Transferring Files to a New Kindle

If you already own a Kindle and Kindle content, you can download content to your new Kindle. Download your books directly from your new Kindle wirelessly and transfer subscriptions from the Manage Your Kindle page. Transfer personal document, MP3, or Audible files from your computer to your new Kindle via USB.

Downloading Archived Items From Kindle

Kindle displays the items you've downloaded on the Home screen. If you have Kindle content stored in your Kindle library that isn't displayed, you can download it from Archived Items when connected to Whispernet. Your purchases are also available for download on the Manage Your Kindle page. Additional information is available on the Your Kindle Library Content Help page.

To download archived items:

1. Select "Archived Items" from the Home screen or "View Archived Items" from the menu.
2. Select the item from the Archived Items screen.

Transferring Periodical Subscriptions

To transfer a periodical subscription for delivery of future issues from one Kindle to another, follow these steps:

1. From your computer's Web browser, go to the Manage Your Kindle page.
2. Scroll down to the section entitled Your Active Kindle subscriptions.
3. Under "Deliver future editions," select the Kindle to which you'd like the subscription to be transferred, and then select "Save."
4. Upon publication of the next issue, the periodical will appear in the designated Kindle.

Downloading Archived Items Without a Wireless Connection

If you are traveling outside the Whispernet service area, you can still download your Kindle content  archived on Amazon.com to your computer and transfer it via USB to your Kindle.

To download items archived on Amazon.com to your computer:

1. Visit the Manage Your Kindle page.
2. Scroll to the "Your orders" section and locate the item you wish to download.
3. Click on the "Deliver to" pull-down menu and select "Transfer via Computer."
4. Select the Kindle you wish to transfer the file to and click the "Download to computer" button.
5. Choose "Save file" when prompted by your Web browser.
6. Follow the instructions in the Transferring Files Via USB section below to place the file on your Kindle.
7. Click "Close" on the Manage Your Kindle page when the file is done downloading.

Transferring Files Via USB

Both Macintosh and Windows users can download and transfer Kindle content, personal documents, and MP3 and Audible files from their computers to their Kindles through the USB connection. When your Kindle is plugged into your computer, your Kindle will appear as a removable mass-storage device.

System Requirements

• Windows-based: Windows 2000 or later.
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.2 or later.
• USB port: An available port or an attached USB hub with an available port.

Making the Connection

The illustration below shows a Kindle and a laptop computer connected through the USB cable.

To connect Kindle to your computer:

1. Plug the larger end of the USB cable into an available USB port or a powered USB hub connected to your computer.
2. Connect the other end of the USB cable to the micro-USB port on the bottom of your Kindle.

When connected to your PC, your Kindle will go into USB drive mode and its battery will be recharged by the computer. Your Whispernet service is temporarily shut off and you will not receive any of your subscriptions while in this mode. Also, your Kindle is not usable as a reading device while you are in USB drive mode, but will return right to where you were when you undock the device from your computer.

Using Kindle While Charging Via USB

You can use your Kindle while it is connected via USB and charging from your computer by unmounting or ejecting it so Kindle exits USB drive mode.

• Windows Vista and 7: Click on the Start button, select "Computer" from the options, right-click on the Kindle drive icon and select "Eject" from the pop-up menu.  
• Windows XP: Right-click on the "Safely remove hardware" icon in the lower left-hand corner of the task bar and follow the on-screen instructions to remove Kindle.
• Mac OS: Cmd-click on the Kindle device icon and choose "Eject."

Kindle will then exit USB drive mode and display the Home screen. You'll see a lightning bolt on the battery status icon that indicates your Kindle is still charging.

To move files to and from Kindle:

1. Connect your Kindle to your computer as described above. Your Kindle should appear on your computer in the same location you would normally find an external USB drive.
2. Use your computer's file browser to drag and drop files to and from Kindle.
3. When finished, use your computer's undock, eject, or unmount feature to remove your Kindle.

