How to Upload a Cover to Amazon KDP in 2026: The Click-by-Click Guide

Uploading a cover to Amazon KDP feels deceptively simple. The button says "Upload a cover". The dialog opens. Then half the time the upload fails on the auto-check, the Previewer shows a stripe of background colour where the bleed should be, or the review email rejects the file two days later for a reason that was never visible on the upload screen. This guide is the 2026 click-by-click walkthrough: every screen on the Bookshelf, every spec, the Previewer trick that catches the problems KDP will reject for, and the exact fix for each rejection error.

Step 1: Sign in and open the Bookshelf

Go to kdp.amazon.com and sign in with the Amazon account you registered as a publisher. KDP uses the same credentials as Amazon retail but the dashboard lives on a separate domain. After login you land on the Bookshelf - the index of every title on your account in every format.

Bookmark kdp.amazon.com/bookshelf directly. The default landing page on KDP varies by month and Amazon will sometimes drop you onto a promotional landing screen before you reach the books.

On the Bookshelf you will see one row per book per format. A single title published as Kindle, paperback, and hardcover shows three rows because Amazon treats each format as its own listing with its own cover file.

Step 2: Create a new title or edit an existing one

Creating a brand-new book

Click the orange + Create button in the top-right of the Bookshelf. Pick the format: Kindle eBook, Paperback, or Hardcover. KDP routes you into a three-step form: Details, Content, Pricing. Fill the Details tab first - title, subtitle, series, author, description, keywords, categories. KDP saves drafts automatically every few seconds, so you can stop and resume on any step.

When you click Save and Continue on the Details tab, KDP moves to the Content tab. That is where the cover lives.

Editing a book that already exists

Find the title on the Bookshelf. Click the three-dot menu on the right side of the row. The menu options vary by format:

• Paperback: "Edit paperback details", "Edit paperback content", "Edit paperback pricing"
• Hardcover: "Edit hardcover details", "Edit hardcover content", "Edit hardcover pricing"
• Kindle: "Edit eBook details", "Edit eBook content", "Edit eBook pricing"

Choose Edit [Format] Content. This skips you straight to the Content tab where the cover upload sits.

Step 3: Find the Book Cover panel on the Content tab

The Content tab has three sections stacked top to bottom:

1. Manuscript - where the interior PDF or .docx goes
2. Book Cover - where you upload the cover file
3. Book Preview - the 3D Previewer that renders the bound book

Scroll past Manuscript to Book Cover. Two radio-button options appear:

• Use Cover Creator - KDP's free in-browser cover designer with stock templates.
• Upload a cover you already have (PDF only) - despite the label, PNG and JPEG also work for print covers. The label is outdated.

Cover Creator vs uploading your own file

Cover Creator is free, generates the correct dimensions automatically, and skips the math entirely. The trade-off: stock backgrounds, restricted typography, and your cover ends up looking like every other Cover Creator cover on Amazon. Use it only for an absolute first launch with zero design budget. For anything you want to rank, upload a custom file built in Photoshop, Affinity, Canva Pro, InDesign, or our AI book cover generator.

Select Upload a cover you already have. A new button labelled Upload your cover file appears. Click it and the file picker opens.

Step 4: Choose the right file

KDP accepts different formats depending on whether you are uploading a print cover or an eBook cover. The accepted-formats list is different on each upload panel, so you cannot drag the wrong file type in even by accident.

Paperback and hardcover

• PDF (recommended): Preserves vector text, embedded fonts, and CMYK colour profile. The only format that does not get re-rasterized on KDP's servers. Export with "Embed all fonts" turned on and bleed marks enabled.
• PNG: Accepted but PNG flattens everything to RGB raster. KDP auto-converts to CMYK on the printer side, so saturated reds, oranges, and deep blues can shift unpredictably. Use only when your design tool cannot export PDF.
• JPEG: Accepted but lossy compression can introduce artifacts on solid colour areas and text edges. Save at maximum quality. Acceptable for print but PDF is always better.
• PSD (Photoshop): Technically accepted but the conversion on KDP's servers can swap unembedded fonts. Always flatten the PSD in Photoshop and export to PDF instead.

Kindle eBook

• JPEG (recommended): Smaller file size, universally rendered correctly on Kindle devices and Amazon thumbnails.
• TIFF: Larger files with no compression. Most authors stay with JPEG because TIFF often exceeds the 50 MB cap.

PDF is rejected at the eBook upload screen entirely. If you have a PDF cover, export just the front-cover panel as JPEG at 1,600 x 2,560 pixels and upload that.

Step 5: Watch the automated quality check

After selecting the file the upload begins. A progress bar runs from 0 to 100, then KDP processes the file on its servers and runs an automated quality check. The check takes 30 seconds to 3 minutes depending on file size. Three outcomes are possible.

