How to Update Your Kindle Regular, Paperwhite, and Oasis Edition

Your Kindle reader might not have all the functionalities of a full-blown tablet, but it certainly has well-designed software operating at the back end. Thankfully, Amazon regularly updates the software to improve the user experience and add new features. In this article, we’ll show you how to update your Kindle reader and stay on the latest software.

There are two ways in which you can update your Kindle reader. You can use the built-in option to do so or update it manually. We’ll show you both of them in detail. But first, let us have a brief understanding of why you should update it.

Why Should You Update Your Kindle Reader

All my Kindle does is just help me read a book… why would it need software updates?

You might have thought about this question once you started reading this article. Yes, all your Kindle does is help you read a book – it’s the one thing it does and it does it best. However, this would not be possible without reliable software that is at the heart of your Kindle reader.

Authors who work on digital books constantly strive to provide the reader with the best experience possible. This way, they constantly update and innovate ways in which they create these ebooks. Hence, your Kindle reader must adapt to the ever-evolving ebook writing styles. Therefore, Amazon pushes software updates on your Kindle so that it is compatible with the latest books.

Not just that, even if Amazon discovers a way to enhance the user experience, they will certainly consider implementing it and will push a firmware update to change the UI. And of course – all the bug fixes can only be possible via firmware updates.

Now that we know why software updates are important, let’s understand the prerequisites before understanding the process.

What You Need to Know Before You Update Your Kindle

Your Kindle reader version and the software version information will come in handy before you update your Kindle. So, here’s how to check the same.

Step 1: Tap anywhere on the screen and select the downward-facing arrow on the topmost section of the screen.

Step 2: Tap on all Settings.

Step 3: Tap on the three dots icon and select Device Info.

Let’s now begin with the procedure to update the e-reader.

How to Update Kindle Reader Software

As mentioned earlier, there are two ways to update the firmware on your Kindle reader. Let’s see how we can do that using the Settings menu.

Method 1: Update Via Settings

Step 1: Tap anywhere on the screen and select the downward-facing arrow on the topmost section of the screen.

Step 2: Tap on all Settings.

Step 3: Tap on Device Options.

Step 4: Tap on ‘Update Your Kindle’.

This will update the device to the latest firmware version.

If you do not have Wi-Fi access on your Kindle or if you are unable to update it using the above method, move on to the next method.

Method 2: Update the Software Manually

Step 1: Visit Amazon’s official Kindle software update page.

Kindle E-Reader Software Update Website

Step 2: Next to your Kindle Reader version, tap on ‘Download Software Update’.

Note: You can check your Kindle device information as shown in the previous section.

Step 3: Once the update file is downloaded, copy the file.

Step 4: Connect the Kindle to your PC/Mac with a USB cable and paste the copied update file onto the Kindle drive. You don’t need to add it to any specific folder, you can just copy it to the drive.

Now, go back to your Kindle reader.

Step 5: Tap anywhere on the screen and select the downward-facing arrow on the topmost section of the screen.

Step 6: Tap on all Settings.

Step 7: Tap on Device Options.

Step 8: Tap on ‘Update Your Kindle’.

However, if you notice that the ‘Update Your Kindle’ option is greyed out, move on to the next section.

Update Your Kindle Greyed Out: What Does It Mean

If the Update option is greyed out, it may mean any of the following:

• You are already on the latest version of the software.
• The device doesn’t have an active internet connection, which is necessary to update it.
• Your Kindle might be in flight mode. Turn it off and connect to Wi-Fi.

And that is everything you need to know on how to Update your Kindle to the latest firmware. If you have any more questions, you can take a look at our FAQ section below.

FAQs on Kindle Software Update

Update Your Kindle With Ease

We hope this article helped you get the latest update on your Kindle. The next time you are facing an issue and see a lot of others complain about it in forums, you can hope to receive a firmware update. With Amazon taking a major stride in e-reader development with the Kindle Scribe, it is interesting to know how the E-Ink software will evolve in the next few years!