Transfer Kindle Books, Notes & Reading Progress

This guide walks you through moving your Kindle library, including your highlights, notes, and reading positions, to a new device. Whether you upgraded or replaced a broken Kindle, the process is mostly automatic if you use the same Amazon account, with a few manual steps for personal documents and sideloaded files.

What You’ll Need

Your new Kindle, charged and connected to Wi-Fi
The Amazon account credentials used on your old Kindle
Optional: a USB cable and computer if you have personal documents to transfer

Step-by-Step

Register your new Kindle. Turn it on, select your language and Wi-Fi network, then sign in with the same Amazon account you used on the old device. If you already set it up with a different account, go to Settings > Account > Deregister Device, then sign in again.
Wait for the initial sync. After registration, the Kindle automatically downloads your purchased books and any documents stored in your Amazon Cloud. This can take a few minutes to an hour depending on your library size and internet speed. Keep the device plugged in and on Wi-Fi during this time.
Check your reading progress and notes. Open any book you were reading. Your last page, highlights, and notes should appear automatically because Amazon syncs this data to your account, not just the device. If a book shows the first page, tap the top of the screen, select Go To, and choose Table of Contents to navigate manually.
Transfer personal documents via email. If you have PDFs, Word files, or other documents you sent to your old Kindle’s @kindle.com email address, they are already in your Amazon Cloud. Open the new Kindle, go to Settings > Your Account > Content & Devices (or use the Amazon website), and check the Docs section. Download them to the new device by tapping the document and selecting Download.
Transfer sideloaded files via USB. For books you added manually (not via Amazon), connect your old Kindle to a computer with a USB cable. Navigate to the documents folder and copy all files (e.g., .azw3, .mobi, .pdf, .txt) to a folder on your computer. Disconnect the old Kindle, connect the new one, and copy those files into its documents folder. Eject safely.
Re-sync notes for sideloaded books. Notes and highlights on sideloaded files are stored only on the device, not in the cloud. After copying the files, open each book and check if your annotations appear. If not, you may need to use the “Export Notes” feature on the old Kindle (if available) to save them as a text file, then import that file on the new device using the Notes app or a third-party tool.
Update collections. Your collections (folders) are stored in the cloud and should appear automatically. If some are missing, go to Settings > Device Options > Advanced Options > Home & Library and ensure “Collections” is set to “Show.”
Verify Whispersync is on. Go to Settings > Device Options > Whispersync and confirm it’s enabled. This ensures future reading positions sync across all your devices.

Common Mistakes

Signing in with a different account. If you use a different Amazon account on the new Kindle, none of your books or notes will appear. Always use the same account.
Forgetting personal documents. Files you emailed to your Kindle are in the cloud, but files you copied via USB are not. You must manually copy those with a cable.
Assuming notes sync for sideloaded books. Amazon only syncs annotations for books purchased from the Kindle Store or sent via the @kindle.com email. Sideloaded files lose their notes unless you back them up manually.
Not waiting for full sync. If you open the Kindle immediately and start reading, it may not have finished downloading everything. Give it time, especially for large libraries.
Ignoring the “Download” step. Books in your cloud may show as a grayed-out icon. You must tap them to download them to the device before you can open them.

Tips

Use the Amazon website to manage content. Go to amazon.com/myk to see all your books and documents. You can select multiple items and choose “Deliver to Device” to send them to your new Kindle remotely.
Export notes before you trade in the old device. Some Kindle models allow you to export all your highlights and notes to a text file via the Notes app on the device. Do this before you reset or trade in the old Kindle.
Keep both devices on the same Wi-Fi network. This speeds up the transfer if you are moving many files.
Check your “Archive” on the old Kindle. If you never deleted a book from the device, it’s still in your cloud. You can always re-download it.
Use Calibre for complex sideloaded libraries. If you have many files with metadata, Calibre can help you organize and transfer them, but note that it won’t sync notes.

Troubleshooting

Books are not appearing after registration. Check your internet connection, then go to Settings > Sync and tap “Sync Now.” If that fails, restart the Kindle (hold the power button for 7 seconds, then restart). If still missing, check the Amazon website to confirm the books are in your library.
Reading position is at the beginning of a book. This usually means the book was not fully synced. Open the book, tap the top, select Go To, then Table of Contents, and navigate to the last page you remember. Then tap the page and select “Sync to Furthest Page Read” if that option appears.
Notes are missing. For purchased books, go to Settings > Sync and sync again. If the book was sideloaded, you must have backed up the notes separately. Check the old device for an “Export Notes” option under the book’s menu.
Personal documents won’t download. Confirm the document is in your Cloud by visiting amazon.com/myk and checking the “Docs” tab. If it’s not there, you need to email it again to your @kindle.com address.
Collections are missing. Go to Settings > Device Options > Advanced Options > Home & Library and change “Collections” to “Show.” If they still don’t appear, sync again.
New Kindle shows “Cannot download.” This can happen if the file format is not supported on the new model (e.g., old .mobi files on newer Kindles). Try converting the file to .azw3 or .pdf using Calibre and then copy it via USB.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my reading progress sync automatically?

Yes, for books purchased from Amazon or sent via your @kindle.com email, Whispersync stores your last page, highlights, and notes in the cloud and syncs them to any device signed in with the same account.

What about books I sideloaded with a USB cable?

Those files are not in the cloud. You must copy them manually to the new Kindle using a USB cable. Notes and highlights on sideloaded books are also not synced, so back them up separately.

Can I transfer notes from a Kindle to a new one without a computer?

For purchased books, no computer is needed—just sync. For sideloaded books, you may be able to email the notes to yourself if you use the “Export Notes” feature, but that requires the old device to have that option.

Do I need to deregister my old Kindle?

No, you can keep both devices on the same account. However, if you are trading in or selling the old one, deregister it first to remove your personal data.

Why are some of my books not showing up?

Check that you are signed in with the correct account, and that the books are not in “Archive” (they are still in your cloud). Use the Amazon website to see all your content and deliver it to the new device.

Will my collections and book covers transfer?

Collections are stored in the cloud and will appear once you sync. Book covers may take a few minutes to download, especially for personal documents.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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