Kindle Downloads Ending Soon

In case others have not yet seen this...

For those of us who use Amazon Kindle devices to read e-books: You Have Until February 26

I spent about half an hour going through my collection and trying to download it. Awkward for me. I can't seem to get them into a folder, and I can't open them in Caliber due to the DRM thingy. I have over 800 books on my Kindle, and to be honest, although I would be sad and a bit miffed if they were gone tomorrow, I still have more books than I can read in my life here at home. Guess I won't fool with it anymore.

Like the 8-track, VHS, and cassette tapes I have invested in, I view my online purchases as conveniences of the moment. Which is why I usually wait for sales to buy any of them.

I think this is the most up to date resource about using Calibre: https://www.reddit.com/r/Calibre/comments/1c2ryfz/2024_guide_to_dedrm_kindle_boo...

>2 MrsLee: You may find these links of use:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=366171
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=366273
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=366211
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=366237

If you're comfortable with using scripts, there are at least 2 scripts that download in bulk (at least by page).

Fortunately, I always downloaded as soon as I purchased and got my content into Calibre, but then I've never owned a Kindle.

Also be aware that if you've got a new version of the app or a new model Kindle you may be stuck as it tends to download KFX.zip files which Calibre can't deal with; you need KFX or AW3.

>1 ScoLgo: I read this a few days ago. I stopped using Caliber years ago, so I don't bother downloading my files anymore. Am I right in thinking this will only be an issue when/if Amazon finally dies? I was under the impressing you could put a Kindle app on just about any device to read what you've already bought, if you don't want a Kindle eReader.

>5 clamairy: For me, the issue is more that Amazon is taking full control of the books I have purchased. If they decide to revise a book, it will no longer be the same book I bought. If they decide to delete a title, it will no longer be available to me - even though I have 'bought' it. The purchasing of e-books is a murky subject because we don't actually 'buy' the book, we only license the content. I've known that all along and, though I don't agree with it, the convenience of the kindle ecosystem is such that I have sighed and gone along with it. However, having the ability to download and backup items I have paid for is important to me. Amazon taking that away from their customers is concerning.

>6 ScoLgo: Ahh, yes. I had not thought about them editing or changing content.

Yes, I've read about it too. I usually download and backup all my kindle purchases at once. I agree with @ScoLgo, I like to have some control over ebooks I have bought. Moving away from Amazon ecosystem completely is very difficult, but I am thinking about buying books directly from the authors/publishers from now on (whenever possible). Maybe I'll get a Kobo as well.

I've just spent sometime making sure I have backed up all the Amazon books I might want to backup. There were 12 books that had slipped through the cracks, so fingers crossed.

All the more reason to avoid Amazon as far as possible. I don't have much on kindle anyway, and what I have I could bear to lose, with one exception — Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell. Must buy a dead-tree copy ASAP, and not from Amazon..

>6 ScoLgo: you can turn off automatic updates in the content and device settings. I used to keep it off but I think it automatically defaulted back to automatic updates when I bought a new device. I should probably go in and change that. I’m not sure I have the energy or patience to back up my kindle purchases.

I've been using Calibre to download, convert, and sideload books from Amazon/Kindle for a long time. I started with a Sony ereader, then went to a Kobo, but some books are only available from Amazon/Kindle. A couple of years ago Kindle's upgrades and format changes stopped this from working. I recently found that it works again, but with a little different process than it used to. The newer books I have had to load into Calibre by using Add Books, and navigating to the folder the kindle desktop app puts the books in. Newer books have their own folders, and need to be added from there. It seems that they do need to be added individually. I used to have an older edition of the kindle app, which would allow files to be copied and pasted into a folder that Calibre would automatically load, but that version of kindle wouldn't download the newer book files. This is all on a windows computer, by the way. The new process seems to work with the newest version of the Kindle app.

>10 ludmillalotaria: Updates of books or updates of firmware? When I still routinely purchased ebooks from Amazon, I had to hack the Kindle update folder to prevent Kindle4Mac updating against my will.

