Amazon and DRM changes

slm · 01-01-2023, 04:15 PM

The following is a summary of the status as of April 26, 2026, based on various posts in this thread:

1. In general, books can no longer be downloaded to a computer from the Amazon website.
a. However, if a publisher so elects, certain books can be downloaded as epubs or pdfs (the choice is made by Amazon)

i. The pdfs are generally not considered to be very good for complex books.

2. Amazon has implemented a new DRM scheme--referred to in this message as "Hidden Key" DRM. Hidden Key DRM places the decryption key in a location that is intended to be inaccessible to users.

a. Kindle Devices

i. Firmware for "Newer" Devices that are still receiving updates has been updated to use Hidden Key DRM
ii. Some older Devices contain a backdoor through which Amazon is also implementing Hidden Key DRM

I. There is some indication that for these devices, the implementation disappears when the device is reset and is re-downloaded when you attempt to download a book. One user was able to prevent the re-implementation (at least temporarily) by filling the Kindle memory to a number that doesn't leave room for the implementation file.

iii. Older Kindle devises (PW1 and earlier) continue to be usable for DRM removal under standard procedures, but only until May 20, 2026

As of May 20, 2026, these devices will cease to be able to access the Amazon ebook system. If one of these is factory reset, it can not be re-registered.

b. Kindle for Android

i. Modern versions of Kindle for Android use a version of Hidden Key DRM that can not be broken for unrooted devices. I have not kept track of the status of Kindle for Android on rooted devices

.

c. Kindle for Mac

i. Dead.

d. Kindle for PC

i. Current versions of Kindle for PC uses Hidden Key DRM but the location of the key is accessible for some of this. A fairly complex method exists for decrypting ebooks downloaded to certain versions of Kindle for PC (search for "SATS" method). Commercial implementations of this method vastly simplify the process. (I have used Epubor successfully.)
ii. However, Kindle for PC will be retired on June 20, 2026 and a new version, solely for Windows 11, will become available. It is anticipated that the Window 11 version store the key in a secure location that can not be accessed without disabling some important security features of Windows 11.

I. There is no mention of a version of Kindle for PC to older PCs.
II. The announcement does not explicitly say that the existing versions of Kindle for PC will stop working after June 20, but it is likely that Amazon will, in fact cut off these versions shortly afterwards.

Post changelog:

Spoiler:

Please don't PM me with questions! Ask questions in this thread.

Additionally, please keep this moderator notice in mind:

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

It seems this thread seems to get more and more specific over time. Both in help being offered, and details being discussed. We (editors/mods) are partly to blame for letting it go so long, but it's time for a course correction. Please refrain from offering step-by-step help, and from discussing the technical details of Kindle's DRM technology (as well as the development of the tools necessary to remove it) here in open forum at MobileRead. Let's get back to posting links to where detailed help with DRM should take place. Thank you.

Amazon has made some changes to how books can be downloaded. This affects the removal of DRM from these so they can be backed up and sideloaded onto other devices.

For current methods for downloading and removing DRM from Kindle ebooks see

the first post in this thread in the calibre forum

Download and Transfer stopping after 26th February 2025
Amazon have announced that the ability to download Kindle books from their website will go away after 26th February 2025.

If you have lots to download, and are on Amazon.com or Amazon.o.uk, the script here on github will allow you to bulk download all your ebooks.

It is a python script, so you will need to have Python 3 installed, along with three other packages (given in the documentation at github).

Other restrictions
Some books have additional restrictions and cannot be downloaded & transferred. The Bluestacks/Android app will not work either. The two main categories of these seem to be textbooks and books published for the Indian market.

If you're having trouble, including the ASIN (a string of numbers and letters, found in the URL and usually starting with 'B0') will help us determine whether the book has additional restrictions.

Here are some options if you absolutely must read that book and can't get it from Amazon:

Check if the books are available on other websites that offer DRM-free or more easily-removed ADE (Adobe Digital Editions) DRM:
- eBooks.com
- Kobo
- Google Play
- Smashwords
- Book Republic, Italian.
- Baen, for science fiction & fantasy.
Overdrive allows borrowing books; if your local library's offerings are short, many libraries offer non-resident cards.
However, if you see a self-published/indie author's books offered on Kindle Unlimited, there's a good chance that they're using the KDP Select program, which offers higher royalties and listing on Kindle Unlimited in exchange for exclusivity.
If you decide to buy a Kindle to take advantage of download to Kindle make sure you get an older e-Ink one! Not a Kindle Fire.

