Extract text from Kindle annotation files (HAN)
To convert HAN annotations to another format, you need Amazon Kindle or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Annotation Data File" file type, you need software like Amazon Kindle or a similar tool.
The .HAN file extension is primarily used by the Amazon Kindle ecosystem to store user-generated ebook annotations, bookmarks, and text highlights. A secondary, less common use case is as a configuration file for the MIV Image Viewer, specialized medical imaging software.
The main disadvantage of the Kindle .HAN format is its proprietary usage within Amazon's closed ecosystem. When readers want to export their book highlights to personal knowledge management apps like Obsidian or Notion, they discover that Amazon does not offer an easy export button for sideloaded books. Instead, the .HAN files are hidden in the device's internal storage next to the primary ebook files (like AZW3 or KPF). Standard online document converters fail to process .HAN files because they assume it is a visual document, whereas it is actually a raw data container. Standard converters look for page layouts, fonts, and images that simply do not exist here.
The best target formats for a .HAN file are JSON, TXT, or CSV. Extracting the data to plain text allows you to retain your notes without needing a Kindle device or proprietary software.
Because this file format is an internal system file, it is difficult for generic software to open or convert it correctly. However, convert.guru can still identify the file format, inspect the file, and show the internal text content. Just drag and drop your file to see what it is and convert it if supported. Since our analysis detects the supported underlying JSON structure inside Kindle .HAN files, viewing your raw annotations or extracting the data is entirely possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your HAN file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert HAN file to PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW, AZW3, KFX, PRC, LIT, OPF, CBZ, CBR or CB7, you can use Amazon Kindle or similar software from the "Ebook Annotation Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert FB2, MOBI, CBT, RTF, CB7, DOCX, DJVU, AZW, CBA, PDF, DOC or EPUB files to HAN, try Amazon Kindle or another comparable tool in the "Ebook Annotation Data Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our HAN converter.