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Amazon is removing your ability to download ebooks - here's what you can do about it 2025-02-18

On 26th February, Amazon will be removing your ability to download ebooks to non-kindle devices, The Verge reports.

Up until now, anyone who's bought a Kindle book could download it to their desktop, phone, or other non-kindle device to back up and use with their e-reader of choice, but starting next Wednesday, users will only be able to download books directly to kindle devices.

Ever had a streaming service remove your favourite show or movie? That's because you don't truly own that media, but rather a right to stream and/or download it that can be revoked at any time. Amazon is attempting to do this to your books retroactively.

This goes beyond your right to re-download a book if Amazon removes it from your account - according to Kindle, publishers can make amendments to books you've already downloaded, and have even demonstrated the ability to remotely remove books from your kindle, as The Guardian reports they did in 2009.

Before Amazon inevitably takes your content away and tries to charge you to purchase a revocable right to temporarily access it, it's a good idea to download all the digital content you've purchased via Amazon. You can access your books here. You can navigate to this page from most places you can access your account:

On a desktop browser:
1. Navigate to the Amazon homepage
2. Click "Hello, Y/n Accounts & Lists" at the top right
3. Click "Your account"
4. Under "Digital content and devices", click "Content and devices"

On mobile browsers:
1. Tap your name in the top right
2. Under "account settings", tap "content and devices"

On the mobile app:
1. Go to the account tab (person icon, second from the left across the bottom)
2. Tap "Account"
3. Under "account settings", tap "content and devices"

Unfortunately, you aren't allowed to share these books around once you download them. Amazon adds digital rights management (DRM) to their ebooks, but depending on your location, it may or may not be legal to strip content of its DRM using a tool like Calibre. Always check local laws before removing DRM.

While you're here, it might be a good idea to take advantage of Amazon's extensive selection of free Kindle books. Unfortunately, there's no filter for free ebooks, but many classics can be downloaded for free, so it's worth looking for any you're interested in.

It might also be a good time to look into alternative places to buy your ebooks. Many alternative storefronts exist, most of which give you more control over what you own and give a more generous cut to authors.

Alternatively, if you're strapped for cash at the moment, check out The Open Library, a project by the Internet Archive which operates a lending library for ebooks. With their recent legal troubles from money-hungry publishers, IA can use all the support you can give right now, and making use of their service is a great way to show the positive impact they have on the world.

If you've ever bought an ebook from Amazon, be sure to download and back it up before February 26th 2025, or you might lose it forever without notice.