Outcome A: clean pass

A green check appears and the Book Cover panel updates to show a thumbnail of the uploaded cover. The Previewer button becomes active. Move to Step 6.

Outcome B: warning

A yellow box surfaces with a non-blocking warning. Common warnings: "Your cover is below the recommended file size" (the PDF was exported below 1 MB), "Spine width may be slightly off" (drift of less than 0.01 inch), or "Image resolution is borderline". Warnings do not stop the upload but they are early signs that the printed book may not look right. Address them before submitting.

Outcome C: hard error

A red box appears and the upload is rejected. The thumbnail does not load and you cannot proceed to Previewer. The error message usually states the cause: dimensions mismatch, file too large, unsupported file type, or low-resolution placed image. Fix the issue in your design tool, re-export, and click Upload a new cover.

Step 6: Launch the Previewer and inspect every panel

Click Launch Previewer. KDP generates a 3D rendering of the bound book with your cover wrapped on it. The Previewer is the single most useful tool in the upload flow. It catches problems that the auto-check misses and that the static PDF preview cannot show.

Inspect each panel deliberately. Click and drag to rotate the book in the viewer. Zoom in on the spine and corners. The five things to verify:

1. Front cover - title and author legible. Read the title at 100% zoom and then zoom out to thumbnail size. Both should be readable. If the title disappears at thumbnail, the type is too thin or too small.
2. Spine - text centered with no overlap. Look for any text or artwork that bleeds onto the front or back panels. Spine text must sit at least 0.0625 inch inside both spine fold lines.
3. Back cover - description fits, barcode area is clear. The bottom-right 2 inch by 1.2 inch zone must be a clean light-coloured area with no text or busy artwork. Amazon prints the barcode there.
4. Bleed area on outer four edges. Important artwork must not sit inside the 0.125 inch bleed. The printer trims into the bleed and any title text, faces, or critical elements within that zone will get cut.
5. Wrap area (hardcover only). The 0.625 inch wrap on each side will be hidden inside the case. Decorative artwork can extend into it but never put text there.

If anything looks wrong, close the Previewer, fix the issue in your design file, re-export, and click Upload a new cover. The Previewer is free and unlimited - use it as many times as needed before clicking Approve.

Step 7: Approve, save, and submit for review

When the Previewer looks right, click Approve at the bottom of the viewer. KDP returns you to the Content tab with a green check on the Book Cover panel. Scroll down and click Save and Continue.

On the Pricing tab, confirm the list price and royalty plan. The final step is Publish Your [Format] Book. Click it. KDP queues the file for review.

Review windows in 2026:

• Kindle eBook: 24 to 48 hours typical, occasionally up to 72.
• Paperback: 24 to 72 hours for first review, 12 to 24 hours for cover-only resubmissions.
• Hardcover: Up to 5 business days for first review because the case-laminate wrap is inspected manually. Resubmissions clear in 2 to 3 days.

Approval emails arrive to the address on file. The Bookshelf status moves from "In Review" to "Live". If you are republishing a cover on an existing book, the old cover stays public until the new one clears review, so there is no listing downtime.

The 7 most common rejection reasons and exactly how to fix each

KDP rejects covers for predictable reasons. These seven account for roughly 95 percent of all cover rejections. Each one has a precise fix.

1. Low resolution detected

What KDP saw: One or more placed images on the cover are below 300 DPI at their printed size. The PDF was exported at 300 DPI but the photos and graphics inside were originally 72 DPI screen assets that got upscaled.

The fix: Source every image at 300 DPI native resolution. Never upscale before placement. For AI-generated artwork that came out at 1024 pixels, run it through a proper upscaler (Topaz Gigapixel, our AI image upscaler, or Adobe Super Resolution) that produces genuine new detail rather than nearest-neighbour stretching. Re-export the PDF and resubmit.

2. Wrong colour space

What KDP saw: An RGB cover uploaded to a print listing, or a CMYK cover uploaded to a Kindle eBook listing. KDP accepts RGB for print but auto-converts to CMYK, and saturated colours shift visibly during the conversion.

The fix: Export print covers in CMYK using the U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2 profile. Export Kindle eBook covers in sRGB. Both profiles are standard options in Adobe, Affinity, and Canva Pro exports.

3. Missing or excess bleed

What KDP saw: The cover PDF either lacks 0.125 inch of bleed on the outer edges or has bleed where it should not exist (the spine, the join lines, the wrap area on hardcover).

The fix: Add exactly 0.125 inch of bleed on the top, bottom, and outer left and right edges. The spine and the join lines between spine and panels have no bleed. Download a fresh KDP template generator file and overlay your design onto its bleed marks to confirm.

4. Wrong spine width

What KDP saw: The spine width on the cover does not match what KDP calculates from your page count and paper type. Even a 0.02 inch drift is a hard reject.