I switched to Kobo a couple of years ago and am very glad I did. Fortunately, I don't read Kindle Unlimited.

This is very annoying to me, as my ancient kindle no longer connects to WiFi so the only way I can get ebooks onto it is by downloading and transferring via USB. Guess it's time for me to switch to Kobo or another alternative.

>12 Maddz: I thought it was for books, but could be Amazon has changed that. A few years ago when I kept it off I would see ‘an update is available for this book’ next to the book when looking at list of my content from my Amazon account. I could update or ignore from there. I’ve been very lax in reviewing my content over the past year.

>14 ludmillalotaria: It's both. I held onto a working copy of Kindle4Mac 1.17 for years by making the update folder read only meaning Amazon couldn't force an update to the package, but there's updates to books as well (usually covers).

Still, I now do all my ebook purchases from Kobo and the only use I now have for the Kindle store is keeping an eye on daily and monthly deals to price match at Kobo.

This makes me very unhappy. It won't let me download my books. I get a popup telling me to buy a Kindle or download the app. I have already downloaded the app.

Now what?

>16 fuzzi: Are you signed into your Amazon account? Because if you own any books you should be able to download them. I don't know why they would be blocking you unless they aren't sure who you are.

Personally, this news kinda pisses me off, as I refuse to buy online digital media where I cannot take "physical" ownership of the digital files. All 3000+ ebooks on my Kindle were downloaded to my computer (from dozens of different sources), stripped of DRM, organized in Calibre, and sideloaded onto my device(s). Fortunately, I can still get the big releases I want from Kobo or Google Play and download them.

On the plus side, this also means I'll be saving a lot of $$$ on all those $1.99 or $2.99 deals that are otherwise so hard to pass up. :)

>16 fuzzi: If you don't own a Kindle e-ink device, you can't use the "download and transfer" option from Amazon.com. If you have the desktop app, however, you can download books through the app to Windows Explorer. The trick there is that current versions of the desktop app download using a DRM format that cannot be hacked. You have to install an older version of the app that downloads in the older file formats.

>18 saltmanz: I thought you could buy kindle books to read with an app on your tablet or phone. Oh, I see... they can control the app content.

>19 clamairy: Right, the only thing that's being removed is the ability to download/store/use the individual ebook files independently of the app/reader/etc.

>20 saltmanz: Provided you have an appropriate Kindle device, you can access your content by syncing & downloading to your Kindle over wi-fi, then connecting the Kindle to your computer as an external drive. You should be able to access your book files that way and do what you will with them using Calibre with the appropriate plug-ins installed. Note that you need the plug-ins installed and working before you add the book to Calibre; if the book is already there, you'll need to delete it from Calibre and re-add it.

The Mobilereads threads I linked in >4 Maddz: earlier discuss all this.

For those of us without Kindle devices, that method is useless to us.

>13 Sakerfalcon: where there used to be a raft of other e-ink ebook devices available to choose, at least in the UK the only alternative to the kindle is the Kobo. I'm on my 2nd. They're ok. I don't buy ebooks from the Kobo store because they're equally bad about making downloads available. Even the number of ebook retailers is diminishing. Ebooks.com seems to have the widest range. Apparently Bookshops.org is going to have an ebooks store, but it's not live last time I checked.

>22 reading_fox: You do need Adobe Digital Editions to access downloads for DRM-protected books from Kobo, but if you use Calibre to manage everything, you can add directly from the ASCM file without importing it to ADE first (you need to set it up to get the key but once you've done that you don't need to touch it again). To be honest, I've not found Kobo any worse than Amazon - if anything, they're better because if the publisher has specified no DRM you get the epub file without DRM - unlike Amazon which DRMs everything by default because of the KFX encryption scheme.

I do note that unlike Kindle apps you don't seem to be able to access a readable file in Kobo Desktop - you do need to download the ASCM/epub file or connect your Kobo to your computer and access the file directly on the device.

My only niggle about Kobo is where the 1st book in a series is available on Kobo, but the subsequent instalments aren't. I suspect the fell hand of Kindle Select there.

