How to convert EPUB to PDF on a Mac

A great many articles tell you to open the EPUB in Apple Books and use File → Export → PDF. That menu item does not exist. Books on macOS has no export option for EPUBs and no Print command for them either, so there is no "Save as PDF" to reach through the print dialog.

Books does handle PDFs well — it can print and share those. It is specifically EPUBs that it will display and nothing more. Knowing this up front saves a fair amount of hunting through menus.

1. 1

   Locate the EPUB in Finder

   Usually in Downloads. If you already added it to Books, see the section below on getting it back out.

2. 2

   Drag it onto the converter

   Drop it onto the EPUB to PDF converter in any browser.

3. 3

   Choose your page size

   Letter for US printing, A4 otherwise.

4. 4

   Download the PDF

   It opens in Preview, where you can annotate, re-order pages or print it.

If you added the EPUB to Books by dragging it in and no longer have the original, the file is still on disk. Books keeps added books inside your user Library folder.

1. 1

   Open the Library folder

   In Finder, hold Option and choose Go → Library. The folder is hidden without the Option key.

2. 2

   Go to the Books container

   Navigate to Containers/com.apple.BKAgentService/Data/Documents/iBooks/Books.

3. 3

   Copy the file out

   Copy it somewhere sensible before doing anything with it. Do not move or edit files in place — Books tracks them.

The standard desktop answer on macOS as much as on Windows. Add books, Convert books, output format PDF. Best when you have a library to work through rather than a single title.

Preview is excellent with PDFs and cannot open EPUBs at all. It is the right tool after conversion — for combining PDFs, reordering pages, annotating and signing — and no help before it.