How to Convert Paperpile PDFs to EPUB — Read References on Kindle or Kobo
Paperpile is a reference manager for Google Docs users. It stores all your research PDFs in Google Drive, making them easy to cite and organize. But like all reference managers, its built-in PDF reader is designed for annotation on desktops and tablets — not for comfortable reading on e-readers or phone screens. Converting Paperpile PDFs to EPUB fixes this.
What is Paperpile?
Paperpile is a cloud-based reference manager built for researchers who use Google Docs. Key features:
- One-click import from Google Scholar, PubMed, arXiv, and most journal sites
- Automatic storage of PDFs in Google Drive (Paperpile folder)
- Native Google Docs citation integration — insert references as you write
- iOS and Android apps with PDF annotation
Unlike Zotero (local-first) or Mendeley (Elsevier cloud), Paperpile is entirely cloud-based and requires a subscription ($36/year for individuals, free for students).
Finding your PDFs in Paperpile
Paperpile stores PDFs in Google Drive at My Drive → Paperpile → [Author Year]/.
The easiest ways to access a specific paper:
- From Paperpile web: Right-click any reference → Open PDF → Download button in the PDF viewer
- From Google Drive: Open drive.google.com, navigate to the Paperpile folder, find the subfolder for your paper
- From Google Docs sidebar: Hover over a reference → click the PDF icon → download
Converting to EPUB
- Download the PDF from Paperpile using any method above
- Go to pdf2epub.toolkit.bot and upload the PDF
- Wait ~30 seconds for conversion
- Download the EPUB to your computer
- Transfer to your e-reader: email to Kindle, USB drag-and-drop to Kobo, or upload to reMarkable
Researcher workflow table
| Task | Best tool |
|---|---|
| Import papers from journals/databases | Paperpile browser extension |
| Cite while writing | Paperpile Google Docs plugin |
| Deep annotation and comments | Paperpile PDF reader or Google Drive PDF viewer |
| First-pass reading (long papers) | EPUB on Kindle, Kobo, or reMarkable |
| Reading on the go (commute, travel) | EPUB on phone or e-reader |
| Bibliography export | Paperpile → BibTeX, Word, or Google Docs |
Frequently asked questions
Where does Paperpile store my PDFs?
Paperpile stores all PDFs in Google Drive, in a folder called 'Paperpile' at the root of your Drive. Each paper gets a subfolder named after the first author and year (e.g. 'Smith 2024'). You can access any PDF directly from Google Drive, download it to your computer, or find it in the Paperpile interface by right-clicking a reference → Show in Google Drive.
How do I get a PDF out of Paperpile to convert it?
In Paperpile (web or Google Docs sidebar), right-click any reference → Open PDF. This opens the PDF in your browser. Click the download button (top right, or Ctrl+S / Cmd+S) to save it to your computer. Alternatively, open Google Drive, navigate to the Paperpile folder, and download it from there. Then upload the PDF to pdf2epub.toolkit.bot for conversion.
Can I read Paperpile PDFs on my Kindle or Kobo directly?
Not directly through Paperpile — Paperpile doesn't have a built-in e-reader export. But the workflow is simple: (1) download the PDF from Paperpile, (2) convert to EPUB at pdf2epub.toolkit.bot, (3) transfer to your Kindle via Send to Kindle or to your Kobo via USB. The EPUB reads much better than the PDF on small e-ink screens.
Does Paperpile have any mobile app for reading?
Paperpile has iOS and Android apps with a built-in PDF reader. The mobile reader works well for annotation on tablets, but on phone screens the PDF pages are hard to read. Converting to EPUB gives you reflowable text that fills the phone or e-reader screen at any font size — much more comfortable for long papers.
How does Paperpile compare to Zotero and Mendeley for PDF management?
Paperpile is cloud-native and integrates tightly with Google Docs and Google Drive — ideal for researchers who write in Google Docs. Zotero is free and open-source with strong browser integration. Mendeley is owned by Elsevier with good institutional integration. For PDF-to-EPUB conversion, all three work identically: download the PDF from the reference manager and convert it. The choice between them is about citation management workflow, not PDF reading.