Publish Setup · Topic 12 of 17
Using the Online Previewer
What to do
Use KDP's built-in online previewer to look through your book, page by page, before approving it.
Why it matters
The previewer shows you what a reader or a printer will actually see, rendered at your real trim size. It's your best chance to catch a leftover formatting problem before the book goes live, and it's a required step before you can order a proof copy.
Step-by-step
- After your files pass KDP's automatic check, click Preview (KDP calls this the Print Previewer for paperback and hardcover) to open the page-by-page viewer.
- Page through the entire interior, not just the first few pages, checking margins, page numbers, chapter starts, and any images for correct placement.
- For the cover, check that the spine text and back cover elements look correctly positioned and that nothing critical sits too close to the edge.
- For an ebook, use Kindle Previewer (a separate free desktop application from Amazon) to check formatting and layout, since Kindle ebooks reflow text rather than displaying fixed pages, so it's worth checking on a few different simulated device sizes.
- Only click Approve once you've actually looked through the whole thing. Approving in the previewer is a required step before KDP will let you order a proof copy.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Clicking through the previewer quickly without actually reading pages, then discovering a problem only after ordering a physical proof (or after publishing).
- Skipping the previewer for the cover and only checking the interior.
Completion checklist
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Troubleshooting
Does the online previewer catch every possible problem?
No. It's very good at catching layout and rendering issues (margins, page breaks, image placement), but it can't tell you whether your writing is good or whether a color will print exactly as it looks on your screen. A physical proof copy (see that topic ahead) is the only way to check color and paper feel in person.