How to Back Up Kindle Books

The Kindle allows you to take your entire library on the road.

The books stored on your Amazon Kindle are usually formatted as "AZW" files, which is the Kindle's proprietary format. If you've manually transferred your own e-books to the device, however, they may be in other formats. If you would like to back up your books just in case your Kindle is damaged, you can download copies of the books you've purchased from Amazon's server or connect the Kindle to your computer and manually copy your e-book files to your computer.

Instructions

Using Amazon's Website

1. Navigate to Amazon's "Manage Your Kindle" website and enter your Amazon username and password, if prompted.

2. Scroll down to the "Your Orders" section and find the e-book you want to back up. Use the "Page" links at the bottom of the list to navigate between pages of the book list.

3. Click the "Deliver to..." drop-down menu for the e-book you want to back up and select "Transfer via computer..." The book will be transferred to your hard drive just as would occur with any other Web browser download.

Using a USB Cable

1. Connect the Kindle to your computer using the USB cable supplied with the device; it's the same cable you use to charge your Kindle.

2. Open "My Computer" and double-click on the Kindle (in Windows) or double-click on the Kindle on your desktop (in Mac OS) to open it as you would any other drive.

3. Double-click the "documents" folder. All the books on your Kindle are in this folder. Select any e-book or drag to select multiple books. Right-click, select "Copy," then right-click on your computer desktop and select "Paste."

Resources

• Amazon: Manage Your Kindle (Login Page)