How to Read Kindle Books in a Web Browser or with the Desktop App

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Everything to know about reading your Kindle books on PC or Mac

Co-authored by Megaera Lorenz, PhD Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: May 25, 2026 Fact Checked

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Using Kindle for Web

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Using the Kindle Desktop App

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Q&A

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This wikiHow teaches you how to access your library of Kindle books using Kindle for Web (formerly called “Kindle Cloud Reader”) and the Kindle Desktop App for PC and Mac. Kindle for Web allows you to read books from any device with an internet connection, and also gives you the option to download books for offline use. If you prefer installing an app, you can download Kindle's Desktop app and use it to download and read any book in your library. You'll need an active Amazon account and at least one Kindle book linked to your account to use either version of the Reader.

How to Read Kindle Books on Your Computer

You can access your Kindle library online by going to read.amazon.com in any browser and logging in with your Amazon account.
To read Kindle books on your desktop, even if you’re offline, download the Kindle desktop app for PC or Mac.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Kindle for Web

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Go to read.amazon.com in a web browser. Kindle for Web (formerly Kindle Cloud Reader) is a web-based version of the Kindle desktop app. You can use the app in any mainstream web browser to read Kindle books on your computer.^{[1]
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Click the yellow Sign in with your account button to log in with the Amazon account you use to purchase or borrow Kindle books. If you’ve never used Amazon before, click the Create an Amazon account button and follow the steps.

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3
Click a book in your library. If you've never opened the book before, it should open to the first page. If you have read the book on another device that is synced to your Amazon account, you'll be taken to the most recent page.
- If you started reading the book on another device, but you still open to the first page, click the ⋮ icon at the top right corner of the page and select Sync to Furthest Page. This should bring you to the furthest page read across all devices.
- Kindle Cloud Reader used to support downloading books to your device for offline reading, but this feature is not currently available in Kindle for Web. You’ll need to be online to access books in your library.
- If you don’t have any books in your library, you can purchase them by clicking the shopping cart icon at the top of Kindle for Web. This will redirect you to Amazon. Any Kindle books you purchase on Amazon should appear in your library in Kindle for Web.
  - If your library supports it, you can also add library books to your Kindle account using services like OverDrive or Libby.
- You can always return to your library by clicking the Kindle Library button at the top left corner of the page.
4
Use the arrows to page through the book. To advance one page, press the right-arrow key on your keyboard or click the > on the right page. To go back a page, press the left-arrow key or click the < on the left page.
- If you want to move rapidly to a different location in the book, hover the mouse cursor over the top or bottom of the browser window to open the progress bar, and then drag the slider to the desired page.
- You can also browse the book's contents and sections by hovering the mouse cursor over the top of the page and clicking the table of contents button (it looks like an icon of a bulleted list at the top right side of the window).
- To jump to a specific page, click ⋮ at the top right corner and select Go to Page. Enter the page number you want to skip to and click Go.
- To search for something in the book, click the magnifying glass icon and type your term(s) into the "Search" bar at the top-right corner of the page. If you don't see the magnifying glass, move the mouse cursor to the top of the page to make it appear.
  - Not all books have the search option enabled.
You'll have to hover the mouse cursor over the top of the page to bring up the toolbar if you don't see it first. You can now adjust the font size, position, colors, margins, and other details.
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Add notations and bookmarks. Kindle for Web does allow you to leave bookmarks, make notations, and add highlights.
- Click the bookmark icon at the top right corner of the book to bookmark the current page.
- To highlight a word or set of words, select the words with the mouse, and then click one of the highlight colors in the pop-up that appears.
- To add a notation, select the appropriate words and click the pencil and paper icon in the pop-up. Then, type your notation and click Save.
- You can also click the icon of two overlapping rectangles to copy a selected passage.
- To view your annotations, click the icon in the top menu bar that looks like a spiral-bound notebook. You might have to hover your mouse over the top of the page to see the toolbar.
This icon, which looks like four arrows pointing away from each other, is at the upper right corner of the page. You might need to hover over the top of the window to make the toolbar appear. Click the icon to make your book full screen. To exit this mode, click the icon at the top right that looks like four arrows pointing inward.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using the Kindle Desktop App