>22 reading_fox:, >23 Maddz: Thanks, that's helpful. I can see I'm going to have to investigate Calibre and put my rudimentary IT skills to the test! For now I'm transferring everything I think I'll want in future to a USB stick.

>23 Maddz: "you can add directly from the ASCM file without importing it to ADE first (you need to set it up to get the key but once you've done that you don't need to touch it again)." I do have ADE and it's all fine but it would be slightly easier to read the ASCM file directly in Calibre, any pointers on where/how to set it up? Maybe I just haven't tried it.

I'm sure the last time I tried the Kobo webstore itself would only send the books to my reader rather than letting me download a file of any type. Admittedly that was some time ago, and I haven't been back.

For those commenting about Kobo - you can install the Kobo desktop app on your computer. Calibre has a plugin to bring the books over from Kobo. I do that, just to make sure I have a copy separate from the ones controlled by the Kobo app.

>25 reading_fox: It's the DeASCM plug-in. Open Calibre, open the preferences dialogue, scroll to plug-ins at the bottom, select get new plug-ins and search accordingly. You'll need your Adobe key to configure the plug-in. For general DRM removal (necessary if you want to switch formats), you need the NoDRM (formerly DeDRM) plug-in which I think you'll have to get from GitHub. Note that it won't remove Thorium/Readium LCP DRM unless you have an old version (not guaranteed to work if the file uses the latest version) which is not available on GitHub. PM me if you need help; I won't give detailed instructions here as it could get Tim in trouble.

For downloads, go to the Kobo website, and go to My Account\Books. You'll see all your books there. Look for the 3 dots against each book, and click it, and select 'Download'. You have to go through a confirmation dialogue and then it will send the ASCM link or a DRM-free epub to your downloads folder. Then import those into Calibre. I usually archive my books at that point as it's easier to see new titles. I don't know if this works with 'borrowed' books, though (Kobo Plus) - those you may have to transfer over Wi-Fi.

>26 NorthernStar: Which plug-in is that?

>17 clamairy: yes. Signed in to Amazon, looking at my Amazon ebooks, have the Kindle app on both my Android phone and iPad, but still stymied.

>18 saltmanz: so I need a desktop computer?

>30 fuzzi: I think >18 saltmanz: was implying that you actually need to own a Kindle before they'll let you download. Which makes zero sense to me. Why should they care what device you're reading on. You paid for the right to read the book, you should be able to read it on a different e-reader if you choose.

>30 fuzzi: If you log into your Amazon account using a web browser, you can go to Manage your content and devices under your account. You can select each book you own, and select Deliver or Remove from Device, then select which device to or app to deliver it to.

Unless you've got one of the scripts, you have to do this for each book on it's own... I have over 2100 Kindle books (85 pages) - thank goodness I always kept on top of downloading them!

>31 clamairy: It's specific older Kindles for download & transfer - you can't D&T with the latest Kindles. Technically, you can with the the desktop apps as well - but if you are running a Mac you generally get a KFX.zip file which can't be handled by Calibre; only books which have 'Simultaneous device usage enabled' seem to download as KFX in the Kindle app.

A note about the DeDRM plug-in - there's a slightly different method of installing it. Download the DeDRM Tools, open Calibre and navigate to Preferences\Advanced\Plug-ins as before. This time, click on the Install Plug-in from file button, navigate to where you saved the tools, and select DeDRM.zip. Once installed, restart Calibre.

>32 Maddz: I did that, supposedly downloaded to my iPad.

Can't save elsewhere.

>34 fuzzi: I don't think you can access stored content in the mobile apps; you need the desktop apps or a Kindle that allows D&T. Try a local charity shop that sells electronics for a cheap de-registered one (needs to be eInk, and no later than 2023). Some of the really early Kindles won't work either. Try getting a wi-fi one, register it to your account, sync over wi-fi. You should be able to see your content if you attach your Kindle to a computer with a charging cable - copy it into a folder on your hard drive, then you can process it at your leisure. Note you will need Calibre with the KFX Input plug-in installed.

