Convert GBK to UTF-8 without changing your text.

This changes how a TXT file stores characters. It does not translate the text or turn it into an EPUB. Keep the original file.

Some older Chinese text files use GBK, GB2312, or GB18030. UTF-8 is a useful choice when moving text between current editors and devices. EpuBloom can read supported TXT encodings and write a separate UTF-8 copy locally in your browser.

Convert a Chinese TXT file in four steps

1. Open the TXT converter and choose your original .txt file.
2. Look below “Convert to EPUB” for “Current TXT encoding.” Older Chinese files may appear as “GBK / GB18030 (estimated).”
3. Choose UTF-8 in “Convert to,” then click Convert encoding.
4. Open the downloaded .utf8.txt copy and check the title, several paragraphs, punctuation, and the last page against the original.

The export filename field also names this copy. For example, an export name of My Notes produces My Notes.utf8.txt. Encoding conversion downloads the TXT directly; it does not replace an EPUB conversion you already made.

What actually changes?

The characters should stay the same, while the bytes change. For the text 中文, these are the bytes in hexadecimal:

Renaming book.txt to book.utf8.txt changes only the name. The conversion button reads the characters and writes the new bytes. The UTF-8 copy uses no BOM; UTF-16 LE and BE copies include a BOM.

Why is the current encoding only an estimate?

EpuBloom checks a UTF-8 or UTF-16 BOM first, then validates UTF-8, then tries GB18030 for legacy Chinese text. GBK and GB2312 data can also be valid GB18030, so a file without a BOM does not reliably identify which of these was intended. Even valid decoding cannot prove that every character was interpreted as the author intended.

If the original uses another encoding, such as Big5 or Shift-JIS, use an editor with an explicit source-encoding setting. This converter does not offer those encodings. The garbled-text troubleshooting guide explains the difference between reopening bytes and saving already garbled text.

Can I convert UTF-8 back to GBK?

Yes: choose GBK as the target. Some characters, including many emoji, cannot be represented in GBK. EpuBloom stops instead of silently replacing them; choose UTF-8 or GB18030 when needed. A successful download still deserves a quick visual check.

When conversion cannot repair the file

If an earlier save replaced missing characters with ? or �, encoding conversion cannot reconstruct the lost original. Return to an untouched backup. If the tool rejects the bytes, confirm the source encoding before trying again.

Next: make a readable ebook

Once your text is correct, follow the TXT to EPUB guide. Use the chapter heading examples to build a navigable table of contents. Encoding conversion alone does not add chapters, metadata, or a cover.