How to add EPUB, MOBI, and PDF files to your Kindle – no converting required – ZDNet
‘ZDNET Recommends’: What exactly does it mean?ZDNET’s recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.ZDNET’s editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.The human psyche is a fascinating thing. People often won’t bother to take the time to learn all the features and facets of a product or service. But take away a feature, even one they may never have used, and their reactions are swift and fierce. Such has been the reaction this past week to the news that Amazon will no longer allow Kindle ebook files to be downloaded to your computer for backup. It is a feature that some collectors counted on, but many Kindle users didn’t even know it was there until someone told them it would go away on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. Also: The best e-readers of 2025: Expert tested and reviewedFor some users of older Kindles, the ability to download files was the only way to move Kindle files onto their Kindles. The first and second-generation Kindles and the Kindle DX could only wirelessly transfer data via the now-obsolete 3G telephony networks. The only other way to move Kindle books was via a USB connection to a computer. Users of slightly newer Kindles might also have had difficulty wirelessly transferring files to their Kindles. My wife deregistered her old Kindle Fire 7, bought back in 2011, so that I could put it on my account. But try as I might, I could not get that Fire to register. I even tried working with Amazon tech support, but they gave up as well. So, if I want to put files on that device, transferring via USB is the only option. Also: Want free ebooks? These 10 sites offer thousands of optionsIn this article, we’ll explore the process of transferring files (Kindle files and popular ebook formats) to Kindle devices, both old and new. But before we do so, I want to share a very important warning. If you were one of the folks lucky or persistent enough to download your Kindle books, keep in mind that many Kindle books have DRM protection. They are locked in such a way that they will only work when both the device and book are registered to the same Amazon account. In the above case, we tried loading a .azw Kindle file downloaded by my wife as part of her bulk download spree prior to Amazon’s shutdown of the download service. Because the attempt was on an unregistered Kindle third-generation machine (vintage 2010), we got the error shown above. Here are a few important notes: So, if you ever want to use an older Kindle, never, ever unregister it. Likewise, you won’t be able to gift that older Kindle to someone else, because they won’t be able to register it. Also: The best Kindles you can buyNext, I’ll show you how to transfer files to your Kindle via USB. Later in the article, I’ll also show you how to use EPUB and other formats on your Kindle devices. But for now, let’s just get a connection going. All Kindles, from Generation 1 on, can be turned into mountable USB drives via their USB connection. Here are the cable connections for Kindle generations: We found out that not all cables will work. We tried two cables that were known to work with other devices, but the Kindle didn’t respond. It wasn’t until we tried a third cable that it properly responded. Here are cables that should work, one made by Monoprice and one from Amazon Basics. Beyond that, I don’t have any guidance here for how to pick a cable, but if at first it doesn’t work, try, try again with different cables. My other big tip is to check for the “Free Returns” mention right under the price. The process is fairly pain-free on Windows 11. I didn’t find any indication of issues on Windows versions prior to Windows 11, but I only tested on my Windows 11 machines. Also: I replaced my Kindle and iPad within hours of using this tabletSimply plug in your USB cable to both your Windows machine and your Kindle. This should mount the Kindle as a drive. Then drag whatever ebook files you want to the Kindle>Internal Storage>documents directory. Older Kindles may just have the documents directory at the top level of the Kindle. I went crazy trying to find the Eject option when I was done. But then, on the Connect My Kindle page discussed below, I found this statement: There’s no need to select an eject button on the Mac or Windows computer. To eject the Kindle, select the Disconnect button on the Kindle screen or unplug the USB cable from the computer. So, when you’re done, just unplug the Kindle. The same sort of process works unless you have a Kindle Scribe or any Kindle released in 2024 or later. For pre-2024 Kindles (except the Scribe), just plug your USB cable into your Mac and your Kindle. This will also mount your Kindle as a drive. Now, for the Scribe and 2024-and-newer Kindles, here’s where it gets “special.” Amazon has apparently decided to limit the Mac’s ability to send files via USB on newer Kindles. Instead, you’ll need to use a special Send-to-Kindle for Mac application. To get started, point your browser to https://amazon.com/ConnectMyKindle and look for the section “Send-to-Kindle for Mac