How to Send Books to Kindle with Calibre: A Step-by-Step Guide in 2025
Summary:Still struggling with how to import books into your Kindle? This step-by-step guide on using Calibre to transfer books covers two methods: direct connection via USB cable and wireless delivery through email. It effortlessly solves your transfer problems, allowing you to quickly fill your Kindle library and start your reading journey at any time.
If you're an eBook reader with a significant collection of digital books from various sources, you might be wondering if you can transfer them to your Kindle to read. The answer is yes. However, Kindle devices are strict about file formats and don't support books purchased outside of Amazon's ecosystem. This article explains two approaches to transferring any book to your Kindle using Calibre.
Send Books from Calibre to Kindle via USB Cable
Step 1: Download Calibre and import books
Download the latest version of Calibre that matches your computer's operating system from the official website, and follow the guide to install it.
Open Calibre. Click the leftmost button on the navigation bar labelled "Add books". In the pop-up window, select the books you want to transfer to your Kindle. You can select multiple books at once to add to Calibre. Alternatively, you can drag and drop your books directly into the Calibre window, and the books will be imported automatically.
Calibre will also retrieve related metadata, covers, and other detailed information about the books.
Step 2: Connect Kindle to computer
Use a USB cable to connect your Kindle to computer. Calibre will automatically recognize your Kindle device, and you will see a column labelled "On Device" appear next to the book title column.
Step 3: Transfer books
Select one or more books, right-click, and in the pop-up menu, choose the "Send to Device" option. Then select "Send to Main Memory".
If the books are in MOBI/AZW3 format, the transfer will begin immediately.
If the books are not in Kindle-compatible formats (like MOBI or AZW3), Calibre will prompt you to convert them. A dialog box will appear asking if you want to convert the format. Click "Yes" to proceed. Calibre will first convert the book to MOBI format and then send it to your Kindle. If you want to check the task progress, click on "Jobs" in the bottom right corner of the interface.
Step 4: Eject Kindle
Once the transfer finishes, click the "Device" button on the toolbar. Then, click on "Eject this device" from the drop-down menu. After that, you can unplug your Kindle from the computer.
Send Books from Calibre to Kindle via Email
Note: Starting August 2022, Kindle users will no longer be able to send MOBI (.mobi, .azw) files to Kindle library via email. Compatible formats sent via email now include EPUB. If you have no need to convert the format, you can directly use Amazon's official "Send to Kindle" service to transfer books to Kindle, which is more convenient and faster.
Although formats like PDF and TXT can be successfully transferred and read on Kindle, their display quality is inferior to that of EPUB. So, if you want to send books in other formats via email, you can first convert them to EPUB format and then transfer them with Calibre.
Step 1: Enter "Share via Email" interface in Calibre
After adding books to Calibre (same as step 1 of the previous section). Then, click "Preferences" in the menu. In the "Preferences" interface, click "Sharing" and select "Share via Email".
Step 2: Prepare Kindle's receiving email address
This email is your Kindle email, and you can find it in the personal account of the Kindle reader. Then, click "Add email" to add this address in Calibre and set it as the default. Make sure "Formats" is EPUB.
Step 3: Prepare sender's email address
You can use any email. But different email domains should be set in different ways in "Email Server" section. Here's a demonstration using Gmail.
Step a: Authorize your sender's email address on Amazon
Go to amazon.com. On the right side of the navigation bar, find "Account & Lists", open the drop-down menu, and select "Content & Devices".
Click on "Preferences". Scroll down the page and select "Personal Document Settings", then locate "Approved Personal Document E-mail List". If your sender's email is not on the list, click on "Add a new e-mail address" to authorize it. After that, you can find your sender's email on the list, which means your email has been authorized and approved by Kindle.
Step b: Enable POP3/IMAP/SMTP services on Gmail
Log in to your Gmail account, click the settings icon (gear icon) in the top-right corner, and select "See all settings".
Then, click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab. In the "POP download" section, select either "Enable POP for all mail (even mail that's already been downloaded)" or "Enable POP for mail that arrives from now on" to activate POP3 service. In the "IMAP access" section, select "Enable IMAP" to activate IMAP service. Then, click "Save Changes".
Step c: Enable Two-Step Verification (Mandatory Precondition)
Log in to the Google Account Security Center.
