Buying a Kindle ebook gets confusing when your phone app has no purchase button. You can buy through Amazon’s website or directly on a supported Kindle e-reader, then download the book to start reading. Use the same Amazon account for buying and reading so your purchases reach the right library.
Start with Amazon’s website
A browser works on phones, tablets and computers, including iPhone, iPad, Android and Fire tablets. Open Amazon’s Kindle Store in your browser.
Sign in to the Amazon account registered to your Kindle.
Find the book you want.
Select the Kindle edition on its product page.
Select Buy Now.
Amazon also supports buying Kindle ebooks through its website shopping cart, including alongside physical products, where that option is offered. Cart availability varies by marketplace. To apply available Kindle-book credits, use the separate 1-Click purchase option.
If checkout fails, update your digital payment settings using the steps below. If the purchase succeeds but the book is missing, go to the delivery section before buying it again.
Buy directly on your Kindle
This lets you shop and download without switching devices on supported touchscreen Kindles where the Store is available in your country.
Connect your Kindle to Wi-Fi.
Register it to your Amazon account if you haven’t already.
From Home, select the Store icon beside the search bar.
Find the ebook you want.
Open its details.
Select Buy for [$ Price] or Buy now with 1-click, depending on the button displayed. The purchase downloads to your Kindle.
To browse another way, open a recommended book on Home.
For a specific book or author, enter the name in Search Kindle instead.
Open the matching book’s details.
Select Buy for [$ Price] or Buy now with 1-click to purchase it.
Browse from the Kindle app
On iPhone or iPad, open the book’s listing in the Kindle app.
Tap Get Book where it’s available. This opens Amazon in your mobile browser; availability includes the US.
If your app has no Get Book button, open Amazon’s Kindle Store directly in your browser.
Complete the purchase on Amazon’s website.
Return to Library in the Kindle app.
On Android, save the books you want to Reading Lists while browsing the Kindle app.
Access those lists on Amazon’s website in your browser.
Open the desired ebook.
Select Buy Now.
Keep the browser handy: these app workflows finish the purchase on Amazon’s website.
Find a purchased book that hasn’t arrived
A missing book doesn’t mean you need to buy it again. First, check that your Kindle or Kindle app uses the Amazon account that bought the ebook.
Open Library.
Synchronize your library if the purchase is missing.
In the Kindle app, select the book in Library to download it. Purchases are available on supported Kindles and Kindle apps signed in to the purchasing account.
If synchronization doesn’t bring the book across, open Manage Your Content and Devices on Amazon’s website.
On the Content tab, select Books from the drop-down.
Find the title and select Deliver or remove from device.
Choose your intended supported device, then select Make Changes. It needs a working delivery connection; this delivers your existing purchase.
If the book still hasn’t arrived on your Kindle, try opening it in a supported Kindle app signed in to the purchasing account.
Update the payment method for ebooks
This addresses checkout problems caused by the payment details assigned to digital orders.
On Amazon’s website, open Manage Your Content and Devices.
Select Preferences.
Open Digital Payment Settings. These settings can differ from those used for physical orders.
Select Edit Payment Method if displayed.
Select an existing payment method or add a new one.
Check the billing address.
Save your payment settings.
Explore samples, preorders and gifts
Use these options to preview a book, reserve an upcoming release or buy for someone else.
To preview an eligible ebook, open its product page on Amazon’s website.
Select Read sample below the cover. On mobile, Amazon also calls this Look Inside the Book. Preview availability depends on the format, language and marketplace.
Check that you’re buying the Kindle edition.
Use Buy with 1-Click in the preview to purchase it.
For an eligible forthcoming ebook, select Pre-order on its product page.
Complete the order. The book is delivered on its release date.
To give one ebook as a gift, open Buy for Others on its detail page. Single-copy gifting is supported on Amazon.com for US-to-US gifts and Amazon.in for India-to-India gifts. Free ebooks and preorders are excluded.
Choose a quantity of one.
Enter the recipient’s email address.
Complete the purchase so Amazon can send the gift. The recipient redeems it with their own account.
Check whether your older Kindle is affected
Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 or earlier lost the ability to purchase or download new Kindle Store content after May 20, 2026. That includes Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Touch and the first-generation Paperwhite. Books already downloaded to those devices remain readable.
For new purchases, use a supported Kindle, a Kindle app or Kindle for Web. Buying through a browser does not restore new-book downloads to an affected older device.
Amazon also removed the website’s former Download & Transfer via USB workflow; use wireless delivery for normal Kindle purchases. A separate EPUB/PDF download option exists for eligible purchases whose publishers explicitly enable DRM-free downloads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get the Kindle reading app?
Open Amazon’s Kindle app download page and choose the link for your device. Amazon offers links for the Apple App Store, Google Play, Samsung Galaxy Store and computer apps. The Kindle app is preinstalled on Fire tablets.
Does Kindle Unlimited mean I own the books I read?
No. Kindle Unlimited provides borrowed titles rather than ebook purchases. Borrowed Kindle Unlimited books also do not qualify for Amazon’s eligible DRM-free EPUB/PDF purchase downloads.
Can I buy an ebook from a publisher and read it on Kindle?
Yes, when the publisher supplies a compatible file. For example, download a compatible EPUB or PDF purchase from your Bloomsbury delivery email or account. Open Amazon’s Send to Kindle page and sign in. Upload the file, then select Send. After Your files are on the way appears, download the book from your Kindle library. Compatibility depends on the file and DRM; Send to Kindle does not import every competing store’s ebook.
How do I give my child access to an ebook I bought?
On Kindle Home, open the three-dot menu and choose Household Sharing. Select the child and book, then save. Alternatively, use the Amazon Kids Parent Dashboard’s Content menu, select the child and add the purchased book. Buying the book and assigning it to your child are separate steps.