This article was originally published in response to the news in early 2025 that Amazon was restricting the ability to download Kindle files to your computer. Now, we’re learning about an even more challenging restriction:
As of May 20, 2026, users of all Kindle devices released before 2013 will be completely cut off from the Kindle ecosystem. You won’t be able to buy, borrow, or download new content through the Kindle Store.
Also: Amazon is ending support for 8 Kindle models next month: Is yours on the list too?
In response to this unprecedented and harsh ban, we are updating this article. Because although you may not be able to access the Kindle ecosystem, you can use your pre-2013 Kindle devices with e-books in the future. This article will show you how.
Other articles in this series
For some users of older Kindles, the ability to download files was the only way to transfer Kindle files to their device. The first and second generation Kindles, as well as the Kindle DX, can only transfer data wirelessly via the now obsolete 3G cellular network. The only other way to transfer Kindle books was via USB connection to a computer.
Kindle devices are liked by many people. When everything works, they are great. But Amazon is becoming increasingly finicky, both in the formats it supports and the freedom it has to manage its books.
Kindle books use their own formats, most of the time with embedded DRM. However, there are plenty of e-books available online, both for purchase and for free, that are not exclusively tied to the Kindle ecosystem and your Amazon account.
Too: Want free e-books? These 10 sites offer thousands of options
Caliber is an open-source e-book management and editing program. In this article, we are going to use Caliber to go beyond the Kindle format for your e-books on Kindle.
how to install caliber
To get started, point your browser to caliber download page And download the version to your computer. I will use the Mac version.
Once installed, there are some simple, if confusing, steps required to get started with Calibre. First of all, launch the application. You will see a setup screen like this.
On this screen, you will want to choose an empty directory where you want to keep all of your Caliber documents and settings. Make sure the folder exists and is empty, then select it using the Change button.
Once you do this, click Next. Here, you’ll see a screen that lets you choose your destination device. Your choices here affect the formatting generated during the conversion, the fonts used or embedded, image and layout adjustments, and other formatting features.
You can probably keep the setting at Kindle Basic, but if you’re using a Fire or larger Kindle, you may want to select that option. When done, click Next.
This screen determines whether Caliber delivers books to you via email. I would prefer to leave it blank, but you are welcome to experiment. Go ahead and click Next.
Plus: I ditched my iPad and Kindle within hours of testing this tablet (and it’s cheap)
Finally, there is the finish screen. You can open the link for additional help and training, or simply click Finish to complete the setup process.
OK, now you’re ready to convert some books.
caliber format options
On Calibre’s e-book format conversion page, it says it supports the following input formats:
- AZW, AZW3, AZW4, CBZ, CBR, CB7, CBC, CHM, DJVU, DOCX, EPUB, FB2, FBZ, HTML, HTMLZ, LIT, LRF, MOBI, ODT, PDF, PRC, PDB, PML, RB, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ
Too: I tested an E Ink tablet that runs Android — and can’t go back to the Kindle
It also supports the following output formats:
- AZW3, EPUB, DOCX, FB2, HTMLZ, OEB, LIT, LRF, MOBI, PDB, PMLZ, RB, PDF, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ, ZIP
For our purposes, we’re going to see if we can convert EPUB and DOC/DOCX files to MOBI, PDF, AZW, or AZW3. Then we will see which formats prove to be better on new generation and old generation devices.
basic conversion process
We’ll start by converting an EPUB document to MOBI. I bought and downloaded the book POTUS As an EPUB from Smashwords.
POTUS was written by ZDNET’s own Jack Wallen and tells the story of a lead singer of a punk band who attempts to unseat the sitting president. As Jack tells it, the singer’s motto is “Make America Punk Again.” I mean, that’s why we read books, right?
Too: My favorite Kindle accessory has really elevated my reading experience (and it only costs $20).
If you don’t have Caliber open, open it now. You will see a screen that looks like this. Go ahead and click on the Add Books button at the top left corner of the screen.
Go to your EPUB and open it. You’ll see a screen like this, displaying some metadata. Now click on the Convert Books button, there are two icons located to the right of the Open Books button that we just clicked.
You will be presented with an editing screen which, by default, takes up your entire screen. Make its size a bit more manageable.
