If you have a Kindle or use a Kindle App, please see the notice on the Latest Titles & Information page.

These step-by-step instructions look complicated, but it becomes easy once you have done it a couple of times. All you need to know is the right place to put books and the right way to eject/unmount your reader.

If you have an Android device, see this note. If you have an iPad, see this page.

These are for the Kindle. There are minor variations for the Kobo, Nook and Sony readers below.

1. Close any programs you have open on the computer.
2. Put the Kindle to sleep (i.e. turn it off).
3. Plug the Kindle into the computer with the USB charging cable.
4. The Kindle will wake up.
5. Your computer will ask you what you want to do.
6. Choose 'open folder to view files' – or similar – it depends on what computer you have.
7. You will see a list of folders.
8. Open the one called 'documents', this contains all your books, pictures, notes etc. (in some Kindles this folder is called 'books')
9. 'drag and drop' or 'copy and paste' the file you have saved into this (documents/books) folder.
10. Close the folder.
11. Eject the Kindle using 'My Computer' or the 'Safely remove hardware' option.
12. Press the 'Home' button on the Kindle.
The book will be there, ready to open.

For the Kindle Paperwhite

Plug the Paperwhite into your computer, as above, and put the file in the 'documents' folder. The cover of the book will not be visible in grid view. If that irritates, send it to your Kindle's email address or use the 'Send to Kindle' App available free from Amazon (see below).

For the Kindle Fire

If you bought the book on the machine, the file will be saved in the 'Download' folder. You can open it from there, but it is easier to move it to the 'kindle' or 'Books' folders, when it will appear in your Library. Plug the Fire into your computer and look in 'Internal Storage' to find these folders, or use one of the methods described in the previous paragraph.

The Send to Kindle App

The advantage of this is that the book will also be available to download to any other Kindle device or App that you have. It coverts the .epub file to Amazon's latest own format, currently .azw, but is now classified as a 'personal document' (Doc) rather than a book.
A number of people have trouble installing this, including me. I eventually got it to work on Windows 10 by using 'compatibility mode'. Right click the installation file and choose 'Troubleshoot compatibility' then choose 'Try recommended settings'. There are other more esoteric fixes on the web if you Google it.

Move eBooks to the Kobo

At step 4 you may need to tap 'Connect' on the Kobo
At step 7 you are already looking at the folder (called KOBOeReader) where books are stored, although this is not obvious because the files often have meaningless names.
Proceed to steps 9, 10 and 11.
Unplug the Kobo.
The Kobo will 'process' the book. This can take several minutes for large or multiple files.
The book is then ready to read.

There is now a Rakuten Kobo App available for Android and Windows that works with .epub files. Ignore the demand for your phone number and scroll down the page to see the links to download the version for your machine.
The Android version searches for any eBooks stored on your SD card and offers to 'import' the ones you want to read using the App. It then converts them to Kobo's own kepub format.
With the Windows version you can import ePub books from anywhere on your computer by pressing the button at the bottom right of the screen that looks like a left arrow.
Do not try and use the Desktop version of the App.
To use the iPadOS version of the Kobo App, see this page.

Move eBooks to the Nook

At step 7 you are already looking at the folder (called NOOK) where books are usually stored. You can also put them in one of 'My Shelves' or 'Books' in the 'My Files' folder, depending on which model you have.
Proceed to steps 9, 10 and 11.
Unplug the Nook.
The Reader will count and store the number of pages in the book. This can take several minutes for large or multiple files.
The book is then ready to read.
If you see "Unable to open book", just wait a moment and try again.

Move eBooks to the Sony Reader

At step 5 there are two choices, 'SETTING' and 'READER'
Close the 'SETTING' window.
Open the 'READER' window.
Open the 'database' folder.
Open the 'media' folder.
Open the 'books' folder.
'drag and drop' or 'copy and paste' the file you have saved into this (books) folder.
Close all open folders.
Eject both 'SETTING' and 'READER'.
Unplug the Sony Reader.
The Reader will count and store the number of pages in the book. This can take several minutes for large or multiple files.
The book is then ready to read.

I test eBooks on a variety of eReaders; occasionally they appear to stop working and 'freeze'. If this ever happens to you, follow these steps to recovery.

   1. Don't panic - Wait 10 minutes
if this doesn't work
   2. Re-charge the machine for at least 1 hour
if this doesn't work
   3. Perform a soft reset (see your manual)
if this doesn't work
   4. Leave it to run completely out of battery, then re-charge for at least 1 hour
if this doesn't work
   5. Perform a hard reset (see your manual)
if this doesn't work
   6. Panic