Choose the exact file and reader to test
This checklist is for linked notes in a reflowable EPUB. Keep its original source and record the export file name, version and date. Do not assume that a preview, an older downloaded copy and the file uploaded to a publisher are identical. If you change the source document, export again and review that new file.
Note placement and display can differ between an authoring tool, an EPUB reader and a publishing previewer. Record the reader or app version and device alongside the file version. Fixed-layout books need their own checks; do not apply a reflowable-book result to them. A print footnote at the bottom of a page does not establish where the note appears after conversion.
Follow the complete note-and-return journey
Work through every note reference, including repeated numbers in different chapters. Start at the sentence that uses the reference, rather than opening the notes section first. Record the expected note and return position so you can distinguish a working link from a correct link.
- Activate the note marker. Confirm that the full intended note appears, not only a matching number or an empty popup.
- Open the full note location when the reader offers that option. Check the beginning and end of the note, any emphasis and any citation links.
- Activate the note’s return link. Check the exact sentence or reference marker reached, not merely the chapter title.
- If several passages reference the same note, check how the available return links identify their destinations. Do not assume one backlink serves every reading path.
- Repeat after changing font size or reader view. Review the new export after any source edit, conversion or repair.
References for this section
- KDP: internal hyperlink and footnote requirements · Official documentation
- DAISY Accessible Publishing Knowledge Base: notes and backlinks · Official documentation
Separate missing targets, wrong targets and popup behavior
These observations call for different next steps. Write down what actually happens before editing markup or replacing the whole book. A screenshot can help compare readers, but keep unpublished passages and reports private.
On small screens, scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| What you observe | What to inspect | Safe next step |
|---|---|---|
| The note marker goes nowhere | The target XHTML file and fragment ID | Locate the intended note in the source or EPUB editor. Correct a proven destination rather than guessing from its number. |
| The link opens the wrong note | Whether the destination exists but belongs to another reference | Compare the note text and source passage. A file-existence check cannot establish the author’s intent. |
| The note opens, but there is no way back | Whether an explicit return link exists and identifies the right reference | Add or correct it in the authoring workflow or EPUB editor, then retest the full journey. |
| A citation works in the full note but not its popup | The same file in that reader’s full-note view and another supported preview | Record the difference. Do not delete a valid citation merely to make a popup look simpler. |
Understand ChapterTidy’s note-checking limits
ChapterTidy checks internal link destinations in EPUB content, including manifested XHTML note files outside the reading spine. An existing link to a missing file or fragment can appear as a broken_link finding. This is a general link check, not a dedicated footnote-pairing audit.
The application does not infer every intended note destination. Its suggested link repair depends on a link label matching a unique heading; the manual target chooser also offers headings. A numbered note or a Back link to an inline reference is often outside that repair workflow. Use the original authoring tool or an EPUB editor for unsupported note edits.
A completely absent return link has no broken href to detect. A link to an existing but incorrect ID can also escape a missing-target check. ChapterTidy does not certify that each note has a reciprocal backlink, that note semantics are complete, or that every reader will show a popup. Inspect the actual export and use the manual checks above even when automated checks pass.
What controlled note tests actually showed
On 8 November 2026, 14 focused local tests used original synthetic EPUB 3 packages to exercise ChapterTidy’s parser, selected repairs, native EPUB/original-format export and reparse. They covered a same-file footnote and a separate note file, including a note file outside the spine. The checks below describe those test cases, not customer results or a guarantee for arbitrary books.
With valid note links, selected heading and contents repairs preserved note text, IDs, epub:type and role attributes, and both link directions. The report’s text_fidelity and references checks passed. These tests did not exercise Kindle popups, cross-format conversion, live uploads or an installed EPUBCheck run. In this local run, page_render and epubcheck were not_run, and font_and_visual was needs_review. The valid-note cases remained review_draft with final_ready false.
On small screens, scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Controlled case | Observed report result | Review still needed |
|---|---|---|
| Existing link points to a missing note or return target | references failed; download_kind blocked. Ordinary numbered/Back links had no suggested repair. | Correct the intended target in the source or EPUB editor. |
| The return link is removed entirely | references passed; no missing-backlink finding. | Confirm that the note has an appropriate way back. |
| The return link points to an existing chapter ID instead of its inline reference | references passed; the wrong return destination remained. | Click through and compare the exact return passage. |
| Note-specific semantic attributes are removed | references passed; no note-semantics finding. | Review note markup separately from link existence. |
| A broken return link is labelled with a matching chapter heading | The generic suggestion redirected it to that heading; references passed. | Do not accept a heading match as proof of the correct note return. |
| Two elements share the same note ID | duplicate_id was reported; references failed and download_kind blocked. | Identify the intended unique targets and update all affected links. |
Keep note structure and meaningful link labels
KDP’s reflowable text and hyperlink guidance requires links from footnote references to notes and back to the text. It recommends note markup using aside and epub:type, and says some Kindle devices display notes as popups. This is not a promise that every app or preview uses the same presentation.
The DAISY accessible-publishing guidance explains note references, note containers and descriptive backlinks. EPUB semantics and accessibility roles help readers identify the purpose of these elements. Preserve them when editing an existing EPUB; a working href alone does not replace that information. If you are unfamiliar with the markup, use an authoring tool that supports notes or ask your formatter to make a focused change.
Do not change ordinary table-of-contents or cross-reference links into footnote pairs just to imitate a popup. Keep the meaning of each link clear. When changing an ID, check all references to it instead of changing only the first visible link.
References for this section
- KDP: reflowable text and footnote guidelines · Official documentation
- KDP: internal hyperlink and footnote requirements · Official documentation
- DAISY Accessible Publishing Knowledge Base: notes and backlinks · Official documentation
Compare popup and full-note behavior without guessing the cause
One author discussion describes citation URLs that failed inside a Kindle note popup but worked from the full notes section. Another asks how notes seen at the end of a story in an online preview will appear to readers. These individual experiences explain why both views deserve testing; they do not establish a current universal Kindle defect.
Compare the exact EPUB in your target reader or Kindle Previewer and, when relevant, the publisher’s online preview. Note whether the reference, full note, return link or an external citation behaves differently. A difference is evidence to investigate, not proof that the platform is at fault or that rebuilding the entire file is necessary.
References for this section
- Individual author discussion: how Kindle readers see footnotes · Individual author experience
- Individual author discussion: citation links in a Kindle note popup · Individual author experience
Make one focused change and review the new export
When a destination is demonstrably wrong, correct it in the source workflow or an EPUB editor and regenerate the book if needed. Keep the original alongside the revised copy. Validate the revised package, compare note text and references, then repeat the round-trip test on the revised export.
Use ChapterTidy for the structural checks and supported repairs it actually offers. The standard sample demonstrates the general inspection workflow; it is not a complete footnote test book. A clean validation report or preserved note markup does not establish popup compatibility, accessibility conformance or publishing approval.
Sources and evidence
Product steps reflect the current ChapterTidy workflow. Official references explain file standards and editor or platform requirements; any author discussion is labelled as an individual experience.
How to read our sources, sample tests and update dates
- KDP: reflowable text and footnote guidelines · Official documentation
- KDP: internal hyperlink and footnote requirements · Official documentation
- DAISY Accessible Publishing Knowledge Base: notes and backlinks · Official documentation
Inspect a manuscript, then choose what to change.
Open the workspace to upload your file, or use the included sample first. Uploading and editing require JavaScript; reading this guide does not.
Open ChapterTidy