How to Import Books Into a Kindle App
By Jen Cordwainer
The Kindle desktop apps only support MOBI, PDF and Kindle Format 8 digital book formats. Kindle books that are purchased directly from Amazon are already packaged in Kindle-compatible formats, but you might need to use conversion tools to change books purchased from other venues into compatible formats. Third-party conversion tools can help you change various book formats so that they can be viewed on the Kindle desktop app.
Importing Amazon Purchases
Step 1
Launch the Kindle desktop client and click on the "Sync" button, which looks like two arrows forming a circle. This refreshes your library listing to include all purchases.
Step 2
Click on "All Items" and search for the purchase you want to import to your Kindle desktop app.
Step 3
Click on the book's cover and select the white cloud icon near the title. This downloads the book from Amazon's cloud server and imports it into your Downloaded Items section.
Step 4
Open the book by double-clicking it after the progress bar shows that the download is complete.
Converting Third-Party E-books
Step 1
Download and install free third-party software, such as Calibre and eBook Converter (links in Resources), which convert most digital documents into MOBI or PDF formats. Open the third-party e-book in Calibre and eBook Converter by selecting the "File" menu and clicking "Open." Choose the e-book, click "Open," click "Convert" and choose a format, such as PDF or MOBI. You are prompted to save the files formatted for your Kindle on your computer's local drive.
Visit the Zamzar Web app to convert e-books without installing software (link in Resources). Click "Choose Files," select "MOBI" or "PDF" from the "Convert Files To" drop-down menu, enter you email address in the provided field, and click "Convert." Zamzar sends your converted e-book as an attachment, which can be saved to your hard drive.
Step 2
Drag and drop the saved converted files from your local drive into the Kindle app to import them into your library.
Step 3
Double-click on the title in the Kindle app to view these imported books.
References
Tips
- These directions are meant to be used with the Kindle for PC app.
Writer Bio
Jen Cordwainer has been writing technology, business and entertainment articles for seven years. She has three years of experience working in enterprise technology. Cordwainer has a bachelor's degree in English.