For the Kindle desktop app, you want Kindle for PC 2.4.0. Don't go lower as newer titles can't be downloaded, don't go higher as the DRM is unbroken.

>35 Maddz: thank you, very helpful.

>29 fuzzi: Hi fuzzi. In your Amazon Content Library, have you tried the following steps...?

1. Click on 'Books'
   
2. In upper left of screen, click the little down arrow next to 'All' ('View: Books> All>)
   
3. Choose 'Purchases'
   
4. For each book in the resulting filtered list, over on the right, click 'More actions' > Download & transfer via USB'
   

I finished downloading over 500 purchased books last night. It sure is tedious having to do them one at a time.

Edit: I see you are using an iPad. Instead of using the Amazon app, try loading their website in your browser and go to your content library that way.

>32 Maddz: My Paperwhite is only about 18 months old, and I can still transfer stuff manually. I had a bunch of ebooks I bought elsewhere and some Tor giveaways (why did they stop doing that?) to transfer recently. No issues.

This is where I admit that I'm not going to download any of these files. Except maybe all of the Tolkien... LOL

>38 clamairy: The 2023 Kindles should still be OK for D&T. It was the ones released last year that stopped it.

I used to have a Sony many years ago. Books from Sony store are the only ones I haven’t purchased through Amazon. I backed those via Calibre and to Dropbox when Sony closed, but I lost the Calibre data when our desktop PC died but still have them in Dropbox and use Bluefire reader app if I want to read them. I rarely use Bluefire or re-read any of those books (they were mostly romances I don’t care to return to). I also still have them on my old Sony reader.

Since I now use a Kindle device or iphone or ipad using Kindle app for reading most books, I’ll just deal with it. I do have a paperwhite from maybe 2017 or 18 that I don’t use anymore. I might download what I want to prevent Amazon from messing with on that device and just keep it on airport mode. Not sure if that will work, but I just don’t have the energy to do more than that.

>37 ScoLgo: thanks. I have been accessing Amazon through Safari. I followed your directions, but when I click on "Download & transfer via USB" I still get the "You do not have any compatible devices registered for this content. Buy a Kindle or get the free Kindle reading app." message.

I have a Kindle library. Where do I find an announcement that actually says what this is about?

(Edit) I see the video at the top of the thread, but I'm looking for a statement from Amazon. Is there one?

>41 fuzzi: Is the kindle app installed on your iPad and registered with Amazon? You can check Amazon registration under 'Devices' in your Content Library.

>42 Meredy: The youtube video linked in >1 ScoLgo: provides an explanation of what Amazon is implementing.

Edit: Amazon pops up a message with each kindle file download. It's very brief and is shown in this Reddit discussion. I have not seen an official statement from Amazon.

>43 ScoLgo: it says Kindle is installed on my iPad.

>44 fuzzi: Good. Is your iPad showing up under Content Library > Devices?

>45 ScoLgo: yes.

>46 fuzzi: I'm not sure what is wrong then. Probably time to contact Amazon support. I've had terrible luck trying to get them on the phone but have had good results with online chats, (after wading through the initial 'helpful' AI-driven chatbot responses).

>42 Meredy: The only place I saw it on Amazon was when I actually went to my content library and downloaded some books. In fine print at the top it said that service would no lime be available in 10 days. Less now.

Balls. I downloaded all of the Tolkiens, and then while trying to clean up all those library loans they still have listed in my digital library I accidentally deleted a purchase*. :o( Luckily it was something I had already downloaded, but I'm done messing around with this. If Amazon goes down the toilet and I lose all those files, so be it. I'll reacquire them through more nefarious means.

*Online advice says to contact Amazon Support ASAP. Well, they don't make that easy anymore. I tried the usual method, but it doesn't cover digital purchases. I only paid, $2.99, so I am not going to sweat it. And I already transferred it to my main Kindle. But now I am mad at myself. LOL

There's rumours that there's server issues with all the d&t that people are doing... People worldwide have been getting errors.

