Amazon has announced that, from February 26, Kindle users will no longer be able to download and store their ebooks on other devices. Read on to learn how to save your Kindle books before it’s too late.
Until this announcement, Amazon had allowed users to download their ebook purchases to read on other devices, including e-readers sold by other brands. However, it seems Amazon may have gotten fed up with helping the competition and is now dropping this feature entirely.
It’s worth noting that users will still be able to download ebooks via Wi-Fi, meaning this might not be an issue for some. However, if you rely on the ‘Download & Transfer via USB’ option, you’ll soon be out of luck.
Whether you don’t have a Wi-Fi-enabled e-reader or are simply interested in saving a backup copy of your Kindle purchases, keep reading to learn how to download Kindle books before it’s too late.
We’d also recommend visiting our guide to how to read any ePub book on a Kindle, along with our 18 tips and tricks for the Kindle Paperwhite. Alternatively, if you’re in the market for a new e-reader, check out our best Kindles or the best e-readers for more great options from brands like Kobo and Onyx.
What you’ll need
- A PC
- A pre-2024 Kindle
The Short Version
- Head to Amazon
- Click Account & Lists
- Click Manage Your Content And Devices
- Select Books
- Locate the book you want to download and click More Actions
- Click Download & Transfer Via USB
- Select your Kindle and hit Download
How to download Kindle books before it’s too late
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Step
1Head to Amazon
Sign into your account if you haven’t already.
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Step
2Click Account & Lists
You can find this option below your name in the upper right corner of the screen.
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Step
3Click Manage Your Content And Devices
You can find this option about halfway down the dropdown menu.
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Step
4Select Books
Or click the link that says ‘See Title(s)’ along with the number of books you’ve bought.
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5Locate the book you want to download and click More Actions
Unfortunately, there’s no way to bulk download all of your books via USB, so you will need to repeat steps 5-7 for any books you want to save.
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6Click Download & Transfer Via USB
This should be the second option in the dropdown menu.
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7Select your Kindle and hit Download
If you can’t see your Kindle, head to the troubleshooting section of this guide for an explanation of what might be going on.
Troubleshooting
Amazon will be removing the ‘Download & Transfer via USB’ feature on February 26 2025. If you’re visiting this guide after that date, you can still download your books via Wi-Fi if you have a Wi-Fi-enabled e-reader.
If you can’t see your Kindle in the list of e-readers when downloading your books, it may be because you purchased that Kindle in 2024. According to a YouTube video by TheDigitalReader, Kindles purchased last year will not appear on the list.
If your Kindle supports Wi-Fi, you can simply find the book you want to download and click Deliver Or Remove From Device. Then, select your Kindle and click Make Changes. The book will appear on your Kindle once your e-reader is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
