Beginning on February twenty sixth, 2025, Amazon is eradicating a function from its web site permitting you to obtain bought books to a pc after which copy them manually to a Kindle over USB. It’s a function that a number of Kindle customers are most likely not conscious of, given books may be extra simply despatched to gadgets over Wi-Fi, nevertheless it’s particularly helpful for backing up purchases or changing them to different codecs appropriate with non-Kindle e-readers.
There are a couple of the explanation why some Kindle customers may miss this function. It’s helpful if you happen to don’t have entry to a Wi-Fi community, and though it’s a tedious course of since bought books can solely be downloaded one by one, there’s some peace of thoughts in understanding you have got offline copies of all of your books.
It doesn’t occur often, however as Good e-Reader factors out, Amazon has often eliminated books from its on-line retailer and remotely deleted them from Kindles or edited titles and re-uploaded new copies to its e-readers. In 2009, the corporate eliminated copies of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, explaining the books had been mistakenly printed. Extra just lately, many of Roald Dahl’s books, together with Charlie and the Chocolate Manufacturing facility, have been changed with up to date copies that includes modified language on numerous e-book platforms. It’s a reminder that you simply don’t really personal a lot of the digital content material you devour, and with out the flexibility to again up copies of ebooks, you possibly can lose them solely in the event that they’re banned and eliminated.
The function can also be the best option to convert books bought from Amazon to different codecs like EPUB that can be utilized on various gadgets comparable to a Kobo. Books downloaded by Amazon’s web site are delivered within the older AZW3 format which permits DRM to be simply eliminated utilizing numerous software program instruments.
Older Kindle fashions additionally retailer books within the AZW3 format, and they are often extracted by connecting the gadget to a pc with a USB cable. However modern Kindles use the newer KFX format (first rolled out in 2015) which launched improved font rendering, higher structure capabilities, and DRM that’s practically not possible to avoid.
The obtain function is a carryover from the times when Kindles didn’t include Wi-Fi, permitting customers who additionally weren’t in a position to make the most of Amazon’s mobile Whispernet service to get bought books onto their e-readers. It’s nonetheless accessible by Amazon’s web site by accessing your “Content material Library” whereas logged into your account. For bought books you choose the “Extra actions” menu, select “Obtain & switch by way of USB,” choose a Kindle gadget you have got registered, and a replica of the ebook can be downloaded to your pc.
However the pop-up that seems when deciding on the obtain choice now consists of a further warning. “Beginning February 26, 2025, the ‘Obtain & Switch by way of USB’ choice will not be out there. You possibly can nonetheless ship Kindle books to your Wi-Fi enabled gadgets by deciding on the ‘Ship or Take away from System’ choice.“
Amazon confirmed the elimination of the ebook obtain function in an announcement to The Verge. “Prospects can proceed studying books beforehand downloaded on their Kindle gadget, and entry new content material by the Kindle app, Kindle for net, in addition to instantly by Kindle gadgets with WiFi functionality,” stated Amazon spokesperson Jackie Burke.
As soon as this function goes away, you’ll nonetheless have the ability to manually copy e-book recordsdata and different paperwork to Kindles over USB utilizing Amazon’s apps or third-party options like Calibre. You simply received’t have the ability to obtain copies of your bought books to a pc.
Replace, February 14th: Added remark from an Amazon spokesperson.