Just because you don’t have a Kindle—or, for that matter, a iPhone, iPad, or Android phone that’s capable of running Amazon’s Kindle app—doesn’t mean you can’t still read a Kindle book. Thanks to the Amazon Cloud Reader, you can read Kindle books on the web using Safari, Firefox, Chrome, or Internet Explorer.
Ready to crack open a Kindle book in your Web browser? Let’s get started.
Opening the Amazon Cloud Reader in a web browser
First, launch your favorite web browser, then visit the Amazon Cloud Reader site at http://read.amazon.com.
Next, sign in to your Amazon account—or, if you don’t have a free Amazon account yet, click “Create a new account” to sign up for one.
Related: How to borrow a Kindle book from Amazon
Once you’re signed into your Amazon account, a window will appear with instructions for setting up your browser to store your Kindle books for “offline” reading, when you don’t have an Internet connection. Again, click the big yellow button and follow the instructions (they vary slightly depending on your browser).
If you’ve already bought Kindle books before, you’ll see them in a grid in your browser; just click a book cover, and presto—you’re reading.
How to buy Kindle books in the Amazon Cloud Reader
No Kindle books yet? Click the “Kindle Store” Button in the top-right corner of the page to begin shopping. Once you’ve chosen a Kindle book to buy, make sure to select your Kindle Cloud Reader in the “Deliver to” drop-down menu, which sits right below the “Buy” button.
Related: How to buy Kindle books on an iPhone or iPad
Don’t worry, you can always send your purchased book to a new device under your account by selecting “Manage Your Content and Devices” under the “Your Amazon” menu near the top of the page.
Managing your Kindle bookmarks, font sizes and background colors
As with the physical Kindle e-reader, the online Cloud Reader lets you add bookmarks as you read, and you can change the font size or background color of the pages.
The Cloud Reader will automatically download the most recently opened books in your Kindle library for when you don’t have an Internet connection (provided you went ahead and enabled the Cloud Reader’s offline reading mode). You can also manually select, or “pin,” a book for offline storage; to do so, just right-click on its cover in the Cloud Reader library.
Related: How to reset the furthest page read of a Kindle book you’re reading
Done reading? Then just close the browser window. And yes—you can always read your Kindle books from another browser or even a different PC or Mac once you log into your account.
Thanks so much, the Kindle app is terrible.
Thank you so much!!! I just exchanged my Kindle Fire for a first generation iPad and was starting to regret the decision.
May I see the “no-buys” book that I ulpoaded by myself?
My books are showing up on the web but if I select one, a window pops up saying that I have to remove the book and redown load it. When I try that, the book will reappear on the computer but I still can’t open it…repeat.
You cannot read books from the Kindle Lenders Library on any device except an Amazon product, including the free e-reader apps they designed to read books on another device. That is my understanding of an issue that is driving me nuts. anyone got a work around? i borrowed a HotWheels pricing guide for my bf to use, just to find he has to have my kindle to use it. I bought it thinking he could use my laptops cloud reader. i’m addicted to my Kindle. I don’t wanna share.
“Next, a window will appear with instructions for setting up your browser to store your Kindle books for “offline” reading, when you don’t have an Internet connection. Again, click the big yellow button and follow the instructions (they vary slightly depending on your browser).”
I did all that and was reading happily offline. My book downloaded to my computer…but the issue now is that I can’t get BACK to my downloaded book in my browser unless I’m online. There is no link to read my book offline and no obvious place where my computer has stored my book. So without the Kindle app, I have nowhere to point my browser to unless I go back to Amazon online and start again.