How to Load Non-Amazon Books Onto a Kindle Fire

Transfer all kinds of books to your Kindle in no time

By
Marziah Karch
Marziah Karch
Marziah Karch
Writer
  • Michigan State University
  • Emporia State University
Marziah Karch is a former writer for Lifewire who also excels at Serious Game Design and develops online help systems, manuals, and interactive training modules.
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Updated on April 2, 2022
Reviewed by
Kayla Dube
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Reviewed by Kayla Dube
  • J. Everette Light Career Center
Kayla Dube has 4+ years' experience in videography and filmmaking. She frequently works in production with indie film companies.
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What to Know

  • Use the Silk browser to find e-books on the web, download them to your device, then go to the Docs app to find them.
  • Transfer books from your computer to your Kindle Fire using a USB cable (and the Android File Transfer utility for Mac).
  • Go to the Manage Amazon Devices page to find your Kindle email address, then send the e-book to the address.

This article explains how to load books on your Kindle Fire from outside the Kindle Store. Instructions apply to all Amazon Fire tablets.

Download E-Books With the Kindle Browser

If you purchase legal, non-DRM-protected e-books from other sellers, you can easily transfer those books to your device. There are also websites with free e-books you can download to your device using the Amazon Silk browser. You can find files you download in the Docs app.

Tap a file to open it. If it's in the standard MOBI for Kindle Fire format, the book opens in the Kindle reader app.

Downloads in the Docs app for Kindle Fire

How to Transfer E-Books From PC to Kindle Fire via USB

You can transfer files to and from your Kindle Fire as if it were an external hard drive using a USB cable:

On a Mac, install the Android File Transfer utility to complete the USB transfer.

  1. Connect your Fire tablet to your computer with one of the best micro-USB cables.

  2. If this is your first time connecting the Fire tablet to a computer, swipe down from the top of the tablet's screen and tap USB charging this device.

    You can skip to step 4 if your PC already has access to your tablet.

    Swipe down and select "USB charging this device"

  3. Tap Transfer files to allow access to the device.

    The "Transfer files" option

  4. On your computer, open the device folder and select Internal Storage.

    On your computer, open the device folder and select Internal Storage.

  5. Drag-and-drop MOBI files in the Books folder, and place PDFs and other files in the Documents folder.

    Drag PDFs into the Documents folder

  6. Disconnect the tablet from the PC. After you add your files, you may need to restart the Kindle to get it to recognize the new books.

You can also transfer files to your Fire tablet using the Dropbox app for Fire OS.

Send E-Books to Kindle via Email

It's also possible to send files from your PC to your Kindle Fire using a special email address. To find your Kindle email address on newer Fire devices, open the Docs app and tap Email Docs to your Fire under Send-to-Kindle. When you attach a file to an email and send it to the specified address, the file automatically appears in Docs.

Open the Docs app and tap Email Docs to your Fire under Send-to-Kindle.

There's another way to find your Kindle's email address. Log in to your Amazon account on your PC, go to the Manage Amazon Devices page, and select your device. You should see the device's email address listed.

Kindle Fire email address listed on the Manage Amazon Devices page.

What Reader Format to Use for Amazon Fire Tablets

The Amazon Kindle app reads MOBI files. If you have a book in ePub format, you can read it, but you need to convert the ePub file or install a separate reading app on your Fire.

Other supported file types for Kindle books include:

  • AZW
  • KPF
  • PRC
  • TXT
  • PDF
  • DOC
  • DOCX

If an e-book isn't in the standard MOBI format, it won't appear in the Kindle app. You can find PDFs and other types of files in the Docs app.

FAQ

  • How do I buy Kindle books on an iPhone?

    On Amazon.com, find the Kindle book you want to buy and choose your iPhone in the Deliver To menu. The book will be available via the iPhone Kindle app.

  • How do I read Kindle books on a PC?

    Use the Kindle app for PC to read Kindle books on your Windows computer. Download Kindle for PC from Amazon. Any books from your Kindle will automatically be available. In the app, select Kindle Store to purchase and download new titles.

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