dark reading modes. Set all body text colour to Automatic in Font settings.
Section 2 — Headings and Structure (Items 8–12)
8. Apply Heading 1 style to every chapter title. Select each chapter title → apply Heading 1 from the Styles panel. Do not use large bold text that looks like a heading — it will not generate a linked table of contents.
9. Apply Heading 2 style to every sub-chapter or section heading. Same principle — use Heading 2 style, not manual bold formatting. This creates the correct document hierarchy for the table of contents.
10. Insert a page break before every chapter — not blank lines. Place your cursor before each chapter title → Insert → Page Break. Never use 10–20 blank lines to push a chapter to a new page. Blank lines create unpredictable spacing in eBooks.
11. Remove any headers and footers. eBooks do not use page headers or footers. Delete them entirely. KDP ignores them but they add unnecessary code to the file.
12. Check your document has only one Normal style and one Heading 1 style. Open Styles panel → check for duplicate or modified Normal styles. Multiple Normal style variants cause inconsistent formatting throughout the converted file.
Section 3 — Images (Items 13–16)
13. Embed all images — do not link to external files. Every image must be embedded in the Word document. Linked images will not appear in the converted file. Right-click each image → Format Picture → confirm it is embedded.
14. Set all images to minimum 300 DPI. Low-resolution images look pixelated on high-definition Kindle screens. Replace any image below 300 DPI before converting.
15. Remove text wrapping from all images. Select each image → Layout Options → set to In Line With Text. Images with text wrapping do not convert correctly to eBook format.
16. Check image file sizes are under 127KB each where possible. Large images inflate the final eBook file size. Compress images using Squoosh.app or TinyPNG before inserting them into the document.
Section 4 — Table of Contents (Items 17–19)
17. Use Word’s automatic TOC — not a manually typed list. References → Table of Contents → Automatic Table 1. A manually typed TOC will not generate clickable links in the converted file.
18. Confirm the TOC links to the correct headings. Click each TOC entry to verify it jumps to the correct chapter. Broken TOC links are one of the most common reader complaints in Kindle books.
19. Remove the TOC from the main document body if you want Kindle’s built-in navigation only. Kindle generates its own navigation from your Heading styles. A second TOC page inside the book is optional — but if you include one, make sure it is the automatic Word version, not a manually typed list.
Section 5 — Special Content (Items 20–22)
20. Convert all footnotes to Word endnotes or leave as Word footnotes. Word footnotes and endnotes both convert to Kindle pop-up notes. Check that each footnote number in the text has a corresponding note in the footnote panel — none should be missing.
21. Check all tables are simple — no merged cells, no custom borders. Complex table formatting rarely survives eBook conversion. Simplify tables to basic rows and columns. Remove merged cells. Remove custom borders and shading.
22. Remove any text boxes. Text boxes do not convert to eBook format. Move all text box content into the main document body using standard paragraph styles.
Section 6 — Final Checks (Items 23–25)
23. Run a spell check — one final time. Find → Replace → proofread the full document once more before sending. Spelling errors in the source file will appear in the converted output.
24. Save as .docx — not .doc. Always submit .docx format. The older .doc format can produce unexpected formatting issues during conversion. File → Save As → Word Document (.docx).
25. Send the Word file — not a PDF export of it. If you have a PDF, send the PDF. If you have a Word file, send the Word file. Do not export your Word document to PDF and then send the PDF. PDF exports strip the paragraph style information that converters need. Send the original source file.
What to Do After the Checklist
Once your manuscript passes all 25 checks, it is ready for conversion. You can convert it yourself using one of the free tools available, or use a professional service for a hand-coded result.
The difference matters. An automated tool will produce a functional file that may still have inconsistencies — particularly with footnotes, tables, and image sizing. A hand-coded conversion builds the file from scratch in HTML and CSS, producing a cleaner result that passes KDP’s validator without errors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The checklist fixes problems in your source manuscript. Even hand-coded conversion cannot recover text that is missing, fix logical errors in your table of contents, or improve low-resolution images. The better your source file, the better your converted output.
Custom styles work if they are applied consistently throughout the document. The issue arises when some paragraphs use a custom style and others use the default Normal style — the inconsistency creates formatting problems. Apply your custom body style to every paragraph in the document.
Fixing these issues removes the most common causes of rejection. KDP validation checks the final eBook file structure, not the source Word document. A properly prepared manuscript significantly reduces the chance of rejection — it does not eliminate it entirely, because other factors (cover image specifications, metadata) also affect acceptance.
Download the Free Checklist PDF
Print it out and check each item before your next conversion.