Download Kindle Books to Your Computer: Amazon’s Policy Explained

Key Takeaways

• Change in Policy: As of February 26, 2025, users can no longer download Kindle books to computers.
• File Format: Kindle books are in a proprietary format (.AZW3) that can only be read on Kindle devices or the Kindle app.
• Airplane Mode Issue: Users who keep their Kindle devices in airplane mode can no longer upload books via USB.
• Conversion Challenges: Converting Kindle files is complicated due to DRM encryption, requiring specific software and plugins.

UPDATE: Sep. 22, 2025, 6:30 p.m. EDT The original version of this story acted as a guide on how to download Kindle books ahead of Amazon taking away the feature. It has been updated now that users can no longer download Kindle files outside of the Kindle app.

In terms of e-readers, Kindles are easily the most popular. They’re speedy, well-designed machines that put an entire library in your pocket. But as of February 26, 2025, Amazon took away its users’ ability to download Kindle books to computers. You’ll still be able to send books to your digital library, but only on WiFi-enabled devices. So what’s the big deal?

Kindle books are all in Amazon’s proprietary e-book format of .AZW3 files. These files can only be read on Kindle devices or through the Kindle app. It’s a real pain if you want to try to read your books on another e-reader, considering the files have digital rights management encryption on them to prevent you from converting them.

If you wanted to read a book purchased in the Kindle Store on another device, you’d need to download the book, unencrypt the file, and then convert it to a different format, using a free program like Calibre. However, since Amazon no longer allows you to download books via USB, this is no longer an option — presumably as an extra layer of protection on Amazon’s part, to keep you reading on its devices.

Even if you are reading Kindle e-books on a Kindle device, this change can pose an issue. Some users like to keep their device in airplane mode to avoid ads, so getting Kindle e-books onto the device required downloading the book and uploading it via USB. Now that February 26, 2025, has passed, you can no longer do that, so you’re either forced to WiFi-enable the device or exclusively read ePUB files not purchased in the Kindle store.

How to download Kindle books to your computer

Note: Please note that after February 26, 2025, you are no longer able to execute this action.

The first step to downloading your Kindle books is logging in to your Amazon account. Under the Account & Lists tab, select your Content Library.

In Content Library, select Books, which will take you to your entire Kindle library. This will include your Kindle book purchases as well as e-book loans from Kindle Unlimited or Libby. You can only download your purchased books as well as library loans that are still active.

There is no bulk download option, so each book must be downloaded individually. To do so, click the More Actions button and select the Download & transfer via USB option.

Click download and transfer via USB to start the process of downloading your Kindle books.
Credit: Screenshot: Amazon / Mashable composite

The next screen will ask you to select a device and then hit download.

Select a device, and then you’ll be able to download your Kindle file.
Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Your files will then be downloaded to your device. Now you can plug in your Kindle and upload the files without doing so over WiFi. Now, what about if you want to convert the files?

How to convert Kindle books

Converting Kindle .AZW3 files is harder than it should be, thanks to DRM, aka digital rights management, which encrypts e-books. If you use a converter service like CloudConvert, when you upload your Kindle book file and try to convert it, you’ll receive a message that the book is DRM-encrypted.

Amazon has added DRM encryption to all of its Kindle book files, making it even harder to convert its files so you can only read your Kindle purchases on a Kindle. So if you want to convert Kindle files, you’ll need to remove the encryption.

The best software for converting and removing encryption is Calibre. Most converting software, including Calibre, doesn’t include the encryption removal, so you’ll need to add it as a plugin. These aren’t native to conversion software, so be cautious before downloading. However, if you’re committed to getting your Kindle books converted, passionate Reddit users have detailed instructions on how to do so using Calibre.