However, some advice:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhowell

I commented previously on some of the possible issues that might arise in purchasing a Kindle for the purpose of obtaining files suitable for DRM removal. Here are my thoughts on which models would be the most desirable in case someone still wants to go ahead with that.

[...]I recommend obtaining a model that allows books to be downloaded to the device directly from Amazon over WiFi in KF8 format which can be accessed via USB.

I would avoid the 1st and 2nd generation Kindles and the DX. They only support the old MOBI format and may no longer be able to connect to Amazon.

The Kindle Keyboard (3rd gen), Kindle Touch (4th gen), and Kindle (4th & 5th gen) are workable. However they may require manually installed firmware updates to be usable. And as older models they are more likely to be cut off from service in the future.

The Paperwhite 1 (5th gen) is the most desirable option in my opinion. It is the newest model that does not support KFX format.

I would avoid newer models than that. Most of them support KFX out of the box that cannot be disabled. Some models that didn't can be reverted to older firmware that does not support KFX, but that requires jail breaking which is more difficult to set up and risks bricking the device.

For image-heavy books, you would want to use jhowell's modified version of the AZW6 Image Merge plugin for Calibre. Note images will be in greyscale.

Original version of post:

Spoiler:

Amazon has made some changes that newly-published books can't be downloaded on earlier versions of Kindle for PC. This makes it very difficult (maybe impossible?) to strip the DRM from them without access to an e-Ink Kindle. While older books appear to be unaffected yet, I would not be surprised if that changed soon.

What are your thoughts on this?

Going to quote some posts from other threads:

Dealing with Kindle for PC/Mac 1.19 and KFX in calibre:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhowell

Amazon has made a change to their service so the books published since Jan 3 2023 can no longer be downloaded using Kindle for PC versions prior to 1.39.

I have updated the first post in this thread to reflect this change.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumped

i can live with that, as I don't rush to buy newly released books,; but will amazon push that date gradually backwards ?

also, how is that affected, if at all, by owning various vintages of eink kindle?. I still have a paperwhite 3 (7th gen)- is that old enough to not support kfx? NO, says google:

[People also ask
Does Kindle Paperwhite support KFX?
Kindle KFX format is the successor to the azw3 format and released with the Kindle Paperwhite 3. ]

so the select transfer via USB to get azw trick will need a paperwhite 2 or older ?

I guess I need to find a free book published yesterday to test my options

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhowell

While that is a possibility, I suspect that they are going to keep to a fixed date of books published since the beginning of this year. If they moved the date backward then previously purchased books would stop working and I doubt they want to deal with the customer service implications of that.

This change has no effect on e-ink Kindle owners, at least so far.

My worry is that Amazon might stop allowing Download and Transfer via USB for books published after a certain date. That feature is already unavailable for certain categories of books and for free samples. That change would leave only extracting books from the Kindle's storage using USB, which only works for Kindles running old firmware. Hopefully Amazon is reluctant to further disable downloads since Kindle owners who do not have Wi-Fi would complain.

It depends on the firmware version installed. If is has firmware prior to version 5.6.5 it does not support KFX. If the firmware is prior to 5.12.2 it supports KFX but DRM removal is possible. Newer than that and you may be out of luck if Download and Transfer goes away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's the way Amazon is going with KindleForPC/MAC. You will need a physical Kindle registered to your account to be able to download new Kindle eBooks. Either that or you start buying ePub and convert.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

All this crap did was convince me not to purchase from Kindle anymore. If a book is exclusive there? Oh well, I didn't need to read it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lys

Same, and the same sentiment was shared by all my friends who I informed about this change.

