How to Read Kindle Books on PC, Mac, or the Web (2026)

Last updated: September 2026 — rewritten for the current Kindle apps and Kindle for Web.

You don’t need a Kindle device to read Kindle books. Amazon offers free ways to read them on a Windows PC, a Mac, or straight in your web browser — and your library, bookmarks, notes, and last page read stay in sync across all of them.

This guide starts with the tool every author needs — Kindle Previewer, to see your own book exactly as readers will — then shows you how to read Kindle books on PC, Mac, or the web, and how to read your own documents with Send to Kindle.

1. Kindle Previewer: See Your Book as Readers Will

If you’re writing or publishing a book, start here. Kindle Previewer lets you read your own eBook file on your PC or Mac exactly as it will appear on Kindle e-readers, tablets, and phones — before any reader sees it. It’s Amazon’s free desktop tool for authors and publishers, now at version 4, for Windows 10 (64-bit) or later and macOS 12 or later. Older versions, including Kindle Previewer 3, are no longer supported, so update if you have an old copy. Publishing on KDP? The Online Previewer in your KDP account offers the same basic device previews without installing anything.

How to preview your book

1. Download Kindle Previewer from the KDP website and install it.
2. Open your book file by dragging it onto the start screen, or with File → Open Book. Kindle Previewer opens EPUB, KPF, HTML, OPF, and Word (DOC and DOCX) files — Word support is limited to English-language books.
   
3. Kindle Previewer converts the file and shows it as it will appear on Kindle devices.
4. Use the Preview Options to switch between Kindle e-reader, tablet, and phone views, in portrait or landscape and at different font sizes.
5. Use the View All menu to jump through every image, list, or table in the book, or turn on Auto-Advance to flip through the whole book automatically.

What to check

• Every table of contents link goes to the right chapter.
• Chapter headings start on a new page and look the same throughout.
• Footnotes open as pop-up notes and link back to the text.
• Images are sharp and tables are readable on the smallest screen.
• No stray blank pages, odd spacing, or missing special characters.

Our free Kindle Formatting Checklist walks you through every check. When everything looks right, follow our guide on how to upload a book on Amazon Kindle.

Just want to read Kindle books you’ve bought? Use one of the three options below.

2. The Kindle App for PC and Mac

The free Kindle app is the most complete way to read Kindle books on a computer. It’s available for Windows PCs and Macs, as well as for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

How to set it up

1. Download the free app: on Windows, get Kindle for PC from Amazon’s Kindle apps page; on a Mac, get the Amazon Kindle app from the Mac App Store (it needs macOS 14 or later).
2. Install and open the app, then sign in with the Amazon account you use to buy Kindle books.
3. Your library appears automatically. Double-click a book to download and open it.

What you can do

• Read offline once a book has downloaded.
• Change the reading view — font, text size, margins, and background colour.
• Highlight, add notes, and bookmark — all synced to your other devices with Whispersync, so you can pick up on your phone where you stopped on your laptop.
• Look up words in the built-in dictionary.

3. Kindle for Web: Read in Your Browser

Kindle for Web — previously called Kindle Cloud Reader — lets you read Kindle books in a web browser, with nothing to install. It’s ideal on a work computer, a shared computer, or a Chromebook.

1. Go to read.amazon.com in an up-to-date browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.
2. Sign in with your Amazon account.
3. Choose a book from your library to start reading.

Your reading position syncs with your other Kindle apps and devices. On a shared computer, remember to sign out when you finish.

4. Read Your Own Files with Send to Kindle

Want to read a document that you didn’t buy from Amazon — a review copy, a report, or your own manuscript? Send to Kindle adds it to your Kindle library, where it appears alongside your books in the Kindle app, on Kindle for Web, and on your Kindle devices.

• From your browser: go to amazon.com/sendtokindle and drag your file in.
• By email: send the file as an attachment to your Kindle’s Send to Kindle email address, which you’ll find in your Amazon account under your Kindle devices and preferences. Only emails from addresses on your approved list are accepted.
• From an app: Amazon also offers Send to Kindle for iOS and Android, a Chrome extension, and Send to Kindle apps for Windows and Mac.

Send to Kindle accepts EPUB, PDF, Word (DOC and DOCX), TXT, RTF, and HTML files, plus JPG, PNG, GIF, and BMP images, up to 200 MB per file. MOBI isn’t on the list of supported file types — if you have an old MOBI file, convert it to EPUB first. See our guide to eBook formats for the difference.

Which Option Should You Use?

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I see how my own book will look on a Kindle?

Open your manuscript or eBook file in Kindle Previewer, Amazon’s free tool for authors. It shows your book in e-reader, tablet, and phone views before you publish.

Can I read Kindle books on my computer for free?

Yes. The Kindle app for PC and Mac and Kindle for Web are both free. You only pay for the books you buy — and there are many free Kindle books too.

What happened to Kindle Cloud Reader?

Amazon renamed it Kindle for Web. It still runs at read.amazon.com and works in any up-to-date web browser.

Can I read EPUB files on Kindle?

Yes — send the EPUB to your Kindle library with Send to Kindle, and Amazon converts it so you can read it in the Kindle app and on Kindle devices.

Can I read Kindle books offline on my PC?

Yes, in the Kindle app for PC or Mac. Download the book while you’re online, and you can read it without an internet connection.