This whole thing feels like a campaign to get people stirred up about moving away from Amazon’s ecosystem.

>49 clamairy: Ugh. Sorry to hear that, Clare. This is closing the barn door after the horses escaped but, it's possible to filter out borrows without deleting them as per the filter tool described in >37 ScoLgo:.

Personally, I never delete borrows from Amazon's cloud as I like to keep any notes/highlights for borrowed books as well as the ones I have purchased.

>52 ScoLgo: Oh crap... I didn't realize those would disappear. I just got tired of the covers showing up on my Kindle when I was looking for something new to start. I was deleting them on my Kindle, and the next day they would be back again.

I just looked and my Kindle notes and highlights are all still there on Amazon. *Phew*

Got all mine downloaded. I'm so mad about this. I paid for that content; it's mine!

>54 cmbohn: Yeah, I'm done buying DRM-hobbled kindle books, although I will continue to borrow them from the library, (for as long as we still have libraries anyway).

>55 ScoLgo: I will most likely still buy them when they are on sale for less than a greeting card. But I will not be paying full price through Amazon anymore, just directly from an author.

>27 Maddz: - Thanks that's worked smoothly. Makes life just a bit easier.

>47 ScoLgo: most of the books I have through Amazon were either $2.00 types or those I also have in hard copy.

Too much time, too much effort for something that is not that big a deal. I guess.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Well, Amazon support gave me back my lost Tolkien book. The support link is much easier to find on my phone. I'm not using the Amazon app, I'm just using the browser. But just a few clicks and I was chatting with someone who restored the file. So, yay. I had side-loaded it the other night, and I could see it. When I woke up in the morning it was gone. :o( So I had to gird my loins and get it restored.

I guess I will only be buying the bargain books from now on. And I might even, *gasp* start reading some of my actual dead tree books again.

>28 Maddz: I have DeDRM and Obok DeDRM plugins to handle file inputs. The Obok DeDRM handles Kobo files. It is part of the DeDRM package.

>60 NorthernStar: Cheers! I'll have to add it.

>61 Maddz: - I love to have all my ebooks backed up. Went through losing access once with Sony (although they did transfer my purchases to Kobo) and don't want to risk it again.

>62 NorthernStar: I wouldn't dream of not having access to my purchased content on the device of my choice. I've lost access to miscellaneous titles when the store closed down, but have always made sure to back up to Calibre; besides, I purchase from multiple store fronts so it's very necessary to be able to consolidate everything (and clean up what passes for metadata - Big River, I'm looking at you).

I was just doing a little exploring to see what other options might exist now that Amazon has burnt this bridge (er, not that I really NEED any more books), and noticed that TOR, which sells their ebooks without DRM, offers them through ebooks.com in epub and pdf formats. I haven't used that platform before, but they have a whole 'DRM-free' category front and center in their navigation bar, and also allow you to narrow all your searches by DRM-free.

Has anyone here used ebooks.com? Anyone have a review of the experience?

>64 eclbates: I went to Kobo instead. I did look at ebooks.com but generally found them to be more expensive (at least here in the UK). The other thing about Kobo is that they will price match other retailers plus give you an extra 10% of the competitor's price (must be the same edition). So a £4.99 book at Kobo that's 99p at Amazon you'll get for 89p - the difference will be refunded as store credit.

>64 eclbates: yes it's my goto store, and I've had no problems with them. They don't always have a full selection of every author that you can sometimes get from other sites, but generally not an issue.

Saw an announcement today that older kindles will no longer be supported. Devices from 2012 and prior are pretty old, but in case anyone is using one, thought I’d post here for awareness.

Amazon has confirmed it will discontinue support for Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablets released in 2012 or earlier, starting May 20, 2026. After that date, affected devices will lose access to the Kindle Store, meaning users will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new books directly.

