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The February 26, 2025 deadline has passed: Amazon removed Download & Transfer via USB from its website. That change did not erase books already downloaded to a Kindle, and it did not end Kindle reading access. It did remove the website route for downloading purchased Kindle books to a computer for USB transfer. Today, Amazon offers EPUB/PDF downloads only for eligible DRM-free books purchased by verified buyers; it does not provide that export for DRM-protected titles or subscription borrows.
What changed on February 26, 2025?
Amazon’s customer notice said that, starting February 26, 2025, customers could no longer download and transfer Kindle content via USB from Amazon’s website. Books already downloaded to a Kindle device remained readable. Amazon also listed Kindle for Web, Kindle apps, and Wi-Fi-capable Kindle devices as ways to continue reading or access content. Amazon’s notice did not say that all Kindle books would stop working on the cutoff date.
The discontinued feature was a website download option, not every form of USB transfer. Amazon staff clarified that the old Download & Transfer via USB route was intended for Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets, not Kindle apps. Historically, it was useful to people with older devices without Wi-Fi and to readers who wanted local copies. Ars Technica reported that access depended on having a compatible older Kindle or Fire device associated with the account and that the website handled one book at a time. Those were conditions of the former process, not a way to use it now. Ars Technica’s February 24, 2025 report quoted an unnamed Amazon spokesperson saying customers could keep reading books already downloaded and access new content through Kindle apps, Kindle for Web, and Wi-Fi-capable devices.
What can you do with Kindle books now?
| Option | What it preserves or does | Eligibility and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Kindle app, Kindle for Web, or a Wi-Fi Kindle | Lets you read or access Kindle content through Amazon’s services and supported devices. | Amazon listed these options in its February 2025 notice. A reading route is not a local ebook-file export. Amazon’s notice |
| Deliver to Device | Sends a selected book to a Kindle device registered to your account. | Use Manage Your Content and Devices and choose Deliver to Device. This delivers to a device; it does not create an independent computer backup. Amazon staff guidance |
| EPUB/PDF download | Provides a file that can be saved on a computer or other storage. | Available only for eligible DRM-free books purchased by verified purchasers. Kindle Unlimited and other service borrowers are not eligible for this download route. Amazon KDP Help |
| Sync | Backs up reading position, notes, and highlights to Amazon’s servers when enabled and online. | Amazon describes syncing reading data, not storing a local ebook file. Amazon Help |
| USB transfer or Send to Kindle | Transfers a supported file you already have to a compatible device or Kindle service. | These transfer methods do not restore Amazon’s removed website download for purchased Kindle books. Amazon’s USB and Send-to-Kindle guidance is for supported documents and varies by device and operating system. Amazon UK Help |
How to check whether you can download a DRM-free book
Amazon’s current KDP policy, effective January 20, 2026, allows verified purchasers to download EPUB or PDF files for eligible DRM-free titles from Manage Your Content and Devices. This is a limited exception, not a general Kindle export function. Books protected by DRM and titles borrowed through Kindle Unlimited or another service do not qualify for this route.
#1 Best Overall
- Light and compact - With adjustable brightness, high contrast ratio, and fast page turns.
- Effortless reading in any light - Read comfortably with a 6“ glare-free display, adjustable front light—now 25% brighter at max setting—and dark mode.
- Escape into your books - Tune out messages, emails, and social media with a distraction-free reading experience.
- Read for a while - Get up to 6 weeks of battery life on a single charge.
- Take your library with you – 16 GB storage holds thousands of books.
- Sign in to the Amazon account that purchased the book and open Manage Your Content and Devices.
- Find the title and check whether an EPUB or PDF download option is shown. Its availability depends on the book’s DRM status and Amazon’s eligibility rules; if the option is absent, the title cannot be downloaded through this policy.
- If you obtain an eligible file, save it to a location you control. You can optionally copy that file to external storage. A USB drive stores a file you already downloaded; it does not retrieve a book Amazon does not offer for download.
There are additional publisher-side conditions. Amazon says books published before December 9, 2025 may require the publisher to explicitly confirm EPUB/PDF downloads. A change to a book’s DRM setting can take 24–72 hours to become effective. Check the title’s current options rather than assuming every older DRM-free book will immediately show a download link. Amazon KDP Help
How to send a file you already have to a Kindle
Amazon’s Send to Kindle and USB instructions concern transferring supported files, not exporting Store purchases. If you have a legitimate compatible document or an eligible EPUB/PDF, Amazon UK’s help explains sending supported documents wirelessly and transferring files by USB. The precise steps and compatibility depend on the device and computer operating system. Amazon UK’s transfer guidance
Rank #2
- Light and compact - With adjustable brightness, high contrast ratio, and fast page turns.
- Effortless reading in any light - Read comfortably with a 6“ glare-free display, adjustable front light—now 25% brighter at max setting—and dark mode.
- Escape into your books - Tune out messages, emails, and social media with a distraction-free reading experience.
- Read for a while - Get up to 6 weeks of battery life on a single charge.
- Take your library with you - 16 GB storage holds thousands of books.
What Kindle Sync does—and does not do
When enabled and online, Sync saves reading position, notes, and highlights to Amazon’s servers so reading data can be available across supported Kindle apps and devices. Amazon does not describe Sync as making a local copy of the ebook file, so it is not a substitute for downloading a file. Amazon also says the Legacy Kindle app, formerly Kindle for PC, is unsupported as of June 30, 2026. Amazon Help
Recommended Free Tools
Can you still read Kindle books you bought?
Yes. The 2025 change removed the website’s Download & Transfer via USB feature; Amazon’s notice said already-downloaded books would remain readable and identified Kindle for Web, Kindle apps, and Wi-Fi-capable Kindle devices as ongoing ways to read or access content. Reading access, delivery to a registered device, syncing reading data, and saving a separate local ebook file are different functions, with different limits.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Our fastest Kindle Paperwhite ever – The next-generation 7“ Paperwhite display has a higher contrast ratio and 25% faster page turns.
- Upgrade your reading experience – The Signature Edition features an auto-adjusting front light, wireless charging, and 32 GB storage.
- Ready for travel – The ultra-thin design has a larger glare-free screen so pages stay sharp no matter where you are.
- Escape into your books – Your Kindle doesn’t have social media, notifications, or other distracting apps.
- Adapts to your surroundings – The auto-adjusting front light lets you read in the brightest sunlight or late into the night.
Rank #4
- Our fastest Kindle Paperwhite ever – The next-generation 7“ Paperwhite display has a higher contrast ratio and 25% faster page turns.
- Ready for travel – The ultra-thin design has a larger glare-free screen so pages stay sharp no matter where you are.
- Escape into your books – Your Kindle doesn’t have social media, notifications, or other distracting apps.
- Battery life for your longest novel – A single charge via USB-C lasts up to 12 weeks.
- Read in any light – Adjust the display from white to amber to read in bright sunlight or in the dark.
Rank #3
- Our fastest Kindle Paperwhite ever – The next-generation 7“ Paperwhite display has a higher contrast ratio and 25% faster page turns.
- Ready for travel – The ultra-thin design has a larger glare-free screen so pages stay sharp no matter where you are.
- Escape into your books – Your Kindle doesn’t have social media, notifications, or other distracting apps.
- Battery life for your longest novel – A single charge via USB-C lasts up to 12 weeks.
- Read in any light – Adjust the display from white to amber to read in bright sunlight or in the dark.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
