Amazon's eBook Deadline
Amazon is making a big change to how you access your Kindle e-books. Starting February 26, 2025, you’ll no longer be able to download your purchased Kindle books to your computer and transfer them to your device using a USB cable. Instead, you’ll need an internet connection to access your books, and you’ll only be able to read them on Kindle devices or the Kindle app (The Verge, 2025).
This change is a big deal because, before now, Kindle users could download and store books offline, making it easier to back them up and use them however they wanted. Amazon’s new policy means your books will be more tied to their system, limiting how you can store and read them.
So What's The Big Deal?
For people who like to keep permanent copies of their e-books, this move is frustrating. Right now, you can save a backup of your Kindle purchases and access them anytime, even if Amazon changes its rules. But once USB transfers are gone, you’ll have to rely on Amazon’s cloud service to read your books. That’s bad news if you don’t always have internet access (OurMidland, 2025).
This also affects people who like to read on different devices. Some readers use third-party e-reader apps, but with this update, Kindle books will be locked into Amazon’s ecosystem, making it harder to read them outside of Amazon’s approved devices.
Your Options
If you’ve bought e-books from Amazon, you need to download them before February 26, 2025. Here are some options and alternatives:
- Download Your Purchases Now: While the USB transfer option is still available, download your Kindle books and save them to your computer.
- Back Up Your Files: Store your downloaded books on an external hard drive or cloud storage service for safekeeping.
- Look for Other E-Book Platforms: Kobo, Apple Books, and Indigo Chapters offer books that you can read on different devices without restrictions.
- Consider Buying Print Books: If you want to make sure you’ll always have access to your books, physical copies are a safe bet.
Many writers and publishers are understandably upset about Amazon’s decision. They worry that locking e-books into the Kindle system will hurt readers’ ability to truly own their digital books. Some authors (like moi) are even removing their books from Amazon to sell them on platforms that give readers more freedom.
About a week ago I removed my book, Contrails and Other Life Tracks, from Amazon in both print and e-book formats. While the print version is still visible for now, my book is available at Indigo Chapters (in print and digital formats - Indigo has an excellent non-restrictive eReader - Kobo) and Apple Books (as an e-book). This way, readers who want to own their books permanently still have options.
Amazon’s decision to remove USB downloads makes it harder for readers to store and manage their e-books independently. While this won’t affect casual Kindle users who always have internet access, it’s a big problem for people who prefer offline reading or want to keep long-term backups of their books.
Download and back up your ebooks from Amazon while you still can.
Reference Sources
The Verge. (2025). Amazon's Killing a Feature That Let You Download and Backup Kindle Books. Retrieved from The Verge.
OurMidland. (2025). Amazon Kindle to End USB Download Feature in February 2025. Retrieved from OurMidland.
