Calibre is the Swiss Army knife of ebooks. It manages your library, converts between every format, and syncs to any device.

Installation

brew install --cask calibre

Adding Books

Drag and drop ebook files into Calibre. It auto-detects metadata (title, author, cover) and can fetch missing info from online sources. Right-click → Edit metadata → Download metadata and covers.

Converting Formats

Select a book, click “Convert books.” Choose the output format:

  • EPUB — Universal, works on most e-readers
  • MOBI — Older Kindles
  • AZW3 — Modern Kindles
  • PDF — Fixed layout

For Kindle, AZW3 preserves more formatting than MOBI. For everything else, EPUB.

Syncing to Your Device

Plug in your Kindle or e-reader via USB. Calibre detects it and shows a “Send to device” button. It can auto-convert to the right format during transfer.

Content Server

Turn on “Connect/Share → Start Content server” to access your library from any device on your network. Open the URL in a browser or a reader app on your phone.

News Downloads

Calibre can fetch news from websites and deliver them as ebooks. Click “Fetch news,” choose a source, and schedule automatic downloads.