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.

What is the EPUB Metadata Viewer?

Free EPUB metadata viewer. Drop an .epub file to read its title, author, publisher, language, ISBN/identifier, and cover image — parsed entirely in your browser from the EPUB's ZIP and OPF package. No file is uploaded. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

EPUB Metadata Viewer

Name: EPUB Metadata Viewer
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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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.

What the OPF metadata contains

The OPF (Open Packaging Format) uses Dublin Core elements inside a <metadata> block. The fields you are most likely to encounter:

OPF element	What it holds
`dc:title`	The book’s title, sometimes a series title in a subtitle element
`dc:creator`	Author(s), potentially with a `file-as` attribute for sorting
`dc:publisher`	Publishing house or self-publisher
`dc:language`	BCP-47 language code (e.g. `en`, `en-US`, `fr`)
`dc:identifier`	ISBN, UUID, or other unique ID — may appear more than once
`dc:date`	Publication or last-modified date
`dc:subject`	Category or genre tags
`dc:description`	Back-cover blurb or synopsis
`dc:rights`	Copyright statement

EPUB 2 vs EPUB 3

The EPUB specification has two major versions in wide circulation:

EPUB 2 (published 2007, still common in older libraries) uses <meta name="cover" content="cover-id"/> inside the OPF to point at the cover image.
EPUB 3 (published 2011, current standard) uses a properties="cover-image" attribute on the manifest item instead.

The tool checks both pointers so it works with both EPUB versions. If a cover does not appear, the file may use neither convention or may store the cover in an unusually named element.

Practical uses

Verify an ISBN before sideloading. Libraries and e-readers sometimes misidentify books if the metadata is wrong. Drop the EPUB here to confirm the identifier matches what you expect.
Fix metadata before uploading. Self-published authors preparing files for distribution may find missing or incorrect publisher, language, or author fields. The viewer shows what is actually in the file, so you know exactly what needs editing.
Audit a collection. When you have dozens of EPUBs with inconsistent filenames, the metadata viewer quickly shows you the actual title and author without opening each file in an ebook reader.
Confirm cover art. Drop the file to preview the cover before deciding whether to update it.

Because parsing is entirely local, there is no upload — your book and its contents stay on your device. DRM-protected files will have their metadata structure intact but their content encrypted, so some fields may be unreadable.