EPUB FixerKDP upload error scanner

EPUB error guide

EPUB cover not showing

Scan the same EPUB when its cover is missing in Kindle Previewer, KDP, or a reader. Check whether the OPF metadata, manifest image, cover-image property, and packaged file point to one clear cover.

Scan EPUB structureSee an example report

Best fit

The EPUB cover image is present but not recognized.

Upload the same EPUB you plan to retry when Kindle Previewer, KDP, or a reader does not show its cover and the package wiring may be wrong.

Route elsewhere

Kindle library thumbnail.

If the EPUB cover is wired correctly but a device or library thumbnail is delayed, cached, or store-controlled, use the reader or platform workflow.

Do not upload

KDP marketing cover or cover design.

Paperback cover PDF, listing cover upload, crop, white border, artwork quality, and marketing-cover approval are not EPUB structure repairs.

Scan when the message does not name the affected path. The report shows affected paths and repair decisions, not manuscript text.

No signup before the scan report.Checks EPUB package paths, not manuscript text.Repair download only after EPUBCheck passes again.

Need fixed-layout, DRM, or source-file help? Check unsupported or review-first EPUB cases.

Match these report titles

  • EPUB cover not showing
  • OPF cover metadata target was not found in the manifest
  • EPUB 3 cover image is missing the cover-image property
  • Cover image asset needs manual review

Use this guide when

Your message matches "EPUB cover not showing" or one of the report titles above.

Upload if

You have the exported reflowable .epub and need the affected path, file, field, or repair decision before editing.

Handle outside this tool

Use the source tool or publishing workflow for DOCX, PDF, KPF, KCB, fixed-layout, comics, image-first books, DRM, visual design, or KDP listing and approval problems.

Read the scan report

Decide if this report item matches.

Use the report label, affected file, and repair decision together. A matching title alone is not enough if the file path or EPUB structure points to a different problem.

Error textAffected pathDecisionRepair, review, or stop

A useful report does not stop at the error name. It connects the message to an internal file and a next action.

Match the report title.

Look for "EPUB cover not showing" or the closest title above. Keep the original EPUBCheck, KDP, or Kindle Previewer wording if it differs.

Check the affected file first.

Use the Affected area, Source file, Target file, or Problem type rows before editing OPF, nav, XHTML, CSS, or image paths.

Follow the repair decision.

Repairable means one clear structural change. Needs review or Not supported means use the named file, source project, or platform step.

Keep with your repair note.

Copy these fields from the report instead of rebuilding the fix from memory.

Source file
Target path or field
Original error
Repair decision
Next step

1. Example report output

What a cover scan report should show.

The report separates OPF wiring from visual cover work.

OPF cover meta

The <meta name="cover" content="..."> value in content.opf, if the EPUB uses it.

Manifest item

The image item id, href, media-type, and any properties="cover-image" token.

Packaged image

Whether the referenced cover image file exists inside the EPUB package.

Repair decision

Repairable only when one existing cover image is clearly the intended OPF target.

Manual review

Needed for multiple cover candidates, missing image files, unreadable images, small dimensions, non-portrait shape, compression, cropping, or redesign.

The report should tell you whether this is an OPF cover wiring issue or a source-cover task. It should not promise to design, crop, upscale, compress, or redraw the cover.

2. Next step

Choose the next step for the EPUB cover.

The next action depends on whether the EPUB already contains one clear cover image.

Upload scan

You only know the cover is missing.

Use the report to find the OPF cover meta value, manifest image item, ZIP image path, and EPUB 3 cover-image property.

Safe repair

One cover image is clearly intended.

The OPF cover metadata or cover-image property can be aligned when the image already exists and there is only one clear target.

Manual review

The image itself or cover choice is the problem.

Return to the source tool or EPUB editor when the image is missing, damaged, too small, square or landscape, oversized, or one of several possible cover files.

3. Concrete path example

A typical missing cover wiring problem.

The image file can be inside the EPUB but not connected as the cover.

Report:
OPF cover meta: content="cover"
Manifest id "cover": not found
Cover image candidate: images/cover.jpg
EPUB 3 property: missing cover-image
Fix decision: repairable only if images/cover.jpg is the single clear cover image

If the package contains cover.jpg, front-cover.png, and marketing-cover-final.jpg, choose the intended cover manually before editing content.opf.

Quick decision

Is the problem inside the EPUB or in the cover workflow?

The scan checks cover wiring inside the EPUB package. It does not judge the artwork or handle the platform's marketing-cover workflow.

Upload fit

EPUB internal cover metadata is probably wrong.

The scanner can check OPF cover metadata, manifest image entries, media type, ZIP paths, and EPUB 3 cover-image property.

Route elsewhere

The Kindle library thumbnail is missing or stale.

If the EPUB cover is wired correctly, a device thumbnail or store thumbnail may be cache, delivery, or platform behavior rather than an EPUB package repair.

Not this tool

You need KDP marketing cover or design work.

Paperback cover PDF, listing image, crop, white border, artwork quality, spine, bleed, barcode, and cover approval are outside this scanner.

Start here

Check OPF cover wiring before redesigning the cover.

If the cover image is inside your EPUB but Kindle Previewer or KDP still shows no cover, check the finished file before redesigning it. The scan checks the OPF cover reference, manifest item, packaged image path, and EPUB 3 cover-image property.

Matched

What it means

An EPUB cover is not only an image file. The OPF package usually needs metadata and manifest wiring so readers and publishing tools know which image is the cover.

Matched

Can it be fixed automatically?

A checked repair is possible when the correction is limited to OPF cover metadata or the EPUB 3 cover-image property and one existing cover image is clearly the target.

