Amazon / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
Early 2025 was a tough time for Kindle fans.
Also: The best Kindles of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed
On Feb. 26, 2025, Amazon disabled the ability to download Kindle book files to your computer. While Kindle books will no longer be available for your old devices after next week, you can upload EPUB (with a workaround) and mobi files. Here's how to do that.
Of course, it all starts with a story
As a tech professional, there are many things I know because I know them. But I also learn things because it's my job to fix the tech problems around the house. In this case, my wife had performed a factory reset on her cherished Kindle DX, which she purchased almost exactly ten years ago. After the reset, she couldn't get any of her books to download.
She wanted to clean the Kindle of all its cruft. Every book she ever bought, up until the last time she powered up the machine, had been on that device before the reset. She thought a factory reset would be the fastest way to start with a clean slate.
It was indeed a clean slate. All that was left was a dictionary and user guide, both installed as part of the reset process. She couldn't download anything else she wanted on it.
Also: This simple Kindle accessory has seriously upgraded my reading experience - and it's on sale
I don't use Kindles nearly as much as she does. I have one entry-level Kindle, which I read in the biologitorium, but that's about it. I like keeping a Kindle there because it's always available and nearly always has enough charge for bio-break sessions.
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