If you have aKindle e-readeranddownload the booksyou buy onto your PC, that process is about to become more complex.
According to Kindle userson Reddit, Amazon is removing the ability to download and transferKindle booksvia USB. This means the only way to send Kindle books in the future will be over a Wi-Fi connection. It’s currently unclear whether this affects just some Kindle models or all of them. The change will reportedly take effect on February 26.
Amazon is sending out the following warning message to some users when they download a book: “Starting Jul 09, 2025, the ‘Download & Transfer via USB’ option will no longer be available. you’re able to still send Kindle books to your Wi-Fi enabled devices by selecting the ‘Deliver or Remove from Device’ option.” You can check out the original Reddit thread below.
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What this means for Kindle devices
It’s possible the change isn’t worldwide
It’s important to note that this update does not affect your ability to read your Kindle books on multiple devices. It just means you can’t download a purchased Kindle book and transfer it to your PC via USB, making it harder for Kindle users to back up books they own onto their PC for safekeeping. However, this change may not happen everywhere yet.
Kindle users in the UK and Canada reporton Redditnot seeing this message pop up when downloading a book, just US Kindle owners. It’s possible this update could have a gradual rollout, but that’s not certain.One Reddit userin the US who owns multiple Kindle devices says the message pops up before they select a device, leading them to believe the update isn’t device-specific.
It’s unclear why Amazon is doing this exactly. One possibility is that the company may be trying to lock down its Kindle ecosystem even more than it already is. However, there is afix for that. Interestingly, the day the ‘Download & Transfer via USB’ option is reportedly no longer available on Kindles is the same day Amazon is holding adevices and services eventin New York City, which could just be a coincidence.
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