The fix: Use the formula: page count multiplied by per-page thickness (0.002252 inch for white paper, 0.0025 inch for cream, 0.002347 inch for colour). A 250-page book on white paper has a 0.563 inch spine. For hardcover, add roughly 0.06 inch for the boards. The KDP cover size calculator outputs the exact number for paperback and hardcover at every paper type.

5. Text in safe zone

What KDP saw: Title, subtitle, author name, or back-cover description sits closer than 0.125 inch to a trim edge. Normal trim variance can cut into text that close to the edge.

The fix: Move every block of text at least 0.125 inch inside the trim line on every edge. The Previewer often shows a guide overlay marking the safe zone - respect it.

6. Low contrast

What KDP saw: Title or author name text has insufficient contrast against the background. Usually triggered by white text over very light backgrounds or dark text over dark photography.

The fix: Add a solid colour shape or subtle drop shadow behind text. Aim for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. The cover should be legible as a 100-pixel-wide Amazon thumbnail - if you cannot read the title at that size, the contrast is too low regardless of what the ratio measures.

7. Unembedded fonts

What KDP saw: The PDF references fonts that are not embedded in the file. The printer cannot render unembedded fonts and KDP rejects the cover.

The fix: Enable "Embed all fonts" when exporting the PDF. If your tool cannot guarantee embedding (some Canva exports, some Figma exports, some older Word converters), convert all text to outlines before exporting. Outlines remove the font-dependency risk entirely.

How to fix a rejected cover and resubmit

Cover rejections feel discouraging the first time. The resubmit process is fast and the second review usually clears in 12 to 24 hours.

1. Read the rejection email carefully. KDP specifies the exact reason and often quotes the technical issue.
2. Cross-reference against the 7 reasons above. Identify the root cause.
3. Fix in your design software. Re-export the cover with the correction applied.
4. Open the rejected book in the Bookshelf. Three-dot menu, Edit [Format] Content.
5. Scroll to Book Cover, click "Upload a new cover". Select the corrected file.
6. Launch the Previewer again. Verify the fix is visible.
7. Approve, Save and Continue, Publish. KDP re-reviews and typically approves within 24 hours.

If you want a second pair of eyes before resubmitting, walk through the file against our KDP cover requirements checklist. If the rejection was for low resolution and you need to upscale source images, the fix blurry KDP covers guide walks through the upscaler workflow step by step.

Paperback, hardcover, and eBook - what changes per format

Paperback cover upload

Single PDF or JPEG containing back, spine, and front as one continuous spread. Bleed: 0.125 inch on outer four edges. Spine text allowed only when page count is 80 or more. Colour: CMYK preferred. The Bookshelf row says "Paperback" and the Content tab Book Cover panel accepts up to 650 MB.

Hardcover cover upload

Single PDF containing back, spine, and front plus a 0.625 inch wrap area on every side that folds onto the inside of the case. No dust jacket flaps. Spine text always allowed regardless of page count. Minimum page count is 75. The cover canvas is roughly 1.5 inches wider and 1.5 inches taller than the paperback equivalent at the same trim. For the full breakdown of paperback vs hardcover specs see the hardcover vs paperback cover specification guide.

Kindle eBook cover upload

Front-only image at 1,600 x 2,560 pixels minimum, 1.6:1 aspect ratio. JPEG or TIFF only. sRGB colour profile. No transparency. No bleed. Up to 50 MB. The Bookshelf shows the eBook row separately and the Book Cover panel only offers two file types in the picker.

If you publish all three formats, design the print cover first (it contains the front panel), then export the front panel separately as a 1,600 x 2,560 JPEG for the eBook. Do not try to reuse the print PDF on the eBook listing - it will be rejected on file type alone.

Pre-upload checklist (use this every time)

Hit every item on that checklist and the upload clears KDP review on the first attempt roughly 95 percent of the time. The remaining 5 percent are edge cases (specific font conflicts, very large file processing issues) that the resubmit flow handles in 24 hours.

What to check before clicking Publish

The very last screen before submission is easy to rush. Slow down. The four final checks save more rejections than any earlier step.

1. Open the Previewer one more time. The thumbnail on the Content tab can hide problems the Previewer makes obvious.
2. Verify the format radio button. Paperback uploads to paperback, hardcover uploads to hardcover. Double-check you are on the right format's Content tab.
3. Confirm the title and author on the cover match the metadata. A mismatch (subtitle on the cover but not in the metadata field, or vice versa) is grounds for a content-quality flag.
4. Recheck the list price. The Pricing tab updates per format. A paperback at $4.99 with a 60 percent royalty ineligibility flag will still publish, but the royalty calculation will be wrong. Run the math through the KDP royalty calculator first.

Click Publish Your [Format] Book. The Bookshelf status changes to "In Review". An email confirmation arrives within minutes. The book goes live after the review window closes successfully.