Remember, Kindle will only recognize transferred files if:

• File types are listed in the Files Kindle Recognizes section below.
• File are transferred to the correct folder for their type.
• Files are free of digital rights management software.

Sending Personal Documents to Kindle

Kindle's Personal Document Service (via Whispernet) allows you to e-mail approved files to your Kindle's e-mail address. Then, Amazon can transfer the file(s) wirelessly in a Kindle-compatible format to the device(s) for a fee. To avoid a fee, or if you're not in wireless range, you can send an e-mail to "name"@free.kindle.com and download the files via USB in a Kindle compatible format to the device(s).

Your Kindle will only receive converted files from e-mail addresses you have authorized on the Manage Your Kindle page to help prevent spam.

To set up your Kindle's e-mail address:

1. Visit the Manage Your Kindle page.
2. Sign-in to your Amazon.com account.
3. In the Your Kindle(s) section, select "Edit Info."
4. In the Kindle E-mail Address text field, change the first part of the e-mail address to what you would like it to be. The @kindle.com will automatically be appended.
5. Select "Update information" to save your changes and close the text entry box.

To set up approved "From" e-mail addresses:

1. Visit the Manage Your Kindle page.
2. Sign-in to your Amazon.com account.
3. In the "Your Kindle approved e-mail list" section, enter the e-mail address and select "Add Address."

To send your personal documents:

1. Attach your document to a new e-mail or forward an existing e-mail that has a document attached. A subject is not necessary.
2. Address the e-mail to your Kindle e-mail address for wireless delivery directly to your Kindle; a small fee will be charged for the wireless delivery.
3. Send the e-mail.
4. Personal documents below 5 MB in officially supported file formats are typically delivered to the "name"@free.kindle.com e-mail address within 5 minutes (per document). Personal documents above 5 MB may take longer.
5. Personal documents below 5 MB in officially supported file formats are typically ready for wireless auto-delivery to your Kindle within 5 minutes (per document), not including actual wireless download time, which will vary with file size. Personal documents above 5 MB may take longer.
6. Personal documents in experimental file formats (such as PDF files) may take longer.
7. Your e-mail provider may have additional limitations on file size.

Keep in mind:

• The file size of each attached personal document should be 50MB or less (before compression in a ZIP file).
• The submitted e-mail should contain no more than 25 attached personal documents.
• The submitted e-mail should target less than 15 distinct Kindles.

Fees for Personal Document Service

Fees for transfer of personal documents to the Kindle via Whispernet are based on the size of the file submitted (before compression if you use a .zip file), your country, and where you're accessing Whispernet. Fees will only be charged for documents that are successfully received wirelessly to your Kindle. (Personal Document Service is not available via Whispernet in Canada. Please see Sending Personal Documents to Kindle for information about e-mailing personal documents to your computer for USB transfer to your Kindle.)

• Kindle (U.S. Wireless) user: We'll send personal documents to your Kindle via Whispernet while inside the U.S. wireless coverage area for a fee of $.15 per megabyte.
  
   
• Kindle (Free 3G) user living in the United States: If you transfer personal documents to your Kindle via Whispernet while inside the United States, the fee is $ .15 per megabyte. When traveling outside the United States, a fee of $.99 per megabyte will apply.
  
   
• Kindle (Free 3G) user living outside the United States: We'll send personal files to your Kindle via Whispernet for a fee of $ .99 (USD) per megabyte anywhere in the world you access Whispernet service.

Fees are rounded up to the next whole MB and apply to each personal document delivered via Whispernet to each Kindle. You can transfer personal documents to your Kindle via USB for free at anytime.

Setting your Personal Document Charge Limit

You have the option to set the maximum amount you wish to pay per document for the Personal Document Service. If the conversion fee for any single document you e-mail for wireless delivery to your Kindle via Whispernet exceeds the maximum, the document will be sent to your @free.kindle.com address and a notification will be sent to your Kindle.