Oh well, I've enough of a back-log to last me a lifetime, I may even end up thanking Amazon to help me stop buying every ebook I see on a deal

(who do I kid? I've already bought 5 ebooks on the kobo store since the start of the year

)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

As long as there's a way to deDRM, I'll buy from Amazon (not exclusively from them, of course). I do still have a couple of older Kindles registered to my account. If it's no longer possible to deDRM Kindle books by any means, I'll stop buying them. I've never bought a single book I couldn't disinfect and I never will. My list of unread books is hundreds of kilometers long anyway, so I can live without Amazon exclusives.

standard guide for removing DRM for kindle book using calibre:

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumped

Academic textbooks is a special case. Affects a tiny proportion 9f book buyers.
So Amazon have gotten away with new rules without much outcry.
But if Amazon imposed kfx only on all new fiction, then kindles older than paperwhite 3 would not work with those books.
Are there any figures for how many book buyers still rely on such older devices and would be disenfranchised?
I am thinking the only way they could do that is by offering a very cheap upgrade option for those people which 2ould be costly. Far more costly than what they lose due to ebook piracy ?

I don't think any kindle generation has been made obsolete yet ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I do not think Amazon would impose KFX only for old Kindles able to handle KF8 but not KFX. That would piss off a lot of customers.

I think Amazon may be switching to KFX only delivery on devices/software that can handle KFX. I hope I'm wrong.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumped

Forcing an upgrade on pc and Mac could be a trial before doing something about kindles.

But if they offer a upgrade bribe only to owners of pw2 or older, that would piss off pw3 owners: And that would be a larger number .

the trade in, trade up offer for my pw3 is an unattractive £20, with no % discount on a newer model but I can't see the offers for models I don't own.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Any upgrade and trade offers have so far only been made to US customers, AFAIK. But there are thousands (tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands?) of Kindle owners in other countries. What about them?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Amazon is not offering upgrades. Amazon is making it more difficult to download KF8 to your computer for new eBooks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

frankly, Amazon is big enough that they could probably afford to piss off all the old e-Ink readers by cutting them off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I'm afraid you're right. But I do wonder, why would they want to do that? Is someone pressuring them? What would be their benefit in doing so?

ownedbycats · 01-05-2023, 05:57 PM

Moderator Notice
Thanks to ownedbycats for maintaining this thread. slm is now taking over maintenance of the first post.

Spoiler:

Paperbackstash · 01-05-2023, 07:02 PM

Hm. So this means you cannot download newer books on computer from the download page like you could previously, then? That's how I used to do when used calibre. Making sure I'm getting it. If that's the case that's an awful change and may be a dealbreaker for some for future

Sirtel · 01-05-2023, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

Hm. So this means you cannot download newer books on computer from the download page like you could previously, then? That's how I used to do when used calibre. Making sure I'm getting it. If that's the case that's an awful change and may be a dealbreaker for some for future

Yes, you can (so far, at least). What you can't do is download them with an older Kindle for PC app. That's what most people did (for deDRM purposes) who don't have an eink Kindle device, but have another brand, like Kobo or Pocketbook.

The option to download a book from your Content and Devices page is there only if you have an eink Kindle registered to your account.

ownedbycats · 01-05-2023, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yes, you can (so far, at least). What you can't do is download them with an older Kindle for PC app. That's what most people did (for deDRM purposes) who don't have an eink Kindle device, but have another brand, like Kobo or Pocketbook.

The option to download a book from your Content and Devices page is there only if you have an eink Kindle registered to your account.

Yes, pretty much this. I don't have a Kindle so I relied on Kindle for PC for downloading them to get into Calibre to sideload onto my Kobo.

gbm · 01-05-2023, 07:44 PM

Amazon does away with download for usb in kf8 then my buying on average over 80 ebooks a year with them will stop.

bernie

Edit

I like my kindle but Kobo is for me the way better reading experience.

j.p.s · 01-05-2023, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbm

Amazon does away with download for usb in kf8 then my buying on average over 80 ebooks a year with them will stop.

amazon has effectively done that to me by holding content & devices hostage behind dozens of 3rd party cookies that I will not unblock.

In an emergency I can download OTA on a kindle with firmware too low for KFX. But for the most part, I've had it with amazon's walled weed patch.

salamanderjuice · 01-05-2023, 08:52 PM

No more Kindle books for me now. I'd sooner buy a feed scanner and a paper cutter...

cpegg · 01-05-2023, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Amazon has made some changes that newly-published books can't be downloaded on earlier versions of Kindle for PC.

What are your thoughts on this?

My thoughts were that I'd better cancel all my pre-orders just in case. I did this immediately. So sad, Amazon. Bricking up the few gaps in your wall will keep out more people than you keep in.

I started out with a Nook, buying books from Barnes and Noble. I ditched them as soon as they made it quite difficult to download books to a PC for side-loading to a reader.

