How to reset a Kindle before selling or giving it away
💡 Need to know
- Sync before resetting—Unsynced notes, highlights, and reading progress can disappear.
- Purchased books stay yours—The reset removes downloads, not purchases tied to the account.
- Factory reset before gifting—It removes personal data and deregisters the Kindle.
- Still nervous about the reset? Get 24/7 expert support for the tech you rely on.
Passing an old Kindle® to a friend or family member is a nice way to give it a second life. Passing along the current Amazon account, reading history, and unfinished notes? Less ideal.
Asurion Experts help people reset and set up e-readers every day. A safe Kindle handoff comes down to doing things in the right order: sync what matters, reset the device, then make sure it’s ready for somebody else’s account.
Give the Kindle one final sync
Connect the Kindle to Wi-Fi and let it sync before erasing anything.
From the Home screen, open the Quick Actions or menu and choose Sync or Sync My Kindle, depending on the model and software. That gives supported reading progress, notes, highlights, and library changes a chance to reach the Amazon® account.
Amazon says Kindle Sync automatically backs up reading position, notes, and highlights when the device is online. If something important was added five minutes ago, give it a moment to finish rather than treating the factory reset button like the closing bell.
Personal documents or sideloaded files deserve extra attention. If they don’t exist anywhere else, copy or save them before moving on.
Your purchased books aren’t being given away
A factory reset removes downloaded books from the Kindle, but it does not hand those purchases to the next owner or delete them from the Amazon account that bought them.
That distinction matters. The Kindle is changing owners; the digital library isn’t.
Our guide to resetting a Kindle explains what a reset removes, and our article on organizing a Kindle library covers the difference between removing downloads and removing content from an account.
Factory reset the Kindle
Once everything important is synced or saved:
- From the Home screen, swipe down to open Quick Actions or select Menu.
- Select Settings or All Settings.
- Open Device Options or select Menu, depending on the Kindle.
- Select Factory Reset. Older models may say Reset Device.
- Select Yes to confirm.
The reset removes personal data, downloaded content, settings, and any content that hasn’t synced. When it finishes, Amazon says the Kindle is deregistered from the current Amazon account.
Leave it at the setup screen. There’s no need to sign back in just to prove the reset worked—that would be a very efficient way to undo the whole point.
Check the account one more time
Open Amazon’s Manage Your Content and Devices page from another device and look at the registered-device list.
If the Kindle still appears where it shouldn’t, deregister it there. You can also deregister directly from a Kindle before resetting through Settings > Your Account > Deregister Device, but Amazon recommends a factory reset before gifting or selling because deregistration alone doesn’t wipe all local content and settings.
That’s why the reset is the stronger handoff step.
Clean it up and send the right accessories
Once the software side is done, wipe the screen and case with a clean microfiber cloth and remove any stickers or labels with personal information.
Include the charging cable if it’s part of the gift, but keep anything that belongs to another device. If the Kindle has a protective case that’s staying with it, check the pockets too. Old receipts and airport boarding passes have a talent for hiding in there for years.
The new owner should see the Kindle setup screen, choose their language and Wi-Fi, then register it to their own Amazon account.
Still need help?
Access personalized expert setup and support with every tech purchase—learn more about Asurion Complete Protect.
FAQ
Does factory resetting a Kindle delete purchased books?
No. It removes downloaded copies from the Kindle, but purchased books remain tied to the Amazon account that bought them.
Should I deregister a Kindle before giving it away?
Yes. A factory reset deregisters the Kindle automatically. Amazon recommends a factory reset before gifting or selling because it also removes local content and settings.
What happens to my Kindle notes and highlights after a reset?
Synced notes and highlights can remain associated with the Amazon account. Anything that never synced may be lost, so connect to Wi-Fi and sync first.
Can the new owner see my Kindle books?
Not after a proper factory reset. The Kindle returns to setup mode and must be registered to another Amazon account.
How do I know a Kindle is ready to give away?
It should boot to the first-time setup screen and no longer be registered to the old Amazon account.
The Asurion® trademarks and logos are the property of Asurion, LLC. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Asurion is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any of the respective owners of the other trademarks appearing herein.