Instructions.” Here, you’ll find a download for the SendToKindleForMac-installer.pkg installer. Download it and then run it. Oddly enough, the installer opened every minimized window I had open on my Mac, so I had to play whack-a-mole, minimizing them again before I could go on. Also: I tested an E Ink tablet that runs on Android – and can’t go back to a KindleThen came a very worrisome sign. I had to sign into my Amazon account. There should be no reason I have to sign into my Amazon account to transfer files from my computer to my Kindle over my USB cable, but really, it’s so you can use the network send variation if you don’t want to use the USB connection. Running the installer puts a Send to Kindle folder in your Applications. If you just plug in your Kindle now, you’ll launch the Send to Kindle application. This interface should presumably allow you to send files to your Kindle via Wi-Fi and Amazon. But when I tried to send two books in Kindle format, I got this error. If you click the Open USB File Manager button on the Send to Kindle app, you get a Finder-like window. Of course, make sure your Kindle is connected before you do this, otherwise you’ll get an error message. Now, finally, you can drag and drop your book files to the documents folder. As with Windows, when you’re done, Amazon says you can just unplug your Kindle. I wanted to see how these formats performed natively. To do my testing, I used an unregistered Kindle Keyboard (3rd generation) from 2010 and the current-generation basic Kindle (registered to my account). Also: My favorite Kindle accessory seriously upgraded my reading experience (and it only costs $20)In this section, I’ll discuss using both USB to transfer files as well as Amazon’s Send to Kindle web page, which is available if you’re using a registered Kindle device. Here’s a table that explains my results: I already knew that the AZW file from Denise was DRM-locked, so it didn’t work on either device. Simply transferring the AZW3 file over USB resulted in a perfectly readable book on both machines. It’s important to know that DRM is used with both formats, but not all books have DRM. So don’t think that simply having an AZW3 file will get you past DRM. As a test, I went to Smashwords and bought the book Potus by ZDNET’s own Jack Wallen. I downloaded that as an EPUB. Using USB file transfer, I was unable to put the EPUB on my current-model Kindle. I was able to use the Send to Kindle page on Amazon to send the file to my Amazon account. I then went to my content library, searched for Jack’s name, and his book was put in Documents. I then clicked Deliver to Device and chose my current model Kindle. That process successfully moved my EPUB to my modern Kindle. But because our Kindle 3rd generation is unregistered, that approach won’t work. It also won’t work for the Kindle 1, 2, and DX, which don’t have a wireless connection. I tried transferring Jack’s EPUB via USB to the Kindle 3, but it didn’t show up in the device’s library. Also: This versatile e-ink reader almost replaced my Android phoneThere is a workaround, which involves converting the file to MOBI format. I discuss that process step-by-step in my article on how to easily convert EPUB files to Kindle format in minutes. As a MOBI test, I went to ManyWords and downloaded 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Send to Kindle would not accept a MOBI-formatted file. Also: I’m struggling to replace my Kindle Paperwhite with other E Ink tablets because of this featureOn both the current-model Kindle and the old Kindle 3, I was able to transfer the MOBI via USB, and it proved to be readable. As a PDF test, I downloaded the Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report. On both the current-model Kindle and the old Kindle 3, I was able to transfer the file via USB, and it formatted nearly perfectly. For the current-model Kindle, I was also able to use Send to Kindle and Deliver to Device. That succeeded as well. To test .DOC and .DOCX, I pulled a few random documents from my personal Documents folder. On the current-model Kindle, neither the DOC nor the DOCX appeared when transferred via USB. Also: I tested the Kindle most people should buy. Here’s why it’s the best e-reader out of the lineupHowever, I was able to transfer the DOC file using Send to Kindle and Deliver to Device. It worked just fine. The DOCX file initially failed, but I opened it in Word and resaved it using Word’s “Maintain compatibility with previous versions of Word” option, and then it transferred. The old Kindle 3 couldn’t read either the DOC or DOCX files when transferred via USB. Check out the format conversion article I mentioned above for details on how to make these files work on the old Kindle. Have you ever transferred books to your Kindle via USB? What challenges have you faced when loading EPUB, MOBI, or PDF files onto your device? Do you prefer using USB transfers over Amazon’s Send-to-Kindle service? If you have an older Kindle, have you found any workarounds to keep it functional? Let us know in the comments below. You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. 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