Answers.Body: <p>What are you looking to edit? Content or basic metadata? If it is basic metadata, there is a program I have found and played with called <a href="http://jarrin.net/MOBIeditor" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MOBIeditor</a>. It's written in .Net so you need Windows (the source code is available so you could grab that and compile it with Mono if you are running *nix/OSX).</p>
  
  <p>It is very basic though, allowing you to edit only the following (I'll provide a screenshot to make it easier):</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/JIxZD.png" alt="MOBIeditor in action"></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-09-05T13:45:04.017Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-09-05T13:45:04.017Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Jason Down
Answers.Body: <p>As far as I know <code>.mobi</code> files can't be edited directly, they have to be converted first to another editable format. So, no, you can't directly edit <code>.mobi</code> files in just one step. See <a href="http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1777180#post1777180" rel="noreferrer">this thread</a> on MobileRead forums for further reference.</p>
  
  <p>Anyway, I think that there is an easy a solution to your problem. <strong>Please note that in providing the following informations I have assumed that you are interested in using your eBook files with a Kindle device</strong>. If it is not the case, maybe not eveything will apply to tour particular situation.</p>
  
  <p>Maybe you are already aware of this since you are a Calibre user, but it now has an integrated ebook editor that can work not only with <code>.epub</code> files but also with <code>.azw3</code> ones (also known as KF8), which are used on Kindle devices. Here is a <a href="http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/edit.html" rel="noreferrer">link</a> to the Calibre manual page about this feature, where you can check if this is a tool that will do for you. It is rather similar to Sigil both in appearance and in functionalities, so you will have no problem to sort it out.</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/TqC7G.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p>I know that strictly speaking an <code>.azw3</code> is not a <code>.mobi</code>, but both these formats are mainly used on Kindle devices; moreover, as far as I know, for practical reasons (even if not for technical ones) the <code>.azw3</code> format is considered to be a successor to <code>.mobi</code>; so, if you need to retouch your ebooks and have a rather recent Kindle device (or app), it should not make any great difference which one of these formats you will use on it.</p>
  
  <p>Here are also some links to various resources that you may find useful:  </p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><a href="http://www.epubor.com/difference-between-kindle-content-azw-azw3-prc-mobi-topaz.html" rel="noreferrer">Difference Between Kindle Content AZW, AZW3, PRC, Mobi, Topaz</a>  </li>
  <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobipocket" rel="noreferrer">Mobi format</a>, on Wikipedia  </li>
  <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle#File_formats" rel="noreferrer">Kindle formats</a>, on Wikipedia </li>
  <li>The pages about <a href="http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/MOBI" rel="noreferrer">MOBI,</a> <a href="http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/AZW" rel="noreferrer">AZW</a> and <a href="http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/KF8" rel="noreferrer">KF8</a> (AZW3) formats on Mobileread wiki.</li>
  <li>The subforum about <a href="http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=168" rel="noreferrer">Kindle formats</a> on MobileRead (which is, in fact, one of the biggest and more useful online resources about everything related to ebooks)</li>
  <li>A <a href="https://ebooks.stackexchange.com/q/697/136">question here on this site</a> about the various formats used by Kindle devices.</li>
  </ul>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-09-05T19:16:19.280Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-09-05T19:52:22.557Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2017-04-13T13:00:05.480Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Sekhemty
Body: <p>I am used to creating and editing <code>.epub</code> files, usually with Sigil. Sometimes, however, I need to retouch a file in <code>.mobi</code> format for my wife. </p>
  
  <p>My usual approach is to convert it in <code>.epub</code> with Calibre, edit it, and then convert it back to <code>.mobi</code>, but I wonder if there is a quicker way which does not involve two conversions.</p>
  
Tags: <mobi><file-format><editing>
Title: Is there an easier way to edit a .mobi file?
UserDisplayName: mau
ThreadText: # Is there an easier way to edit a .mobi file?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2014-09-05)
  
  I am used to creating and editing `.epub` files, usually with Sigil. Sometimes, however, I need to retouch a file in `.mobi` format for my wife.
  
  My usual approach is to convert it in `.epub` with Calibre, edit it, and then convert it back to `.mobi`, but I wonder if there is a quicker way which does not involve two conversions.
  
  **Tags:** mobi, file-format, editing
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2014-09-05. Score: 14 | Accepted answer
  
  As far as I know `.mobi` files can't be edited directly, they have to be converted first to another editable format. So, no, you can't directly edit `.mobi` files in just one step. See [this thread](http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1777180#post1777180) on MobileRead forums for further reference.
  
  Anyway, I think that there is an easy a solution to your problem. **Please note that in providing the following informations I have assumed that you are interested in using your eBook files with a Kindle device**. If it is not the case, maybe not eveything will apply to tour particular situation.
  
  Maybe you are already aware of this since you are a Calibre user, but it now has an integrated ebook editor that can work not only with `.epub` files but also with `.azw3` ones (also known as KF8), which are used on Kindle devices. Here is a [link](http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/edit.html) to the Calibre manual page about this feature, where you can check if this is a tool that will do for you. It is rather similar to Sigil both in appearance and in functionalities, so you will have no problem to sort it out.
  
  ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/TqC7G.png)
  
  I know that strictly speaking an `.azw3` is not a `.mobi`, but both these formats are mainly used on Kindle devices; moreover, as far as I know, for practical reasons (even if not for technical ones) the `.azw3` format is considered to be a successor to `.mobi`; so, if you need to retouch your ebooks and have a rather recent Kindle device (or app), it should not make any great difference which one of these formats you will use on it.
  
  Here are also some links to various resources that you may find useful:
  
  * [Difference Between Kindle Content AZW, AZW3, PRC, Mobi, Topaz](http://www.epubor.com/difference-between-kindle-content-azw-azw3-prc-mobi-topaz.html)
  * [Mobi format](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobipocket), on Wikipedia
  * [Kindle formats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle#File_formats), on Wikipedia
  * The pages about [MOBI,](http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/MOBI) [AZW](http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/AZW) and [KF8](http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/KF8) (AZW3) formats on Mobileread wiki.
  * The subforum about [Kindle formats](http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=168) on MobileRead (which is, in fact, one of the biggest and more useful online resources about everything related to ebooks)
  * A [question here on this site](https://ebooks.stackexchange.com/q/697/136) about the various formats used by Kindle devices.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2014-09-05. Score: 4
  
  What are you looking to edit? Content or basic metadata? If it is basic metadata, there is a program I have found and played with called [MOBIeditor](http://jarrin.net/MOBIeditor). It's written in .Net so you need Windows (the source code is available so you could grab that and compile it with Mono if you are running \*nix/OSX).
  
  It is very basic though, allowing you to edit only the following (I'll provide a screenshot to make it easier):
  
  ![MOBIeditor in action](https://i.sstatic.net/JIxZD.png)
  
  
  ---
  
  