TL;DR
- Rumors abound that the 2024 Kindle lineup has removed sideloading.
- However, this is not true. Amazon has only removed the ability to use My Content & Devices to transfer files over USB.
- Additionally, Mac users will need to install additional software to continue sideloading content to the new Kindles.
Although Amazon’s Kindles are some of the best e-readers you can buy, they aren’t as great as we’d like out of the box. For example, using official tools provided by Amazon, keeping your non-Amazon e-books organized is a real chore. That’s why many Kindle users turn to third-party solutions, like the incredibly popular Calibre software. However, to use Calibre to its full extent, you’ll probably need to hook your Kindle up to your computer using a USB cable for transferring content, a process known as sideloading.
This is why Kindle fans went into an uproar when a rumor spread that the new 2024 lineup of Kindles no longer supported USB connections to PCs. This would prevent users from sideloading content to any of the four new Kindles. Unfortunately, this Good e-Reader post fueled that rumor. We have dug into this and discovered why this false rumor spread. Thanks to a statement from Amazon itself, we can explain what’s really happening.
First, here’s the official company statement. After you read that, we’ll explain it in more detail:
Customers can connect their new Kindle devices to a computer to transfer files. On Windows, it’ll appear as Kindle in File Explorer. On Mac, customers with the new 2024 devices will need to install additional software (e.g., Android File Transfer or OpenMTP). Customers can still transfer books and documents from their computer via USB or use the Send-to-Kindle service. They can no longer use My Content & Devices to download and transfer books to the new 2024 devices via USB. Content available in My Content & Devices is visible on the device in their Kindle library.
2024 Kindle sideloading: What’s really changed
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
The core of this false rumor appears to be centered on two things: Amazon’s removal of support for My Content & Devices USB transfers and its simultaneous move to using the MTP protocol. These two events combined likely led some to believe that USB support would not work at all on the 2024 Kindles. This is not true, though.
Let’s start with the change in My Content & Devices. You can access this via Amazon.com by signing in and heading to Account > Content Library > Books. Here, you’ll find a list of books you’ve purchased from Amazon. If you have a Kindle launched earlier than 2024, you should see an option under the drop-down menu next to a book that says Download & transfer via USB. As one would expect, this downloads the book and then allows you to transfer it to your Kindle by hooking it up to your computer with a USB cable. However, if you have a 2024 Kindle registered to your account, this process will not be available. Instead, you’ll need to connect your Kindle to the internet wirelessly. Doing so will automatically move all the content you see here to your Kindle — no USB cable is needed.
My Content & Devices will no longer allow you to download purchased books and sideload them using a USB cable.
The second change for 2024 Kindles is support for the MTP protocol. I won’t go into the protocol details here, but in Windows, MTP devices appear in File Explorer as singular devices with a unique icon, similar to a smartphone. This means your 2024 Kindle will appear as a Kindle, not as a generic USB device. This is the only change for Windows users — you can still drag and drop files to your USB-connected 2024 Kindle using File Explorer. The only difference is how the Kindle appears to Windows.
Mac users, on the other hand, face a new hurdle. They must download MTP software because macOS is not pre-packaged with MTP drivers. Amazon mentions two free options for this: Android File Transfer and OpenMTP. Both options are free and take up very little space on your Mac. Once installed, either one of these programs will make it easy to transfer content to and from your 2024 Kindle by connecting it with a USB cable.
Because of the move to MTP, macOS users will need to install a small piece of software to continue sideloading.
Other than these two changes, nothing else about USB connections is different for a 2024 Kindle compared to previous ones. Also, note that these changes only apply to 2024 Kindles. If you have a Kindle launched earlier than 2024, nothing changes for you.
The bottom line here is that sideloading still works on all Kindles, and Calibre support has not been altered in any way for the 2024 lineup. To grab one of these new Kindles for yourself, hit one of the buttons below.
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