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1
Download the desktop app from www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/fd/kcp. If you'd like to read your Kindle books on one specific computer even when you don't have an active internet connection, you can download the Kindle desktop app. Click the Download for PC & Mac button below the cover image to download the installer, double-click the downloaded file, and then follow the on-screen instructions to install.^{[2]
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- If you’re using a Mac, clicking the download button will redirect you to the App Store. Follow the prompts onscreen to install and open the app via the App Store.
After installing the app, you'll find it in the Start menu (Windows) or in the Applications folder (macOS).
3
Sign in to your Amazon account. Before you can access your library, you'll need to sign in to your Amazon account by typing in your e-mail address and password. Once you're signed in, you'll see your library.
- If you’ve never used Kindle before, select Create account and follow the prompts to set up your Kindle account.
- The first time you sign in, you may see a pop-up with information about the latest features in the Kindle app. You can either close this pop-up or click Let’s go to see more information.
4
Click a book to download it. This saves the book to your computer so you can read it when you're offline.
- To toggle between all the books in your library and those you’ve already downloaded, click All or Downloaded at the top of your library.
- If you don’t have any books in your library, you’ll need to purchase some Kindle books from Amazon or borrow them from your local library. You can’t buy Kindle books directly from the desktop app.
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Click a downloaded book to open it. If you've never opened the book before, it should open to the first page. If you have read the book on another device that is synced to your Amazon account, you'll be taken to the most recent page.
- The first time you open a book, you may be prompted to do a quick tutorial. Click Show Me to check it out.
- If you don’t open to the correct page, click ⋮ and select Sync to furthest page read.
- To return to your library, click the < at the top left corner of the window.
6
Use the arrows to page through the book. To advance one page, press the right-arrow key on your keyboard or click the > on the right page. To go back a page, press the left-arrow key, or click the < on the left page. You may need to hover your cursor over the left or right side of the window to see the < and > icons.
- To page quickly through the book, drag the slider at the bottom of the screen forward or backward.
- To go to a specific page, click the ⋮ menu in the toolbar and then select Go to Page. Enter the page you want to visit and click Go.
- Explore the table of contents by clicking the icon that looks like a bulleted list at the top left corner of the window.
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Click the expand button to toggle on full-screen mode. It's the icon of four arrows near the top-center part of the application.
- To exit full screen, press the F11 key, the Esc key, or click the X at the bottom-center part of the page.
- If you’re using a Mac, click the green button at the top left corner of the app window to maximize, or go to View > Enter Full Screen.
This lets you adjust the font size, brightness, position, colors, margins, and other details. You may need to hover your cursor over the top of the window to see the icon.
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Mark up the book. You can add notes, highlights, and bookmarks as desired while reading the e-book.
- To highlight a word or set of words, select the words and click Highlight in the context menu.
- To add a notation, select a word or words, and then click Note. Type in your note, then close the note to save it.
- To add a bookmark, click the bookmark icon at the top right corner of the page.
- To look up a word, select the word. A sidebar will appear with various options for looking up or translating the word (including a dictionary option and info from Wikipedia). You can also highlight a whole phrase and click Look up to see options for finding more info.
- To access your annotations and highlights, click ⋮ at the top right corner and select Annotations.
This setting should be enabled by default. However, you can easily check or change this in the app settings. To do so, click More at the bottom of your main library page. Click Sync to sync your library across all devices instantly. Then, click Settings and make sure the “Sync” option is toggled on. Click the X at the top right to close the Settings menu.

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Question

Can I pin a book to my Windows 10 desktop using the Kindle App, Not Cloud Reader?

hadia kashif

Community Answer

Yes, you can. Use the Kindle app to start reading from your PC or Mac. Supported Operating Systems: PC: Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, or 10.

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How an I delete books I no longer need?

Lily

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Click the three dots that is to the bottom left of the book cover image. A bunch of options will come up. Select “Remove from device”.

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I have Kindle but can't access books now. They come up as numbers that I can't click into. What can I do?

Brooke

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Try to restart your Kindle. To restart it, you must hold the power button for about 40 to 45 seconds. Check if it works now. If it doesn't work after that, contact Kindle Support.

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Tips

The Kindle mobile app offers more features than the desktop app or Kindle for Web. If you want to use the mobile app on your computer, you can do so using a free emulator like BlueStacks.

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