Dealing with Kindle ebooks in calibre

[lkmiller]

Skip importing the books from your Kindle. Delete the useless DRMed KFX-ZIP files already in calibre. Just use Satsuoni's tools to DeDRM books from the Windows 11 Kindle app. No need to worry about where the app stores the books. You don't need a Kindle serial number. Import the resulting drm-free kfx-zip files into calibre and the KFX Input plugin will make them into single file kfx which you can use as-is or convert to epub if desired no merging needed.

[ArizonaGuy]

Originally Posted by madelonw

I have set my Kindle (Generation 10) as my default delivery device. I make sure it is turned on and ready to read before I buy any Kindle books (most of which are freebies, so my Kindle Library is huge.) After several days of freebie collecting, I connect my Kindle to my Windows 11 PC) via USB-C. When the File Explorer window pops up, I navigate through Documents > Downloads > Items01 where I find my books and folders for those books listed. (I understand that not all Kindles have the exact same file structure.) Once I am in the Items folder, I select all my newly downloaded books and drag them into Calibre. They all show up in Calibre as KFX-ZIP files (unreadable, still DRM'd).

I have downloaded what is now called Amazon Kindle: Reading App (it's gone through several names but if you search for Kindle app for Windows 11, this is where you wind up.) The app is kludgy, slow, and in every way annoying, but you can select multiple books from your library and download them. (File location of these books is

C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Packages\AMZNKindl e.AmazonKindleReadingApp_m1sc522ngdk36\LocalState\ Classic\Content

Could they hide it any better?

Anyway, I use Epubor Ultimate (not free) which knows I have a registered Kindle using the serial number. It reads the files in the above location and converts them to Epub by default. I drag those Epub files into Calibre. (I stopped using add books in favor of drag and drop—saves me a lot of clicking.)

Now I have KFX-ZIP and EPUB copies of my Kindle books. I'm not sure if it is necessary but I Merge the EPUB with the KFX-ZIP so that the Formats column shows EPUB, KFX-ZIP. (I am keeping both formats because I don't trust Amazon not to screw up my library.)

My problem is after downloading and merging many books in Calibre, the EPUB, KFX-ZIP formats in the Formats column are making the merging process difficult. I have tried using Find Duplicates which finds duplicates, but the output is too random. I have had to resort to searching for specific book titles to merge them (not necessarily the entire title, usually a unique word or phrase) which honors my sort by date. This kind of search is time consuming.

I've tried every combination I can think of using Advanced Search to see just KFX-ZIP and EPUB as discreet things. Is there a way to do this?

.

Out of curiosity, is this still working after the latest Kindle firmware update this week?

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by ArizonaGuy

.

Out of curiosity, is this still working after the latest Kindle firmware update this week?

Satsuoni's tools are working.

[ArizonaGuy]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Satsuoni's tools are working.

I assume you are referring to the Epubor stuff. Or am I wrong about that?

Again, out of curiosity, I looked at the Epubor webpage instructions and they require that either you disable SIP (which seems dangerous to me) or install the Android Studio to get their software to work. Quite a lengthy and not-too-well documented instruction page.

Or am I wrong about the SIP stuff?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by ArizonaGuy

I assume you are referring to the Epubor stuff. Or am I wrong about that?

Satsuoni's stuff is a reference to the version of DeDRM currently being maintained by Sats. Oddly a good chunk of his code is being used by Epubor in violation of the code license since they neither credit the author nor do they make their modified code available.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ArizonaGuy

I assume you are referring to the Epubor stuff. Or am I wrong about that?

Again, out of curiosity, I looked at the Epubor webpage instructions and they require that either you disable SIP (which seems dangerous to me) or install the Android Studio to get their software to work. Quite a lengthy and not-too-well documented instruction page.

Or am I wrong about the SIP stuff?

The people that maintain epubor are sleazy. They steal free code and charge you the privileged of using it. But if they gave credit like they are supposed to, a lot of customers would jump ship for the free version of DeDRM.

[Martinoptic]

Originally Posted by ArizonaGuy

I assume you are referring to the Epubor stuff. Or am I wrong about that?

Again, out of curiosity, I looked at the Epubor webpage instructions and they require that either you disable SIP (which seems dangerous to me) or install the Android Studio to get their software to work. Quite a lengthy and not-too-well documented instruction page.

Or am I wrong about the SIP stuff?

You are correct about the SIP stuff (Mac) which is why Sats' deDRM only works on windows and some kindles.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Martinoptic

You are correct about the SIP stuff (Mac) which is why Sats' deDRM only works on windows and some kindles.

DeDRM only working on Kindle for Windows because of how Kindle for MacOS is setup and that someone who has the know how would have to have a MAC with the latest MacOS.

[Pajamaman]

I'm curious what is the general status of de-drming Amazon books. Can they all be de-drmed at the moment? Also, does it require an old kindle that doesn't support KFX?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

I'm curious what is the general status of de-drming Amazon books. Can they all be de-drmed at the moment? Also, does it require an old kindle that doesn't support KFX?

Old Kindles that don't support KFX have all been disabled by Amazon - they can no longer be registered or download any books.

Kindle books can currently be deDRMed either using the Windows app on Windows 11 or using a jailbroken Kindle (newer than Paperwhite 1).

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by ArizonaGuy

I assume you are referring to the Epubor stuff. Or am I wrong about that?

Again, out of curiosity, I looked at the Epubor webpage instructions and they require that either you disable SIP (which seems dangerous to me) or install the Android Studio to get their software to work. Quite a lengthy and not-too-well documented instruction page.

Or am I wrong about the SIP stuff?

No, I have no use for Epubor. Presumably their stuff still works for the Windows app since they use Satsuoni's code. Sats' tools don't support the Mac app.

[BelleZora]

I've had no problem entering at least two dozen downloaded Kindle books to Calibre from Kindle for Windows. But this morning I tried to add two from KFX Archiver to Calibre. Neither showed up in the download file. Is anyone else unable to add books to Calibre today?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

I've had no problem entering at least two dozen downloaded Kindle books to Calibre from Kindle for Windows. But this morning I tried to add two from KFX Archiver to Calibre. Neither showed up in the download file. Is anyone else unable to add books to Calibre today?

They might be MOBI, not KFX (some books still are). There is a different process for those, but as I'm still using K4PC 2.9.1, I don't know if it's the same for the Windows store app.

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

They might be MOBI, not KFX (some books still are). There is a different process for those, but as I'm still using K4PC 2.9.1, I don't know if it's the same for the Windows store app.

I thought that the two old classics might very well be Mobi, so I tried a recent book. It didn't show up in the archived_kfx file, either.

Edit: I tried a fourth book. No dice. It appears that method no longer works.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

I tried a fourth book. No dice. It appears that method no longer works.

The Kindle app for Windows is updated frequently and requires a new version of the DRM removal software each time it does. Check your version of the app against the tool you are using.