This useful Kindle feature will disappear next week. You better do this while you can

I am completely the library rat. I am an active member of two monthly reading clubs, and I travel two or three books per week, depending on the duration and, well how invested in history. This means that I have read thousands of titles over the years. And one of my favorite tools to help with this hobby is my Kindle. I love being able to take it anywhere, especially when I travel, and I have access to hundreds of stories without having to pack hundreds of heavy books.

If you are a Kindle lover like me, you must be aware of certain changes to Amazon electronic reading.

Wednesday, Amazon will permanently remove a Kindle functionality: the possibility of downloading and transferring copies of books to your computer. Amazon spokesperson Jackie Burke confirmed the deletion of this functionality in a declaration to CNET.

“From February 26, customers will no longer be able to download books on their Kindle using the download and transfer feature via USB. Customers can continue to read books previously downloaded on their Kindle device and access new content Via the Kindle application, Kindle for Web, as well as directly via Kindle devices with Wi-Fi capacity, “said Burke.

For more than a decade, we were able to download copies of books to Kindle devices, then use a USB cable to transfer them to a computer to control us and share from there. From next week, this will no longer be possible. Below, we’re going to break how to save your books – while you can still.

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Who has an impact?

After February 26, users will always be able to buy books on the Kindle store and download them in a Kindle via Wi-Fi or a cellular network. If you mainly read Kindle electronic books on a reader or in the application, you will not be assigned by the deletion of this functionality. This is simply the Amazon way of eliminating users’ ability to download ebook files and converting these files to other formats compatible with non -Kindles electronic liners.

And why would you like to do this? Well, if you bought a book on Kindle, but Amazon finally loses the license in this respect – or if it is prohibited or deleted – you will no longer be able to read it. In other words, unless you download it and keep it on your computer.

How to save your Kindle books on your computer

If you want to transfer your Kindle books to your computer before February 26, visit Amazon.com, log into your account and go to Accounts and lists> Content library> Books. Find the title you want to download, then click More actions> Download and transfer via USB.

A pop-up will seem to ask you to select your Kindle. This does not mean that you should connect a Kindle device; This is a step required to activate the Download Button, which you will need to click once you have selected a Kindle.

After clicking on the download, your book will be saved to your computer in Azw3 format from Amazon, which is specifically designed for Amazon Kindles, so that it will not open on other devices without additional software. From there, you will have the permanently saved file on your computer and you can convert it to other formats like PDF.

Note that you cannot download several Kindle books at the same time, which means that this process can take time if you have hundreds of titles you want to save.

What is the next step?

Once this download and backup function has been interrupted, you can always manually transfer ebook files and other documents on your Kindle via USB using Amazon applications or third party tools, such as Caliber, ebooks management software. You can simply no longer download copies of the purchased books from your Kindle to your computer.

Find out more: How to get free electronic books from your local library