EPUB error guide
Use this when KDP says the EPUB table of contents or Kindle Go To menu is missing. Check existing navigation, OPF wiring, and whether the spine and page titles support a flat generated TOC.
Scan when the message does not name the affected path. The report shows affected paths and repair decisions. Your original EPUB stays unchanged.
Need fixed-layout, DRM, or source-file help? Check unsupported or review-first EPUB cases.
Match these report titles
Start here
KDP can show a missing table of contents even when the chapters are present. Start by checking whether the EPUB has a valid nav.xhtml, an EPUB 2 NCX file, OPF wiring, and TOC links that actually land on chapter files.
The book can still contain chapter XHTML files, but the EPUB package is not exposing a valid navigation map to Kindle. The problem may be a missing nav.xhtml file, a nav file that is not declared in content.opf, a disconnected toc.ncx file, or TOC entries that point to old chapter paths or missing anchors.
A checked repair is possible when one existing nav or NCX needs clear wiring, a TOC path or anchor differs only by case or URL encoding, or missing navigation can be generated as a flat list from the existing spine order and one unambiguous title for every reading-order page.
Open the EPUB package and look for the navigation files first: usually OEBPS/nav.xhtml for EPUB 3 or toc.ncx for EPUB 2.
It is not safe to repair automatically when chapter order, page titles, target anchors, hierarchy, fixed-layout pages, or image-only chapters require editorial judgment. Rebuild the TOC in the source tool or EPUB editor in those cases.
1. Example report output
A useful report should identify which navigation layer failed and whether the EPUB already contains a safe source for the table of contents.
KDP wording
The uploaded EPUB does not contain a table of contents or the Kindle Go To menu has no usable entries.
EPUBCheck signal
Navigation document is missing, NCX is not connected, or TOC links point to missing files or anchors.
EPUB Fixer report
Found OEBPS/nav.xhtml, but content.opf is missing the nav property token on that manifest item.
Do this next
Repair the OPF navigation declaration only if nav.xhtml is the intended EPUB 3 table of contents.
Do not do this
Do not auto-generate chapter titles or replace the author's reading order from guessed headings.
A repair can reconnect one clear existing navigation file or generate a flat nav or NCX when the spine order and every reading-order page title are unambiguous. Otherwise rebuild the TOC in the source tool or EPUB editor.
2. Next step
KDP's wording is broad. The right next action depends on whether the EPUB has a missing file, broken OPF wiring, broken TOC links, or no usable source TOC at all.
Upload scan
The scanner can check nav.xhtml, toc.ncx, content.opf, spine toc wiring, and broken TOC link targets in one pass.
Safe repair
Reconnect one clear nav or NCX, or generate a flat navigation file only when the existing spine order and every reading-order page title are unambiguous.
Source rebuild
Return to Vellum, Atticus, Word, InDesign, Sigil, or another EPUB editor when page titles, reading order, hierarchy, or fixed-layout structure require an editorial decision.
3. Concrete path example
The nav file can exist while Kindle still ignores it because content.opf does not identify it as navigation.
KDP symptom: Kindle Go To menu does not show the table of contents. Report: Found: OEBPS/nav.xhtml Manifest: nav.xhtml is missing the nav property token Spine: chapter order is present Fix decision: safe repair if nav.xhtml is the intended EPUB 3 TOC After: add the nav manifest property, then validate again
If nav.xhtml does not exist, a flat nav can be generated only when the OPF spine and every page title already provide one exact answer. Missing titles, unclear order, hierarchy, or fixed-layout intent require a source-project rebuild.
Quick decision
A missing KDP TOC is not one error. It can come from package metadata, navigation files, broken anchors, or an export that never produced a usable table of contents.
Scan first
Scan the EPUB so the report can show whether nav.xhtml, toc.ncx, content.opf, and TOC link targets are present and connected.
Safe fix
Repair the OPF declaration, spine toc value, or one path that differs only by case or URL encoding. If no navigation file exists, generate only a flat nav or NCX from the confirmed spine order and one clear title per page.
