The complete guide to using the Kindle app to read eBooks in Windows 10

The complete guide to using the Kindle app to read eBooks in Windows 10

If you own a Windows 10 PC or device and you enjoy reading, but you do not own an eBook reader like Amazon's Kindle, there's great news: Amazon also provides a desktop app which offers you access to over a million books from the Kindle Store including new releases and bestsellers. Besides reading your favorite eBooks with it, you can place bookmarks, highlight text, add notes and flashcards. In this article, we will show you how to use this Windows 8.1 app to make reading an enjoyable experience for you. Let's get started:

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Download, install and launch the Kindle app in Windows 10

First, you need to download the app's installer from the Amazon's website. Click or tap here to access it. To download the PC version for the app, make sure you press the Download for PC & Mac button. Wait for the installer to get downloaded and open it. Then, wait again while the Kindle app is automatically installed and you're done.

Once installed, you can find the app in the Apps list. Scroll down until you find the Amazon folder and open it. Here you'll find your Kindle app.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

Also, you can type the "kindle" in Cortana's search box and click or tap on the Kindle search result.

The first time you open the app, you'll be asked to register your Kindle, by logging in with your Amazon account. Make sure you are connected to the internet. Type your email address and password and press Sign in when you are done.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

If you don't have an Amazon account, tap the Create your Amazon account button, placed just below.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

Start filling in the required information in the text fields and press the "Create your Amazon account" button when you are done.

How to view your eBooks using the Kindle app

If you have the Kindle app installed on another device and you registered with the same Amazon account, your eBooks can easily be downloaded to your PC. If you want to view all the eBooks that are associated with your device, click or tap the All section from the left pane.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

Here, all your eBooks can be sorted by selecting the Recent option or alphabetically, by Title or by Author using the drop down menu placed just above the left panel menu. This can be useful if you have a lot of books and you don't want to scroll through the entire list just to find one.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

Of course, you can also find your eBooks easily by typing their name in the search bar placed at the top of the window.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

The Kindle app displays your eBooks as tiles using their cover by default. If you don't like this view, you can also display them as list items. You can switch between these two modes at any time using the options placed at the left of the search bar.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

If you want to continue reading your eBooks even when you're offline, you can download your eBooks to your Windows 10 PC. To do this, right-click or press and hold any book in the All section and select Download from the displayed menu. Also, you can double-click or double-tap the eBook to download it to your PC.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

The eBook you selected will start downloading on your PC. The progress will be shown at the bottom of the thumbnail. Not only the eBook will be downloaded, but also the bookmarks, notes, progress performed on other devices.

The eBooks that are downloaded to your PC will appear in the Downloaded section, just below the All section.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

How to buy eBooks using the Kindle app for Windows 10

You can download over a million eBooks from the Kindle Store using the Kindle app. The procedure is simple, and it can be done very quickly. If you want to buy and download content from the Kindle Store, your PC or device needs to be connected to the internet, and you need to use a valid payment method.

First, tap the Kindle Store button placed at the top right corner of the window.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

The Amazon website will be loaded in your default browser. Browse for your favorite titles and once you find something that you want to buy, tap the "Buy Now with 1-Click" button. The book will automatically be delivered to all your devices.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

TIP: If you're downloading an ebook for the first time, get a free one to see how it works out.

How to create a collection using the Kindle app in Windows 10

If you like to keep your library clean and organized or you want to group your eBook by genre, you can do this by creating a collection. First, press the "+" button next to Collections from the left main panel.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

Now, a menu will open where you need to click or tap New Collection.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

You need to name you new collection, using the text field from the Collections section, and your collection is now created.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

The collection you've just created is empty, so the next step is to add eBooks to it.

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Go anywhere in your Library, right click or press and hold any eBook and choose the "Add/Remove from Collections" option and select the collection to which you want to add the book. If the eBook is already in that collection, the same steps will remove it from it.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

How to use the Kindle app to open and read eBook in Windows 10

Now that you've set everything up and learned how to purchase eBooks, you can start reading in seconds. Just double click or double tap any eBook in your Library, and it will open right away.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

Tap on any eBook from your library and start reading. You can quickly turn pages: swipe or click the right side of the screen to go to the next page and the left side to go to the previous page. You can also click or tap the buttons provided by the app placed just beside the page or use the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

How to customize the eBook's appearance using the Kindle app in Windows 10

The Kindle app allows you customize your reading experience to make it as comfortable as possible for you. To do that, click or tap the Aa button from the top menu of the window.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

Now, a customization menu opens. Here you can set the font, the font size, page columns, page width, the brightness and the color mode. All the settings are applied automatically, as you select them.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

How to view and place bookmarks using the Kindle app

Another thing that you can do with the Kindle app is to set bookmarks, so you will be able to find a page faster. To place a bookmark, tap the Bookmark this page button from the top right corner of the window. Also, you can tap the top right corner of the page to perform the same action. This way the corner of the page will become blue. To remove a bookmark, you can press the top right corner of the page again or the "Bookmark this page" button.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

To view all the bookmarks you created, click or tap the Notebook button from the left menu.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

Here you can see not only the bookmarks but also the highlights and notes.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

If you want to filter all your markings, you can choose Bookmarks from the drop down menu, so only your bookmarks will be displayed in the Notebook, not all the items you have here. Pressing any of the bookmarks will take you to the page associated with the bookmark.

Windows 10, Kindle, app
Windows 10, Kindle, app

Read the next page of this tutorial to see how to jump to a particular page, search for word definitions, highlight words, and add notes and flashcards to the eBook that you read, using the Kindle app for Windows 10.

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