How to Read Free Ebooks on Kindle

The easiest way to read a free public domain book on a Kindle is to download the EPUB file and send it through Amazon’s Send to Kindle service, which converts it and delivers it to every Kindle device and app on your account. Since 2022 Send to Kindle has accepted EPUB and no longer accepts the old MOBI format. If you prefer a cable, you can copy a Kindle-format file from Project Gutenberg straight onto the device over USB. On a phone or tablet, the Kindle app receives Send to Kindle deliveries too, and on Android it can also open a downloaded file directly. None of these routes costs anything, and because the books are public domain there is no limit on how many you load.

Before you start: pick the right file

Project Gutenberg, and this site, offer several downloads for each book. Two matter for Kindle:

• EPUB (with or without images). Use this for Send to Kindle. The service converts it on Amazon’s side; you do not need to convert it yourself.
• Kindle format (listed on Gutenberg download pages as a Kindle file). Use this for USB transfer, because Kindle e-readers do not open an EPUB that has simply been copied onto them.

If you only ever use Send to Kindle, you can ignore the Kindle-format file entirely. The licence notice inside each file is part of the Project Gutenberg text and can stay; it is a few paragraphs at the start and end of the book.

Method 1: Send to Kindle

Send to Kindle is Amazon’s own service for putting personal documents on your Kindle. It is free with any Amazon account that has a Kindle device or app registered to it. Amazon’s help page at amazon.com/sendtokindle lists the current ways to use it and the file types it accepts; at the time of writing the list includes EPUB, PDF, TXT, HTML, DOC and DOCX, RTF and common image formats.

The general steps are the same whichever entry point you use:

1. Download the EPUB of the book, for example The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, to your computer or phone.
2. Open Send to Kindle. The options Amazon offers include a web page where you drag files in, a desktop program for Windows and macOS, a browser extension, the share sheet in the Kindle app on iOS and Android, and an email address attached to each Kindle.
3. Choose the file and, if asked, which device or app should receive it. Documents sent this way are stored in your Amazon library and can be delivered to any Kindle on the account.
4. Wait a few minutes, then sync the Kindle (on most devices, pull down from the top of the home screen or use the sync option in settings). The book appears in your library like any purchased title.

A few things to know about the email route, which is the oldest and still the most flexible:

• Each Kindle device and app has its own Send-to-Kindle email address, visible in your Amazon account’s content and devices settings.
• Amazon only accepts mail from addresses you have added to an approved list in the same settings, which stops strangers filling your Kindle.
• Attach the EPUB as a normal attachment. Subject and body can be empty.

Books delivered through Send to Kindle keep their chapter navigation, show the cover if the EPUB contains one, and sync your reading position and highlights across devices like any other Kindle book.

Method 2: USB transfer

If you would rather not go through Amazon’s servers, or you have an older Kindle without wireless access, a cable works.

1. Download the Kindle-format file from Project Gutenberg (not the EPUB).
2. Connect the Kindle to a computer with its USB cable. On most models it appears as a removable drive; on some recent models you may have to confirm on the device’s screen that you want to allow file transfer.
3. Open the drive and find the folder named documents.
4. Copy the file into that folder.
5. Eject the drive safely and unplug the cable. The book shows up on the home screen after a moment.

The main limitation of USB transfer is that the book exists only on that one device. It is not in your Amazon library, so it will not sync to the Kindle app on your phone, and reading position is not shared. For most readers that is fine for a one-off, and Send to Kindle is better for anything you want on more than one screen.

PDF and TXT files can also be copied over USB and will open, with the limitations described in EPUB vs PDF vs TXT: PDFs do not reflow, and TXT files lose their formatting.

Method 3: The Kindle app on phones and tablets

You do not need a Kindle device to use any of this. The free Kindle app for iOS and Android is registered to the same Amazon account and receives Send to Kindle deliveries alongside your Kindle books.

