FIRST OFF!
A lot of online folks have been fear mongering Kindle users.
You are NOT losing your eBooks.
You don’t need to take action unless you think you’ll log out of your unsupported device.
So take a moment to breathe, and read the next section.
What do you need to know about your Kindle eBooks?
Amazon’s Unsupported Devices, Click Here.
Summarized info about your eBooks:
- You won’t lose eBook access on your “unsupported” Kindle unless you:
- Log out of your amazon account on the device
- Factory reset your device
- You can still access eBooks via their Legacy Kindle for PC app.
- Your eBooks aren’t disappearing
- You can always buy a new Kindle and log into your Amazon account to access your ebooks
NOTE, I would STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to not buy eBooks anymore, and convert your current books to PDF so you can keep them IF/WHEN Amazon removes either access OR the book entirely.
What can you do if you don’t want to risk losing your eBooks?
Continue to use your kindle for books you already own, absolutely!
Actively mitigate risk by converting them for PERSONAL USE ONLY – no pirates, please.
We currently have access to Legacy Kindle for PC, but who knows how long that will last.
So, what we’re looking at is: how do we convert these protected, keyed eBooks that we bought, and put them into a format that we can access later through other devices?
There are already a handful of websites I have been reviewing with information on how to do this, but this is the best step-by-step guide:
Unlock KFX Books Without a Kindle Device
- Things to note about this guide that are outdated:
- The DeDRM tool link
- The KFX Input link
Below you will find the updated links as well as a list of what you need to download.
NOTE: This process is somewhat complicated but, you can do it if you just take a few breaths and go one step at a time.
What do you need to download?
This software will be used to convert the eBook files into pdf – NOTE: if you have windows 10, like I do, make sure you grab the correct version 7.26
This will be used to download your eBooks directly onto your computer
This execution file will be used to unencrypt the eBooks – NOTE: you’ll need the version that works with your Kindle for PC version (aka k4pc), we’ll look at that below:
Scroll to the bottom of the original post to see the attached zip file, download by clicking the name of the file
My Process for Conversion on Windows
To start, remember to use the step-by-step guide on Epupor for specific guidance, and I’ll summarize their steps here with their steps [Epubor] and my additions [ME]:
2. [ME] Download Kindle for PC
- Once the file downloads, run the application.exe to install it – double click icon from downloads folder
3. [ME] Find Kindle Version
- On top navigation bar in app:
Go to Help –> About Kindle to see version number – use for DeDRM version
4. [ME] Verify Kindle Storage Location
- On top navigation bar in app:
Go to Tools –> Options –> Content to storage folder - Epubor says it auto goes to the right folder, but mine was directing to my OneDrive folder so I needed to update to local
5. [Epubor] Download Books from Kindle
“Be logged in and synchronized in the Kindle pc app. Then, double-click on the book cover to download Kindle books for offline backup”
6. [ME] Download the DeDRM Version that works with your Kindle App version number
- The Kindle version number in the screenshot above is 2.9.1
- The correct DeDRM version to use is 10.0.20
7. [ME] Download the KFX attachment
- As mentioned above in needed downloads, scroll to bottom of post to download
- DO NOT UNZIP THIS FOLDER.
8.[Epubor] Unzip DeDRM folder
“Once finished the downloading, UNZIP it.”
- [ME] Right click folder –> Extract All, then save in downloads so you can find it easily
8.[Epubor] Install DeDRM & KFX as plugins in Calibre
9.[Epubor] Copy KFX archiver into Kindle App File Location
- [ME] For DeDRM version 10.0.20, the archiver file is different:
KFXArchiver291.exe
10.[Epubor] Create kfxoutput Folder and Execute Command Line to Generate the k4i File
- [ME]
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Amazon\Kindle\application\KFXArchiver291.exe "C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\My Kindle Content" "C:\Users\USERNAME\kfxoutput" kfxoutput.k4i
11.[Epubor] Import kfx-zip file to Calibre Library
12.[ME] Bulk Convert all eBooks to PDF
- Go to Convert Dropdown Arrow –> Bulk Convert
- Dropdown in top right –> select PDF
- Save!
There are a lot of options on the left side-panel for variations. You don’t have to use these unless you want special fonts and whatnot.
And that’s it!
As a final reminder:
- Please utilize this eBook conversion walkthrough for personal use – don’t pirate your books!
- Always backup your purchases if you can!
- When a company has control over your files or data, they can cancel their services at any time – and it’s buried in their terms of service.
- This is true for most programs, applications, and services.
- Anything you buy digitally can disappear if the company shuts everything down.
- For example, in one of the mobile games I used to play, I paid for packages to get different clothes and access to different designs for my character. I liked the customization at the time, but if and when that application is ever shut down all of those purchases disappear, they don’t mean anything without the actual application.
Thanks for reading and please comment if you have questions or thoughts!!!