Stop
Do not invent a TOC from visible headings when the order, titles, anchors, or fixed-layout pages require editorial judgment.
Common situations
The same KDP symptom can come from different EPUB internals. Start with the file that should own the navigation.
Kindle can ignore nav.xhtml when content.opf lists the file as plain XHTML instead of the EPUB 3 navigation document.
Find the nav.xhtml manifest item and add properties="nav" only when that file is the real table of contents and its links match the chapter order.
Older EPUBs can include toc.ncx in the manifest, but Kindle will not use it if the OPF spine lacks toc="..." pointing to that NCX item id.
Set the spine toc value to the toc.ncx manifest id only when the NCX navPoint entries target the real chapter files.
nav.xhtml or toc.ncx can exist but still fail when a TOC entry points to a renamed chapter file, an old #anchor, or a file that is not in the OPF spine.
Fix the target path or anchor only after confirming the destination is the intended reading-order chapter, then validate before retrying KDP.
Some source files have styled headings, but no navigation document or NCX was generated during export.
Generate a flat nav or NCX only when the spine order and every reading-order page title are unambiguous. Otherwise rebuild the TOC in the source tool or Sigil.
The visible pages may not expose reliable heading text or anchors for an automatic TOC.
Use the source design tool or EPUB editor because the TOC is part of the book design, not just package wiring.
KDP EPUB missing table of contents: Kindle Go To or Previewer navigation does not show a usable table of contents.
KDP accepts the upload far enough to preview the book, but Kindle Previewer or the KDP preview workflow shows an empty Go To menu, missing navigation entries, or a warning that the EPUB does not contain a usable table of contents.
What it means
Common causes include an EPUB 3 nav document that exists but lacks properties="nav" in the OPF manifest, an EPUB 2 toc.ncx file that is not connected from the spine, stale links in nav.xhtml or toc.ncx after chapter renames, or an export workflow that styled chapter headings but never generated a real EPUB navigation document.
Before you edit
A table of contents repair is safe only when the intended navigation source is clear. Do not generate a new TOC from guessed headings if the reading order, chapter titles, or fixed-layout structure is unclear.
Why KDP checks it
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.
KDP supports EPUB files that meet Kindle Publishing Guidelines and recommends checking the file with Kindle Previewer before upload.
Repair example
Before: OEBPS/nav.xhtml exists and matches the chapter order, but content.opf does not declare it with properties="nav". After: the manifest identifies the nav file and the EPUB passes validation again. Before: the EPUB has chapters but no nav.xhtml, no toc.ncx, and inconsistent heading text; that should stop for source TOC rebuild.
Ready to retry?
The scan can separate a missing nav file, a wrong OPF manifest property, a disconnected NCX file, and broken TOC links. When navigation is absent, it also checks whether the existing spine order and every page title are clear enough to generate a flat nav or NCX without guessing hierarchy.
Upload EPUB to scanFAQ
The chapters may exist, but KDP still needs a valid EPUB navigation document, connected NCX file, or TOC links that point to real XHTML files and anchors. If that navigation layer is missing or disconnected, Kindle may show no usable TOC.
Yes, but only as a flat nav.xhtml or NCX when the existing OPF spine gives one clear reading order and every reading-order page has one unambiguous title. It does not invent hierarchy. If those inputs are incomplete or unclear, rebuild the TOC in the source tool or EPUB editor.
Look for nav.xhtml in an EPUB 3 file or toc.ncx in an EPUB 2 file, then check content.opf. The OPF file should declare nav.xhtml with properties="nav" or connect toc.ncx from the spine.
Only if you know the intended chapter order and each TOC link target. A generated TOC with guessed headings can pass validation while sending Kindle readers to the wrong chapter or section.
A missing TOC is the KDP symptom. The underlying EPUB problem can be RSC_007 when a TOC entry points to a missing file, or RSC_012 when the file exists but the anchor after # is missing.
Do not rely on that. Even if an upload continues, missing or broken Kindle navigation creates a poor reading experience and can trigger preview or quality problems before publication.