To set the Charge Limit for Personal Document Service:

1. Visit the Manage Your Kindle Page.
2. Scroll down to the "Your Personal Document Charge Limit" section.
3. Enter your preferred maximum charge value.
4. Click the "Update limit" option when finished.

The limit you set is a per document limit. If you send multiple documents for conversion in a .zip file, the total aggregated charge for conversion of all the documents may exceed your per document limit and conversion and delivery will be successful.

Aggregation of Fees for Personal Document Service

Consecutive orders for Personal Document Service via Whispernet that cost less than $5.00 may be combined into one transaction and appear as a single charge on your credit or debit card billing statement.

Free Transfer of Personal Documents

If you would like to transfer your personal documents to your Kindle for free, you can send attachments to "name"@free.kindle.com to be converted and e-mailed to your computer at the e-mail address associated with your Amazon.com account log-in. You can then transfer the document to your Kindle using your USB connection.

For example, if your Kindle email address is Jay@Kindle.com, send your attachments to Jay@free.kindle.com.

Downloading to Multiple Devices

Content purchased from the Kindle Store can be downloaded to your Kindle, iPhone, or iPod touch as long as you've registered the device to the Amazon.com account that purchased the Kindle content. There is no limit on the number of times a title can be downloaded to a registered device, but there may be limits on the number of devices (usually 6) that can simultaneously use a single book.

That means you can download and read your books on any Kindle device you own as long you've registered each device to the Amazon.com account where your Kindle library is stored.

You can see the items in your Kindle library under Archived Items on your Kindle and send downloads to your registered Kindles from the "Your Orders" section of the Manage Your Kindle page.

Files Kindle Recognizes

You can purchase and wirelessly download Kindle books, newspapers, magazines and blogs from the Kindle Store as well as download and read other types of non-DRM text-based content on your Kindle. You can also play Audible audiobooks or MP3 files. When your Kindle is connected to a computer and mounted as a USB drive, you will see three default directories or folders. Here's a list of the directories and the file types recognized by Kindle:

• Documents: Kindle (.AZW, .AZW1). Text (.TXT), Unprotected Mobipocket (.MOBI, .PRC)
• Audible: Audible (.AA, .AAX)
• Music: MP3 (.MP3)

Tip: Mobipocket files must have no Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection applied to be readable on your Kindle. If you purchased a Mobipocket file from a Mobipocket retailer, you will not be able to open the file on your Kindle.

Personal Documents

Kindle's Personal Document Service (via Whispernet) allows you to e-mail the following approved file types to your Kindle's e-mail address:

• Microsoft Word (.DOC)
• Structured HTML (.HTML, .HTM)
• RTF (.RTF)
• JPEG (.JPEG, .JPG)
• GIF (.GIF)
• PNG (.PNG)
• BMP (.BMP)
• PDF (.PDF): Look below for details.
• Microsoft Word (.DOCX) is supported in our experimental category.

The above file types can also be combined in a compressed ZIP (.ZIP) file. ZIP files are automatically opened up by the conversion service, converted to the Kindle format, and sent to your Kindle or computer as specified.

The experimental category represents the features we are working on to enhance the Kindle experience even further. You can e-mail your PDF or DOCX files wirelessly to your Kindle. Keep in mind that some complex PDF and DOCX files might not format correctly on your Kindle.

Built-in PDF Reader for Kindle (Free 3G) and Kindle (U.S. Wireless) devices

Your Kindle can now display PDF documents without losing the formatting of the original file. Send PDF documents directly to your Kindle (via your @Kindle address) or drag and drop PDF files from your computer to your Kindle (when connected via USB). You can also magnify PDFs by viewing them in landscape mode.

Some features are not currently supported, including annotations and Text-to-Speech. The only Kindle devices supported for PDFs are the Kindle and Kindle DX.

Option to Convert PDF Files to Kindle Format

If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format so you can take advantage of Kindle functionality such as variable font size, annotation, Text-to-Speech, etc., type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address.

Image-heavy PDF files are presented in landscape orientation and don't work with devices that have auto-rotation, so those will be delivered in the Kindle format.