On the left (at 1) there is an indicator that shows you what format Caliber thinks your e-book is when importing. The main action happens at step 2, where you choose an output format. I chose MOBI. Once you have selected your output format, click OK (at 3).
Too: I am struggling with replacing my Kindle Paperwhite with another E Ink tablet because of this feature
Caliber will not tell you when the book conversion will be completed. Instead, there is a small Jobs indicator at the bottom-right corner of the screen. You’ll see a spinning wheel, and when the number hits 0, you’ll know you’re done. hey, remember, this Is free software.
Locating your converted books
To find the converted book files that you’re going to send to your Kindle, right-click the book name in the center Library field. Select Open Books Folder, then open the Books Folder again. This will open the – wait for it – Books folder.
As you can see, my folder now contains both EPUB and MOBI format files.
Now, go ahead and transfer your book to your Kindle. For more information on how to do this, read my step-by-step guide on how to sideload ePUBs and other e-books onto your Kindle.
Testing formats on old, unregistered Kindles
So, what can we get from Calibre, and what can it do for us? To that end, I’ve been testing a range of e-books and file formats to see what works on a Kindle keyboard (3rd generation) from 2010. In the next part, I’ll run the same tests, but send the files to an existing model Kindle.
Too: How to Add EPUB, MOBI, and PDF Files to Your Kindle—No Converting Required
To summarize from my sideloading guide, I found that the older Kindle will not accept EPUB or DOC files. It worked fine with Kindle-native AZW and AZW3 (as long as they weren’t DRM-protected), as well as PDF and MOBI.
After using the conversion process described above to convert from EPUB to MOBI, Jack’s book works fine on my old, unregistered Kindle.
I was also able to convert DOCX to MOBI successfully. Caliber will not convert a DOC file, but you can easily open such a file in Word or Google Docs and save it as DOCX. Then run it through Calibre.
Ultimately, I tried two AZW files. DRM-free AZW3 file converted to MOBI just fine. You don’t actually need to convert DRM-free AZW or AZW3 files. I just wanted to see what would happen.
But the AZW file, which was DRM-locked on my wife’s account, would not convert to MOBI.
Testing formats on a brand new Kindle
You can send an eBook to your current model Kindle using Amazon send to kindle pageBut not via USB. However, when I connected my Kindle to USB and used the techniques described in the sideloading article, I was able to transfer and read Jack’s MOBI file fine.
After converting to MOBI, I was able to transfer the DOCX file as well.
But why not just use the Send to Kindle service? I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the idea of sending all my documents through Amazon’s cloud. I also find documents that are restricted or otherwise governed by non-disclosure agreements or security clearances, and they cannot be shared via the cloud.
By moving those files to a new format and sideloading them via USB, it is now possible to read them on the Kindle.
But what about my own DRM-locked Kindle books?
On GitHub, there are some DRM-removal tools for Kindle books. As an exercise, I tried DEDRM And NoDRM Not successful on my PC.
On GitHub, I found a suggestion to use a special, standalone Windows application that is no longer available. Users said this is the only way to save files from the Kindle repository that will work with the DRM removal tool.
Too: I tested the Kindle that most people should buy. This is why it’s the best e-reader in the lineup
Since Amazon removed the ability to download Kindle files, I’m guessing that DRM-locked files downloaded as backups directly from the Amazon website before the cutoff date will not be workable on your older or unregistered Kindle (at least until someone cracks them).
In the meantime, there are plenty of great e-books available in EPUB and other formats that you can convert and download to your current model or even older, unregistered Kindle devices.
How is it working for you?
Have you tried using Caliber to convert e-books to a format readable by your Kindle? What challenges did you face with format compatibility?
Too: The best digital notebooks you can buy
Do you prefer to sideload books via USB, or do you rely on Amazon’s cloud services? Have you successfully read EPUB or DOCX files on your Kindle after conversion? Share your experiences in the comments below.
You can follow my daily project updates on social media. Be sure to subscribe My weekly update newsletterAnd follow me on Twitter/X @davidgewirtzon facebook Facebook.com/DavidGewirtzon instagram Instagram.com/DavidGewirtzon bluesky @DavidGewirtz.comand on youtube YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.
