Beginning February 26, 2025, Amazon will eliminate a feature on its website that allows users to download purchased books to a computer and transfer them to a Kindle via USB. While many Kindle users may not be aware of this option—since sending books to devices over Wi-Fi is much simpler—this feature is particularly valuable for creating backups of purchases or converting them to formats compatible with non-Kindle e-readers. Some Kindle users may regret the loss of this feature for several reasons. It can be particularly handy in situations where Wi-Fi is unavailable. Although the downloading process is slow, as books can only be downloaded individually, having offline copies provides reassurance.
While rare, there have been instances where Amazon has removed titles from its online store, deleting them from users’ Kindles or replacing them with revised editions. Notably, in 2009, Amazon deleted copies of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, claiming they were published by mistake. More recently, several of Roald Dahl’s works, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, were updated with altered language across various ebook platforms. These incidents highlight that digital content is not truly owned in the same way as physical books, and without the ability to back up ebooks, users risk losing access if those titles are removed. Additionally, this feature serves as the simplest method to convert Amazon-purchased books into other formats like EPUB, which are compatible with alternative devices such as Kobo. Books downloaded from Amazon are in the older AZW3 format, which can have its DRM removed using various software solutions. Older Kindle models also use the AZW3 format, allowing users to extract books by connecting the device to a computer via USB. However, modern Kindles employ the newer KFX format (introduced in 2015), which enhances font rendering and layout capabilities, while also incorporating DRM that is much harder to bypass.
This download feature originated in an era when Kindles lacked Wi-Fi, providing a means for users without access to Amazon’s cellular Whispernet service to transfer books to their e-readers. Users can still find this option on Amazon’s website by going to their “Content Library” while logged into their account. To download a purchased book, users simply select the “More actions” menu, choose “Download & transfer via USB,” pick a registered Kindle device, and the book will be sent to their computer. However, a pop-up message now appears when selecting the download option, warning users that “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.”
Amazon confirmed this change in a statement to The Verge. “Customers can continue reading books previously downloaded on their Kindle devices and access new content through the Kindle app, Kindle for web, and directly on Kindle devices equipped with Wi-Fi,” said Amazon spokesperson Jackie Burke. Once this feature is discontinued, users will still be able to manually transfer ebook files and other documents to Kindles via USB using Amazon’s apps or third-party programs like Calibre; however, they will no longer be able to download copies of their purchased books to a computer.