Click "Security > Two-Step Verification", then follow the prompts to bind your mobile phone number (for receiving verification codes) and complete the activation of Two-Step Verification.
Step d: Generate an App Password
Click "Security > App password generated". Enter a name (e.g., Calibre-Kindle) to identify the purpose.
Click "Create". You will immediately get a 16-character app password like "abcd efgh ijkl mnop" (delete spaces when you use it). Then, copy and save it.
Step e: Fill in the information about sender's email address
Fill in the email address, as well as the hostname, port, encryption type, email username and password in the corresponding fields. Taking Gmail as an example, the parameters are as follows:
- Hostname: smtp.gmail.com
- Port: 587
- Encryption: TLS
- Username: Enter your sender's email address
- Password: Input the 16-character app password generated earlier
Confirm that the information is filled in correctly and click "Test email" to check if the email can be sent successfully.
Step 4: Send books to Kindle
Close the "Preferences" interface. Now select the books you want to send, and choose "Connect / Share" in the menu bar. Then select "Email to ..." to send the books to the Kindle's receiving email address. Next, open the Kindle and connect to the network to receive the books. Now you can read these books on Kindle.
Note: Although the first three steps may take a long time, these settings only require a one-time setup. When transferring books next time, you could skip these steps.
Bonus: How to Transfer Kindle Books to Other Devices?
After learning how to send books from Calibre to Kindle, are you still wondering how to move Kindle books and read them on other devices?
However, Kindle books are protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology. This encryption creates a barrier for readers who want to access their Kindle library on non-Kindle devices such as Kobo. Therefore, if you want to transfer Kindle books to other devices, the fundamental step is to remove Kindle DRM and convert formats to a universally supported format like EPUB.
The Simplest Solution—BookFab Kindle Converter
BookFab Kindle Converter is an efficient tool designed to remove the restrictions imposed by Kindle DRM. It offers a solution for users looking to transfer their Kindle books to other devices to read. This software is capable of removing the DRM protection from Kindle books and converting them into common book format EPUB without compromising quality.
Available on: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 (32/64 bit)
- Complete DRM removal for book ownership
- DRM-free format conversion for cross-device freedom
- Lightning-fast Kindle to EPUB conversion
- Built-in browser for streamlined workflow
- Audiobook creation with BookFab's TTS suite
- Simple and beginner-friendly interface
- Active and ongoing updates
Guide on Transferring Kindle Books to Other Devices
Step 1: Get BookFab Free Download
Step 2: Open BookFab and sign in to Kindle
Download and launch BookFab, then click on the "eBook Converter" tab in the side menu. Select "Kindle" as the target platform, and use the built-in browser to sign in to your Kindle account, granting access to your digital library.
Step 3: Select and parse your books
Select the Kindle book you intend to convert and open it within BookFab. Click the download icon in the lower-right corner of the interface. The tool will automatically analyze the book, extracting and displaying key information like the title, author, and cover art.
Step 4: Download and send converted books to other devices
After parsing task is complete, a download confirmation prompt will appear. Hit "Download Now" to start the process. You can monitor the status in the "Download List" panel. Once the conversion is complete, simply click the "Folder" icon to locate the DRM-free EPUB file saved on your computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
KFX, AZW3, and MOBI formats must be sideloaded via USB from a computer to the Kindle. When using email to transfer files, only EPUB format is supported. This is because Amazon automatically converts EPUB files to KFX format during the email transfer process. However, Amazon Cloud cannot convert AZW3, MOBI, or KFX to KFX—its conversion capability is limited to EPUB files. As a result, the Kindle email system only recognizes EPUB formats for this method of transfer.
Connect your Kindle to the computer via a USB cable. Calibre will detect your device and you can download books from it. However, Kindle books often have DRM protection, which could prevent you from converting or transferring them. If you encounter this issue, you may need to look into DRM removal tools such as BookFab Kindle Converter. It is suggested that you check your local copyright regulations before removing DRM.
Conclusion
Calibre is a powerful software that helps you manage, convert, and organize your digital library. This article demonstrates two methods to send books to Kindle using Calibre. The USB method is reliable for direct transfers, and email approach brings opportunity with wireless convenience. In short, both methods enable eBook enthusiasts to manage their digital libraries and get beyond Kindle ecosystem limitations for a better reading experience.
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