Affected e-readers:

Kindle 1st Generation (2007)
Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009, 2010)
Kindle Keyboard (2010)
Kindle 4 and Kindle 5 (2011, 2012)
Kindle Touch (2011)
Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation (2012)

Affected tablets:

Kindle Fire 1st and 2nd Gen (2011, 2012)
Kindle Fire HD 7 and HD 8.9 (2012)

After May 20th:

You can still read the books already sitting on your Kindle. However, you won’t be able to browse the store or download new purchases over Wi-Fi or cellular.

Frankly, this is a problem with most devices (not just Amazon). My ipad mini hasn’t been supported for a few years now, and I’m running into issues with apps no longer working on it. I hear support for my iPhone will end at the end of this year, and I don’t want to buy a new phone, but I’ll probably have to.

>67 ludmillalotaria: Yeah. It stinks. Microsoft cut off support for the Windows version I was running on my desktop and laptop. (They did offer a free download of the new version for a while, but I missed the window.)

On the plus side, Amazon did a complete 180 on that whole Kindle files download thing. You can download anything you 'own' again, supposedly.

>68 clamairy: Only if it's been marked as DRM-free by the publisher. You can get an epub or PDF download. Out of my 2100 books only around 1% were downloadable (87 out of 2106), and some came through as PDF not epub...

Still not going back to Amazon. Pretty well all my must-buy authors are available elsewhere, there's a handful of KU authors that aren't and they're no great loss if I don't read anymore.

>69 Maddz: Well that sucks. I didn't realize there were so many strings attached. I just saw the headline saying that you could download them again.

>67 ludmillalotaria: Yeah, this sucks. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my 1st gen PW - but now I am expected to buy a new device just because? The worst part is they won't even allow me to d/l e-books borrowed from the library? Seems like just another money-grab - as though Bezos & Co. don't have enough billions already. Ugh...

We expect technology to make things better, but often the innovation ends up being squeezed of what made it great, along with all its money, and customers be damned.

I’ve been exasperated by the way this has played out in the television sphere. At the risk of droning on about my particular pet peeve, if you still have cable, you are forced into the ecosystem of a telecomm company, and their customers are not you. They are the content providers they buy from, and the interests being privileged are not yours. It drives me nuts, and Amazon has its own version. In my imagination, there is a societal backlash, and they pay a huge and deserved price.

>72 stellarexplorer: often the innovation ends up being squeezed of what made it great, along with all its money, and customers be damned: this is exactly what Cory Doctorow calls "enshittification".

>73 haydninvienna: Exactly right

>72 stellarexplorer: I unplugged and packed up my cable box the morning after the 2024 election. I am still paying a small fortune for high speed internet and multiple streaming services, but it's significantly less than I was paying before. At least the services have shows and movies I actually want to watch, but I still only turn on a TV a few nights a week.

>73 haydninvienna: Perfect!

>75 clamairy: I totally get that and respect that. I might have been tempted to do the same, were it not that I indulge the pablum - or excitement, take your pick - of sports.

Cable and Regional Sports Networks have used the leverage of sports addiction to retain these on large content platforms.

But the kicker for me was TiVo and that generation of DVRs that use cable cards. These have been phased out gradually, and remaining users have only a short time remaining. Until now, it has been possible through the dvr to possess the data personally. That is not in the interest of content providers. They can’t resell it to you, and they can’t make you watch ads. So that avenue is being closed, and people like me forced to accede to blackmail or to platform asceticism. I may follow your example rather than step inside and hear the cold door shut behind me.

>76 stellarexplorer: "That is not in the interest of content providers. They can’t resell it to you, and they can’t make you watch ads."

This infuriates me. I have actually been toying with the idea of getting an indoor digital antenna. The only stations I would be able to pick up are from Connecticut, but I'm okay with that.

I rarely watch sports so one of the things that made me crankiest about my cable package was that I had to pay for those sports channels and I barely used them. I do have Peacock so I was able to watch the Olympics. I know a few people who have switched to YouTube TV and Hulu TV, and it was cheaper than cable.

>77 clamairy: “This infuriates me.” Me too! Enshittification is an apt term. And here I am, a lover of reading, happy in the company of people I see so rarely, and I’ve chosen to air grievances. I am going to get a grip and come back focused on happier things.