Matched

What to check next

Open content.opf and find the OPF cover metadata or the manifest item with properties="cover-image".

Matched

What not to assume

It does not design covers, crop artwork, upscale or sharpen images, compress or transcode cover files, redraw pixels, choose between several possible covers, fix paperback cover PDFs, solve KDP listing images, or decide KDP review outcomes.

Common situations

Common reasons an EPUB cover is missing.

Start with the exact EPUB you plan to upload. The image can be present while the package points to the wrong id, property, or path.

Matched

content.opf points to a cover id that does not exist.

The metadata says content="cover", but no manifest item uses id="cover".

Repair only when one existing image is clearly the cover target.

Matched

EPUB 3 cover image property is missing.

The cover image item exists, but the manifest does not mark it with properties="cover-image".

Add the property only to the clear cover image item.

Matched

The OPF cover item points to a missing image file.

The manifest names an image href that is not in the EPUB ZIP package.

Restore or re-export the intended cover image from the source project.

Matched

Kindle library thumbnail is missing after upload.

This may be cache, device sync, store processing, or platform thumbnail behavior when OPF cover wiring is already valid.

Do not treat thumbnail delay alone as an EPUB repair unless the scan also finds cover wiring evidence.

Matched

KDP listing or paperback cover is the issue.

Marketing cover upload, paperback cover PDF, crop, border, spine, and barcode are separate from the EPUB internal cover image.

Use the KDP cover or source design workflow instead of uploading for structure repair.

Matched

The cover image needs visual or file review.

The scan may flag unreadable, unusually small, square or landscape, or very large cover assets.

Use the report path as a checklist, then edit/export the cover outside EPUB Fixer.

Messages that point to EPUB cover wiring

EPUB cover not showing: OPF cover metadata, manifest cover-image property, missing cover image file, or cover image asset issue.

Where a missing EPUB cover can go wrong

The EPUB opens without a cover, Kindle Previewer does not show the cover, KDP upload or preview looks coverless, a reader app ignores the cover, or EPUBCheck-style output points to OPF cover metadata or image manifest problems.

What it means

The cover image can be inside the EPUB and still not be recognized.

An EPUB cover is not only an image file. The OPF package usually needs metadata and manifest wiring so readers and publishing tools know which image is the cover.

Common causes include cover metadata pointing to a missing manifest id, an EPUB 3 image item missing the cover-image property, an image file absent from the ZIP package, several possible cover images, unreadable image data, very small dimensions, square or landscape shape, or an oversized asset that needs manual review.

Before you edit

Check the OPF reference, manifest item, and image path together.

Do not crop, replace, or re-export the cover until you know whether the EPUB package simply points to the wrong manifest id or misses the EPUB 3 cover-image property.

  1. 1Open content.opf and find the OPF cover metadata or the manifest item with properties="cover-image".
  2. 2Check whether that manifest id points to an image media type and href.
  3. 3Confirm the cover image file exists inside the EPUB ZIP package at that exact path.
  4. 4For EPUB 3, check whether the intended cover image manifest item includes the cover-image property.
  5. 5Use automatic repair only when there is one clear cover image target.
  6. 6Handle cover design, crop, clarity, compression, conversion, redraw, and KDP marketing cover work outside EPUB Fixer.

Why KDP checks it

Why Kindle Previewer and readers check cover wiring.

EPUB 3.3 package rules

The OPF file is the EPUB's map: metadata, file list, reading order, and navigation wiring. KDP and EPUBCheck use it to decide whether the book package is coherent.

EPUBCheck

EPUBCheck checks EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 files against the official rules and reports package, markup, link, and file-reference problems.

KDP eBook file formats

KDP supports EPUB files that meet Kindle Publishing Guidelines and recommends checking the file with Kindle Previewer before upload.

Can this be fixed safely?

When this EPUB cover issue can be repaired.

When automatic repair is safe

A checked repair is possible when the correction is limited to OPF cover metadata or the EPUB 3 cover-image property and one existing cover image is clearly the target.

When you need manual review

It does not design covers, crop artwork, upscale or sharpen images, compress or transcode cover files, redraw pixels, choose between several possible covers, fix paperback cover PDFs, solve KDP listing images, or decide KDP review outcomes.

Before / after example

Before: content.opf points to cover but the manifest only has id="cover-image" for images/cover.jpg. After: the OPF cover metadata can point to the existing cover-image id and EPUBCheck runs again. Before: the cover image file is missing or too small; fix the source image and rebuild the EPUB.

Ready to retry?

Scan the EPUB cover before another KDP or Kindle Previewer upload.

Upload the same .epub you plan to retry. The report separates a repairable cover-wiring problem from a missing or damaged image, a cover-choice decision, and a KDP or source-workflow task.

Upload EPUB to scan

FAQ

Questions authors ask when an EPUB cover is missing.

Can EPUB Fixer fix an EPUB cover not showing?

Only the OPF wiring part. It can align cover metadata or the EPUB 3 cover-image property when one existing image is clearly the cover. It does not edit the image itself.

Can it detect cover design, crop, clarity, or white-border problems?

It can flag basic asset signals such as missing, unreadable, very small, non-portrait, or large cover files. It cannot judge visual design, crop quality, white borders, marketing appeal, or KDP review risk.

What if there are several cover images in the EPUB?

The report should stop for manual review. Choosing between several possible covers changes what readers or KDP may show, so the author or formatter should confirm it.

Does this replace KDP cover upload or paperback cover checks?

No. This page is about the cover image wired inside an EPUB manuscript file. KDP listing covers, paperback cover PDFs, spine, bleed, barcode, and marketing image review are outside the scanner.

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