Download & Transfer for Kindle eBooks Going Away on February 26

the-ebook-reader.com ^ | February 12, 2025 | Nathan

[ransomnote]

It’s time to start backing up your purchased Kindle ebooks if you haven’t already. It looks like Amazon intends to remove the Download & Transfer via USB option from their website for Kindle ebooks as of February 26th.

Over on reddit, some people are saying they’ve been greeted by a new prompt when trying to download Kindle ebooks from Amazon’s website that says the following:

Starting February 26, 2025, the “Download & Transfer via USB” option will no longer be available. You can still send Kindle books to your Wi-Fi enabled devices by selecting the “Deliver or Remove from Device” option.

So far all the reports seem to be for US accounts, but I’m still not seeing that message when I try to download ebooks from the Digital Content page at Amazon, but it didn’t stop me from downloading several dozen of my purchased ebooks to have on my computer just in case. 

At this point it’s still unclear if this is only going to apply to certain Kindle models, or if Amazon is getting rid of D&T across the board for all Kindles and all accounts. They already did away with D&T on the newer Kindles that were released in 2024, so I guess we should’ve seen this coming.

Even if D&T goes away entirely, you should still be able to get your purchased ebooks off of older Kindles for backup and DRM removal, provided the Kindle is old enough to have ebooks downloaded in the older AZW3 format instead of the newer KFX format (it’s harder to remove DRM from KFX).

[Drago]

Yeah, me too....not sure what will happen to Kindle for Mac download/storage after the “deadline”. Maybe “online” reading only?? The current path to the actual book files on a Mac with Kindle is:
“/Users/(username)/Library/Containers/com.amazon.Kindle/Data/Library/Application Support/Kindle”

[Angelino97]

I bought a Kindle over a year ago. But I've never bought an ebook. I never even input my WiFi info.

There are plenty of great public domain books on the internet, such at at Archive.org.

I download PDF copies (sometimes other formats) onto my laptop, connect the Kindle to the laptop, then drop and drag the ebooks onto the Kindle.

I'm currently reading H.G. Well's The Time Machine.

[Angelino97]

If you do not own a paper hardcopy, you do not own that book.

You do if you download free ebooks from sites like Archive.org or PlanetPublish.com or Gutenberg.org

1. Never connect your Kindle to WiFi.

2. Download the ebook onto your computer.

3. Connect the Kindle (via USB) to your computer.

4. Drag & drop the ebook onto your Kindle.

Yours for life. Free of charge. Read privately.

[minnesota_bound]

Amazon will also DELETE your books!!
They will also EDIT your other books!!

I use the Kindle to PC
https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=ruby_redirect?ie=UTF8&node=16571048011
and when you open it you can download each ebook by clicking on the link below each book cover. The ebooks are located here afterward:
C:\Users\your name\Documents\My Kindle Content

Once downloaded you can decrypt them at a later date. Back the folder up to another drive.
The sooner the better!!

You still need programs and plugins like Calibre https://calibre-ebook.com/download and DeDRM_tools to convert and decrypt so you can have a PDF that can be read on any device.

I am looking at these sites to figure out how to do this:

Free Kindle DRM Removal Calibre Plugin (Always Up to Date)
https://www.epubor.com/free-kindle-drm-removal-calibre-plugin.html

Simplest Way to Remove DRM from Books - Th host has a Russian accent : )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIjvNB2Ojk0

How to Remove DRM From Kindle Books in 2025
https://www.cloudwards.net/remove-drm-from-kindle-books/

2024 Guide to DeDRM Kindle books
https://www.reddit.com/r/Calibre/comments/1c2ryfz/2024_guide_to_dedrm_kindle_books/

[minnesota_bound]

I will get my ebooks from other sellers then Amazon.
Plenty of FREE ebooks here:

Search results for: free ebooks
https://tinyurl.com/cbt47vnb

[P.O.E.]

Download them, print them, then put them into a nice three-sided cardboard box with a picture on the front and the title and author printed on the thin side of the box and then.....

[minnesota_bound]

This guy explains how easy it is to use a script to bulk download 25 books at a time from the amazon website.
Just install a browser app and use a script he has a link to.

How to Bulk Download Kindle Books Before It’s Too Late!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGJDisov240

[Locomotive Breath]

I stopped buying Kindle books some time ago because the writing was on the wall that you would be on a perpetual electronic leash. There are plenty of out-of-copyright books available as .pdf or epub which can be loaded onto my Kindle.

I’ve been an Audible member for 20 years. I recently completed a project where I re-recorded them all into unprotected audio files. I will use these files for my own use and not distribute them so let ‘em try to come and get me.

[sauropod]

bkmk

[P8riot]

Is “Kindle” still a thing?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

At an average size of 2mb per book, thats about 51gb. Get a 64gb thumb drive. Or get a 128 gb thumb drive to be sure. 25 bux or so on Amazon.

[Mr. Jeeves]

5 Terabyte Hard Drives are really cheap. I’ve purchased several.

Be careful - I've had a couple of those fail recently, without warning. The 4TB Samsung SSD's are probably a little safer.

[tired&retired]

Thanks for the warning

🙏

[Ge0ffrey]

Yes, you do, if you download by February 26.

[Jamestown1630]

Not sure, but I think this just applies to actual Kindle books purchased.

[SunkenCiv]

Everything clouded?

[Robert A Cook PE]

25,601 is a “few more” than I’ve got. (About 1400). Bookmarked for any answer to your question.

[ansel12]

All free.

[ansel12]

See if you can find some free ones you like.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=free+non+fiction+kindle+books&i=digital-text&crid=2MKZ3SMXEN7KL&sprefix=free+non+fiction+kindle+books%2Cdigital-text%2C157

[GOPJ]

Hard copy books are great but they take up a lot of space and you don’t have a built in dictionary and Wikipedia... or a way to translate foreign phrases. That said, real book are comforting ... something real about them