Troubleshooting: Kindle Books not Downloading

I bought a kindle book yesterday, but it won’t download to my Kindle Paperwhite. Any one experience the same issue?

Amazon Kindle store is one of the most popular online ebook vendor. It offers different reading methods to its users, like kindle e-ink device, kindle app and kindle fire tablet. When comes to kindle book not downloading, it is really frustrating. Here I will share the trouble shootings of kindle books not downloading issue so that you can get all your kindle books downloaded.

Before the general solutions, I want to share some solutions to the issues that we can identify what causes them.

Case 0:Your Kindle App requires an update to view this content

Amazon has apparently changed the format of the files downloaded to a PC since 2023. Older versions such as 1.32 cannot open and read this new format. You get a pop up message telling you that you have to upgrade to the latest version of kindle for PC. This happens to the kindle books published since 01/03/2023.

Solution 1:
If you just want to download and read these kindle books with your Kindle App, you can just update the kindle App to the latest version and download them for reading.

Solution 2:

If you want to remove drm from these kindle books, you still can do it if you have a kindle eink device registered with your Amazon account.
You can download these kindle books to your computer via “Download and transfer via usb” . And then remove drm from them with Epubor Ultimate.

Case 1: License Limit Reached

If you see this message when you try to download kindle books, that means your kindle books license limit is exceeded. According to Amazon’s kindle store terms: “Kindle content is licensed, not sold, to you by the Content Provider”. Please keep in mind that Kindle books can only be downloaded to a certain number of devices and apps at the same time.

Usually, the limit is 6 devices per user which is set by the publisher but there may be regional differences depending on the country where you live. If it is disclosed, you can find it at the product detailed page as the below picture.

Solutions:

You can always download kindle books to one of your regular devices or delete the kindle device you’re no longer using on Amazon website. Below is how to:

Go to Manage Your Content and Devices on Amazon.com. Under “Device” tab, select the device you’re not using, click on “Device Actions”>>”Deregister”. Then try to download this book on your current kindle device again. It should be succeeded this time.

Case 2: Kindle eTextbook not Downloading

When comes to Kindle eTextbooks, the kindle book not downloading issue will be more frequent. It has much more limitations compared with other normal kindle books.

1.Kindle eTextbooks may not supported on Kindle E-Readers and Kindle Cloud reader, but only the latest version of Kindle for PC/MAC.

2.Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 2 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits.

Solution:


1. Please check the etextbook detailed page on Amazon to see which kindle app or device supports this book, and then use the correct device to download the kindle books. Usually, eTextbook only can be downloaded via the latest version of Kindle for PC/MAC.
2. Meanwhile, please ensure the kindle book only be downloaded to limited kindle devices.

Case 3: Sample books or Kindle unlimited books not Downloading

Error Message: PCMAC_126_Delivery_Error_Upgrade_Mac

If you are not using the latest kindle App for Mac to download kindle unlimited or sample books, you will be encountered the error message “PCMAC_126_Delivery_Error_Upgrade_Mac”.

Solution:
To fix this issue, it seems the only way is to install the latest Kindle app for Mac.

More information: Amazon made some changes to Kindle Unlimited ebooks in 2023. It removed the “Download and Transfer via USB” option for Kindle Unlimited books. However, the good news is that books borrowed from Kindle Unlimited can still be downloaded on Kindle for PC versions older than 1.26 if they were published before January 3, 2023.

Case 4: General Solutions for Kindle Books not Downloading

Solution 1

Turn off and restart your kindle.

This is the most common tip but can fix most of your problem. Learn how to restart or reset kindle to factory in different ways now.

Solution 2

Check your wireless connection and ensure it works properly.

How to: Disconnect the wifi and reconnect it again. If it still doesn’t work, you can disconnect the current wifi and connect to your mobile hotspot. If this can help you download the kindle books, that means there must be some problem with your wireless connection.

Low battery level may cause the poor internet connection. So please ensure the battery is charged sufficiently. Let’s say charge your kindle when its battery is less than 25%.

Solution 3

Delete and Re-download.

1. If your kindle book or kindle app get stuck during the book downloading, you can delete the book from your kindle app and try re-downloading it from your kindle cloud.

2. If the Kindle books are stuck, then delete the kindle app and re-download it. Then try to download the kindle books again.

Solution 4

Let it alone and try to download the Kindle books about 1 or 2 hours later.

There must be some sort of server delivery error. I am getting the same problem. When I attempt to download books from the Cloud to my Device (iPhone 6+), the download fails at ~99.5%. I’ve tried multiple books, and all fail to download completely. I receive the “Tap to Retry” message again and again.

It could be the server-side issue if your kindle book get stuck at “pending”. This can be proved by the feedback from Amazon side: we’re facing the technical issue with our website and we’ve reported this to our technical team, and they’re working on it. This issue will be fixed within 1-2 hours. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience caused to you. This issue will be fixed within 1-2 hours, once the issue fixed you will be able to download the book.

Solution 5

De-register and register kindle/kindle app.

Deregister will clear all the data of your kindle/kindle app. This also can help you clear some unidentified issue.

Solution 6

Update your kindle firmware to the latest version.

The software error also can cause the kindle book not downloading issue. Please check whether the firmware of your kindle device is outdated. If yes, please update it.

How to update kindle device: Go to the home page of your Kindle device>>Three dots>>Settings>>Device Options>>Advanced Options>>Update your kindle.

Solution 7

Check your digital orders.

1. Go to your Digital Orders and check if the issue book has been ordered successfully. If not, please purchase it again.

2. Meanwhile, you need to check if your 1-click payment are valid or not. Usually, the Amazon doesn’t give the option to disable 1-click for kindle purchase, so the only thing you need to check is the credit card you tie to 1-click purchase is still working or not.

Solution 8

Deliver the kindle book to a specific kindle device or app.

Go to the Manage Your Content and Devices page at Amazon to find the ebook or app that won’t download. Then tick the box before the book, then click on “Deliver”, select the device you want to deliver this book to in the pop-up window and then click on “Deliver”. Then try to download this book again.

Solution 9

Hard reboot the kindle.

Now you may have tried everything mentioned above, like checking the wifi connection, re-download, de-register and register again, but still cannot download your kindle books. Here comes to the ultimate solution: hard reboot your kindle.

1. Hold down the power button for 20 seconds and then release it. Make sure you keep holding the button for 20 seconds even the screen goes black.

2. The screen should flicker. You’ll see the Kindle splash screen and a fill-up bar. Just wait and your Kindle will come back to life. Please note: the fill-up bar is the sign that your kindle reboot successfully.

3. Then re-download your problematic kindle book. The book will be downloaded successfully this time.

Solution 10

If none of the above resolves your issue, contact Amazon support for assistance.

There are all solutions that may help you download kindle books completely. If you have any better solution, please share them in the below comments.

Pro tip

After successfully downloading Kindle books, why not back them up on your computer? It is well known that all Kindle books are encrypted with DRM, so backing up DRM-ed Kindle books is meaningless. The right way to back up Kindle books is by making them DRM-free. The highly recommended tool for this is Epubor Ultimate, which can help you remove Kindle DRM and convert Kindle books to EPUB or PDF.

Download the tool for free:

Download the tool for free:

Iris Yan the passionate member of Epubor since 2017. Her mission is to enhance your ebook reading experience by sharing insightful tips and tricks. Join her on a journey towards reading excellence today!

Tweet

SHARING IS GREAT!