• iPhone and iPad. Download the EPUB in Safari or another browser, open the share sheet, and choose the Kindle app; it hands the file to Send to Kindle. Alternatively use the Send to Kindle web page on a computer and let the app sync.
• Android. The Kindle app can open an EPUB or PDF directly from the Files app or the browser’s downloads, and it can also share the file to Send to Kindle so it reaches your other devices.

Reading on a phone has its own trade-offs. Backlit screens are harder on the eyes over long sessions than e-ink, but a phone is always with you, and a short book such as Grimms’ Fairy Tales read a tale at a time suits it well.

Which method to use

	Send to Kindle	USB cable	Kindle app only
File to download	EPUB	Kindle format	EPUB or PDF
Needs an internet connection	Yes	No	Yes for syncing
Appears on all your Kindles	Yes	No, one device	Yes, if sent through Send to Kindle
Reading position and highlights sync	Yes	No	Yes, if sent through Send to Kindle
Works on Kindles with no wireless	No	Yes	Not applicable
Goes through Amazon’s servers	Yes	No	Depends on route

Keeping the library organised

A Kindle library with a few hundred free books in it becomes hard to use unless you tidy as you go.

• Collections. Kindle e-readers and apps let you group books into named collections. Grouping by author (Jane Austen, Charles Dickens) or by shelf (gothic horror, adventure, children’s books) is the simplest scheme. A “To read” collection prevents downloads from piling up unseen.
• Fix metadata before sending. Project Gutenberg files carry the author and title correctly, but if you are sending files from other sources, or sending many at once, a desktop tool such as Calibre can set the author, title, series and cover before you send them, so they sort properly on the device.
• Download or remove from device. Books in your Amazon library do not have to sit on every device. On the e-reader, remove a finished book from the device; it remains in the cloud and can be re-downloaded later.
• Filters. The library view on Kindle devices can be filtered to show only downloaded items or only documents sent by you, which separates free uploads from store purchases.
• Series in order. For multi-volume works such as Anne of Green Gables and its sequels, or Little Women and its follow-ups, add a number to the title or use a collection so they sit together.

Common problems

• The book arrived but the cover is a generic grey image. The EPUB did not include a cover image, or the conversion did not pick it up. Downloading the “with images” EPUB usually fixes it.
• The file was rejected. Check the file type. A .mobi file is no longer accepted by Send to Kindle; a Kindle-format file from Gutenberg is meant for USB, not for sending. Very large files can also exceed the per-file limit Amazon states on its help page.
• Chapters are missing from the table of contents. The EPUB’s navigation was incomplete. The Standard Ebooks edition of the same book, where one exists, often has cleaner structure; see How to Find Legal Free Ebooks.
• The Kindle does not appear as a drive. Try a different cable (some are charge-only), and look for a prompt on the Kindle’s screen asking whether to allow the connection.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to convert EPUB files myself before sending them to Kindle?

No. Since Amazon added EPUB to Send to Kindle in 2022, the service converts the file for you. Manual conversion with Calibre is only needed for the USB route, and even then Project Gutenberg already provides a Kindle-format download, so conversion is rarely necessary.

Is it legal to put Project Gutenberg books on a Kindle?

Yes, in the United States, where the books have been cleared as public domain, and in any other country where the same works are out of copyright. The Project Gutenberg licence allows personal copying and use without restriction. Readers outside the US should check the author’s death year against their national term; Public Domain Books Explained shows how.

Will free books count against Kindle storage?

Books sent through Send to Kindle are stored in your Amazon cloud library and only take space on the device while downloaded. Public domain novels are small, typically well under a megabyte without images, so even a modest Kindle holds hundreds. Scanned PDFs are the exception and can be tens of megabytes each.

Can I read these books on a Kindle without an Amazon account?

Over USB, yes: a Kindle-format file copied into the documents folder opens without any account. Send to Kindle and the Kindle app both require an Amazon account because the delivery goes through your Amazon library.