I've been worried that Amazon would go the same route. Oh well.

ZodWallop · 01-05-2023, 10:32 PM

My wallet will thank me I guess, as I see myself buying many fewer books.

I can still go along for a bit, until they block 1.17 from downloading books at all.

kspn · 01-05-2023, 10:49 PM

Man this is annoying there are a bunch of books I am reading that are only available via Amazon (at least to my knowledge) and this will mean that although I could read them on my Android device, that option however lacks the format capabilities I am used to.
Hopefully there is a viable workaround, I am happy to purchase the books, but only if I can read them in a way that is convenient to do so,

Sirtel · 01-05-2023, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kspn

Hopefully there is a viable workaround...

Only one at the moment: owning an actual eink Kindle device. Whether there will be other workarounds, no idea. I certainly hope so.

kspn · 01-05-2023, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Only one at the moment: owning an actual eink Kindle device. Whether there will be other workarounds, no idea. I certainly hope so.

I assume you mean something like the PaperWhite (this is just to ensure that I have it right in my head)

ownedbycats · 01-05-2023, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Only one at the moment: owning an actual eink Kindle device. Whether there will be other workarounds, no idea. I certainly hope so.

Unfortunately, every time DeDRM (now NoDRM) managed to break the KFX DRM, Amazon changed it (if the rumour is correct, sometimes within hours).

slm · 01-05-2023, 11:08 PM

Any e-ink kindle--even one with a cracked screen will do, the older the better, since the old one can't read kfx.

Until recently I downloaded newspapers "for" my registered Kindle 1! (I don't know where the machine is, but it doesn't matter. (I wanted the older newpaper format.)

I took a quick look at ebay and saw one for $20 (Kindle touch, gen 4).

In fact, there is one for $12, listed as parts-only but it probably can be registered on Amazon manually.

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01-05-2023, 07:02 PM	#3
Paperbackstash Wizard Posts: 1,668 Karma: 20102554 Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Central Florida Device: Oasis 3, PW 3 & 5, Fire HD 8 & 10	Hm. So this means you cannot download newer books on computer from the download page like you could previously, then? That's how I used to do when used calibre. Making sure I'm getting it. If that's the case that's an awful change and may be a dealbreaker for some for future

01-05-2023, 07:44 PM	#6
gbm Wizard Posts: 2,261 Karma: 8888926 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Kobo Clara HD,Hisence Sero 7 Pro RIP, Nook STR, jetbook lite	Amazon does away with download for usb in kf8 then my buying on average over 80 ebooks a year with them will stop. bernie Edit I like my kindle but Kobo is for me the way better reading experience.

01-05-2023, 08:52 PM	#8
salamanderjuice Wizard Posts: 1,014 Karma: 13558066 Join Date: Jul 2017 Device: Boox Nova 2	No more Kindle books for me now. I'd sooner buy a feed scanner and a paper cutter...

01-05-2023, 10:32 PM	#10
ZodWallop Gentleman and scholar Posts: 11,574 Karma: 111339656 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Space City, Texas Device: Clara BW; Nook ST w/Glowlight, Paperwhite 3	My wallet will thank me I guess, as I see myself buying many fewer books. I can still go along for a bit, until they block 1.17 from downloading books at all.

01-05-2023, 10:49 PM	#11
kspn Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Melbourne, AU Device: Kobo,Android	Man this is annoying there are a bunch of books I am reading that are only available via Amazon (at least to my knowledge) and this will mean that although I could read them on my Android device, that option however lacks the format capabilities I am used to. Hopefully there is a viable workaround, I am happy to purchase the books, but only if I can read them in a way that is convenient to do so,

01-05-2023, 11:08 PM	#15
slm (who/what) Posts: 567 Karma: 5500000 Join Date: Feb 2003 Device: Kindle: Voyage,PW1,KOA, Kobo: Clara Colour, Nook GLP, Pocketbook verse	Any e-ink kindle--even one with a cracked screen will do, the older the better, since the old one can't read kfx. Until recently I downloaded newspapers "for" my registered Kindle 1! (I don't know where the machine is, but it doesn't matter. (I wanted the older newpaper format.) I took a quick look at ebay and saw one for $20 (Kindle touch, gen 4). In fact, there is one for $12, listed as parts-only but it probably can be registered on Amazon manually.