What metadata does an EPUB contain?

EPUBs store Dublin Core metadata in their OPF package file — typically title, creator (author), publisher, language, date, and an identifier such as an ISBN or UUID. A cover image is referenced from the manifest. This tool reads all of those.

How is an EPUB structured?

An EPUB is a ZIP archive. META-INF/container.xml points to the OPF package document, which lists the book's metadata, its manifest of files, and the reading order. The tool follows that chain to find what it needs.

Is my ebook uploaded anywhere?

No. The file is read with the browser's File API and unzipped locally using the native decompression API. Nothing is sent to a server, so your book and its DRM-free content stay private.

Why might the cover not appear?

Some EPUBs reference the cover unusually or omit it. The tool checks both the standard cover-image manifest property and the legacy meta cover pointer; if neither resolves to an image in the archive, no cover is shown while the text metadata still appears.

Does it work on DRM-protected books?

It reads the package structure of standard EPUBs. Books wrapped in vendor DRM encrypt their contents, so metadata and cover may be unreadable. The tool is intended for your own DRM-free EPUB files.

EPUB Metadata Viewer

Every EPUB ebook carries structured metadata — its title, author, publisher, language, and an identifier like an ISBN — plus a cover image. This viewer reads all of that straight from the file in your browser, with no upload and no ebook reader required.

How it works

An EPUB is really a ZIP archive with a fixed internal layout:

The tool reads the ZIP’s central directory and extracts each entry, inflating compressed entries with the browser’s native decompression API.
It opens META-INF/container.xml, which points to the OPF package document — the heart of the ebook.
From the OPF’s <metadata> section it reads the Dublin Core fields: title, creator, publisher, language, date, and identifier.
It resolves the cover by checking the manifest for an item with the cover-image property (EPUB 3) or the legacy <meta name="cover"> pointer (EPUB 2), then renders that image.

Tips and notes

The identifier is often the book’s ISBN, but it can also be a UUID or URL depending on the publisher.
Multiple authors are supported — each creator element is listed.
Because parsing is entirely local, this is a safe way to inspect your own library, fix incorrect metadata before sideloading, or confirm an ISBN.
If a cover does not appear, the EPUB may reference it in a non-standard way; the text metadata is still read independently.