How to Remove Books from Your Kindle Library to Save Space

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Remove multiple books at once, return borrowed books, & more
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The average Kindle can hold between 3,000 and 6,000 books. But for some avid readers, that isn’t enough. Removing a book or two from your downloaded titles is a great way to clean out your digital library if your Kindle or Kindle app has run out of space, is lagging, or is cluttered with too many vampire romances. We'll show you how to do that, plus we'll explain how to re-download books you removed , permanently delete titles , and return borrowed Kindle books to the library. No matter your reason for deleting books, we won’t judge! We’ll simply walk you through the process.

How to Remove Books from Kindle

  1. Open your Kindle device's library tab and find the book you want to delete.
  2. Long-press or tap the 3 vertical dots on the bottom right-hand side of the cover.
  3. Tap "Remove download" to remove the book from the device and free up storage.
  4. Tap "Permanently delete" to delete the book from your Amazon account forever.
  5. Tap "Return to library" to return the book to the e-library where you borrowed it.
Section 1 of 6:

How to Remove Books from Kindle Device

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  1. Turn on and open your Kindle to the home page (this is where Amazon advertises popular titles). Then, select the "Library" tab at the bottom left-hand side of the screen to display all the books you currently own. [1] Next, tap the "Filters" icon at the top right corner of the screen and tap "Downloaded." This filter will show you which books are taking up space on your Kindle.
  2. Locate the book you want to remove from your device. Once you’ve found it, long-press the book cover or tap the 3 vertical dots on the bottom right-hand side. [2]
    • If you have an extensive library, use the search bar at the top of the screen to find a specific book.
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  3. A new menu will appear after you long-press or select the 3 dots. From the options, tap "Remove download" if you still want to free up space on your Kindle device. [3] You can also tap
    • If you ever want to reread the book you removed, simply find the title in your library and tap it to download it again . You can also re-download it on the website.
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Section 2 of 6:

How to Remove Books from the Kindle App

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  1. Use whichever device you read books on, like a phone or tablet. Tap on the app and wait for the homepage to load.
    • If the app opens on a page you were previously reading, tap the "Home" button in the bottom left-hand corner.
  2. Select the "Library" tab with an open book symbol at the bottom of the screen. Next, tap the "Downloaded" category at the top of the page under the search bar.
    • If a book cover has a small black check mark in the bottom right-hand corner, it’s downloaded in the app.
  3. Place your finger over the book cover(s) you want to delete from your Kindle app. Release your finger when you see a checkmark appear over the cover. [4]
  4. When you tap the 3 dots, options like "Mark as Read/Unread" and "View in store" will appear. From this menu, select the option to "Remove Download." [5]
    • The book is now removed from the downloaded library on your Kindle app and can be redownloaded at any time under your library's "All" category.
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Section 3 of 6:

How to Remove Multiple Books from Kindle

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  1. 1
    Remove multiple books from a Kindle device with "Manual removal." Open the "Menu" on your Kindle device (or select “More” from the tabs on the bottom of the screen) and tap "Settings." From there, tap "Device options," then "Storage management," then "Manual removal." Choose a content type ("Books," "Audible," “Periodicals,” “Docs,” “Samples,” or “Others”), then scroll through the titles list and check the box next to each book you want to remove. When you're finished, tap Remove at the bottom of the screen.
    • This option removes the books from your Kindle storage, but not your cloud account. You can always download them again from your library.
  2. 2
    Select multiple books to remove in the Kindle app. Open the library on your Kindle app and long-press on a title you want to remove. When you see a checkmark appear on top of the cover, tap on other book covers you want to delete to add them to your selection. Then, tap the 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner of the screen and select "Remove Download."
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Section 4 of 6:

How to Permanently Delete Books from Kindle

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  1. Select a book and tap "Permanently delete" on your Kindle or Kindle app. On your Kindle device, tap the 3 vertical dots on the book cover and select "Permanently delete" from the list of options. In the Kindle app, long-press on the book you want to delete, tap the 3 vertical dots at the top of the screen to the right, then tap "Permanently delete." [6]
    • Deleting Kindle items permanently means they will be permanently removed from your Amazon account! You won’t be able to re-access the book online or on your Kindle device. If you want to read it again, you'll need to pay the full purchase price.
    • To permanently delete an Audible audiobook from your Kindle and your Amazon account, follow these extra steps: [7]
      • Sign in to your account on Amazon.com and click "Manage content and devices."
      • Click "View: Books" on the left side of the screen and sort by "Audiobooks."
      • Find the audiobook you want to delete and click "More options."
      • Click "Delete," then "Yes, delete permanently."
      • Sync your Kindle device by swiping down from the top of the Kindle screen, bringing up the "Quick Settings" toolbar, and tapping the circular "Sync" icon. After that, the Audible audiobook should no longer appear in your library.
Section 5 of 6:

How to Return Kindle Books to the Library

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  1. 1
    On your Kindle device, tap the 3 vertical dots and select "Return to library." Once you select this option, tap "Return" to confirm your action. The book will disappear from your Kindle device. [8] You can always borrow it again from the library (if it's available) or buy it from the Amazon Kindle store if you want to re-read it in the future.
  2. 2
    On the Kindle app, long-press on a title and select "Remove from library." Tap and hold the cover of the library book you want to return until a checkmark appears on top of it. Next, tap the 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner of the app, then tap "Remove from library." This action will remove the book from your Kindle app, so you won't see it anymore. [9]
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Section 6 of 6:

How to Re-download Books Removed from Your Kindle

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  1. Search for the title in your Kindle device or app and tap the cover. Open your Kindle library and scroll or search for the title you want to re-download. When you find it, simply tap the cover. It should immediately begin downloading from the cloud to your device. [10]

Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Why is my deleted book still showing on my Kindle?
    Community Answer
    Deleting the book from Amazon's page doesn't delete it from your Kindle. Instead, on the Kindle itself, go to the Home page where you get the list of books on your Kindle. Using the little square box to the right of the A-Z keys, move down the list until you're on the book you wish to delete. Then use the right hand surrounding bit of the square (which should have a tiny right hand arrow on it), and press that little arrow. You will get a picture of the book and a list of options. At the bottom, click on 'Remove from device,' and it will delete it.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Yes No
    Not Helpful 80 Helpful 38
  • Question
    Should I delete books from my device after I have read them?
    Community Answer
    If you don't think you will read them again, then yes, you should. This is a good way to keep plenty of space open on your Kindle for new books.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 10
  • Question
    What are the steps to take to delete my internet searches off the Kindle Fire?
    Community Answer
    From the Home screen, open the “Silk” web browser app. Select the “Menu” Android menu button icon located at the upper-left corner. Choose “Settings." Select “Privacy." Select “Clear Browsing Data." Check the options you wish to delete.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/2owSGQqnkFI?t=29
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/2owSGQqnkFI?t=40
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/2owSGQqnkFI?t=46
      4. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GTJVXWTHLYEA8UUE
      5. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GTJVXWTHLYEA8UUE
      6. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=TIEM9w0fUmk2jXEknD
      7. ↑ https://help.audible.com/s/article/manage-your-library?language=en_US
      8. ↑ https://help.overdrive.com/en-us/0566.html
      9. ↑ https://help.overdrive.com/en-us/0566.html
      1. ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GD2V96KJZJ6PL3FL
      2. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201755180

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Go to the Kindle’s home screen.
      2. Tap and hold the book.
      3. Tap Remove from device .

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