You can gift a Kindle book directly from Amazon in about two minutes
When you buy a Kindle book to send to someone else, Amazon handles the delivery for you — the recipient gets an email with a link to claim it, and it appears in their Kindle library. You don't need to know their Amazon password or account number. The process works the same whether you're sending it to someone across the country or across the world, and the recipient can read it on any device that has the Kindle app installed: a Kindle e-reader, phone, tablet, or computer.
The main limitation is that not every Kindle book can be gifted. Publishers set whether a title is giftable, and roughly 10 to 15 percent of the Kindle catalog is locked out. You'll know immediately whether a book can be gifted — the option simply won't appear if it can't be.
Key Takeaways
- You gift a Kindle book from the book's product page on Amazon by clicking "Buy as a Gift" instead of "Buy Now".
- You'll enter the recipient's email address, choose a delivery date, and optionally add a personal message before checkout.
- The recipient receives an email from Amazon with a claim link; they don't need to do anything else to read the book.
- Some Kindle books cannot be gifted because the publisher has restricted that option, and you'll see this before you buy.
- A gifted Kindle book is a permanent addition to the recipient's library and cannot be returned or refunded once claimed.
Finding the "Buy as a Gift" button
Go to the Amazon product page for the Kindle book you want to send. On the right side of the page, below the price, you'll see two buttons: one says "Buy Now" and one says "Buy as a Gift". Click "Buy as a Gift".
If you only see "Buy Now" and no gift option, that book cannot be gifted — the publisher has restricted it. In that case, you can still buy the book for yourself, but you cannot send it to someone else through Amazon's gifting system. Your only alternative is to buy a physical copy or a different edition if one exists.
The "Buy as a Gift" button appears in the same place on desktop, tablet, and phone browsers. If you're using the Amazon mobile app, tap the three-dot menu icon at the top right of the product page and select "Buy as a Gift" from the dropdown.
Entering the recipient's information and message
After you click "Buy as a Gift", a form appears asking for the recipient's email address. Type the email address they actually check — this is where Amazon will send the claim link. Double-check the spelling; if you enter it wrong, the recipient won't receive the email and the book will sit unclaimed.
Next, you'll choose a delivery date. You can send it immediately, or you can schedule it to arrive on a specific date up to one year in the future. This is useful if you're gifting a book for a birthday or holiday and want it to arrive on that day rather than today.
Below the delivery date, there's an optional field for a personal message. You can write a note of up to 200 characters — something like "I thought you'd love this" or "Can't wait to hear what you think." The message appears in the email the recipient receives, not in the book itself. If you don't want to add a message, you can leave this blank.
Completing the purchase and what happens next
Review your order — the book title, recipient email, delivery date, and any message you added. Then proceed to checkout as you normally would. You'll pay the same price as if you were buying the book for yourself, and the charge appears on your credit card or Amazon account balance.
Once the order is confirmed, Amazon sends an email to the recipient's address. The email contains the book title, your message if you included one, and a blue "Claim Your Book" button or link. The recipient clicks that link, and the book is added to their Kindle library. They don't need to buy anything, enter a code, or do anything else — it's ready to read immediately.
If you scheduled the book to arrive on a future date, the recipient won't receive the email until that date. The book doesn't appear in your library or theirs until the scheduled delivery time arrives.
What to do if the recipient doesn't receive the email
Check that you entered the email address correctly. If the recipient says they never got the email, ask them to check their spam or promotions folder — sometimes Amazon's emails end up there. If it's not there, the email address you entered was probably wrong.
If you made a mistake with the email address, you cannot change it after purchase. Instead, contact Amazon Customer Service and explain that you sent a gift to the wrong email address. They can sometimes cancel the unclaimed gift and refund you, or they can help you send a new one to the correct address. Have your order number ready when you contact them.
Once the recipient claims the book by clicking the link in the email, the gift is final. You cannot take it back, return it, or get a refund — the book is now part of their permanent library.
Gifting to someone without an Amazon account
The recipient does not need to have an Amazon account before you send them a Kindle book. When they click the claim link in the email, Amazon will ask them to create an account or sign in if they already have one. Once they're signed in, the book is added to their library.
If the recipient has never used Kindle before, they'll also need to download the Kindle app or use a Kindle device to read the book. The email includes instructions for this, but you can also point them to Amazon's Kindle apps page, where they can download the free app for their phone, tablet, or computer.
Books that cannot be gifted and your alternatives
Publishers decide which of their Kindle books can be gifted. Some publishers restrict gifting on all their titles, while others allow it on some books but not others. There's no way to predict which books will be giftable — you have to check the product page.
If a book you want to send cannot be gifted, you have a few options. You can buy a physical paperback or hardcover copy and mail it to them. You can buy the Kindle version for yourself and lend it to them if the publisher allows lending — many do, for up to 14 days. Or you can look for a different edition of the same book; sometimes a publisher offers one edition as giftable and another as non-giftable, though this is uncommon.
If you're not sure whether lending is an option, check the product page. Below the price, there's a line that says "Lending" followed by "Enabled" or "Not Enabled". If it says "Enabled", you can lend the book to someone for two weeks after you buy it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I gift a Kindle book to someone in another country?
Yes. Amazon will deliver the gift to any email address, regardless of where the recipient lives. They'll need to have or create an Amazon account to claim it, and they'll be able to read it on any device with the Kindle app. The price you pay is based on your location and currency, not theirs.
What if I want to gift multiple books at once?
You have to buy and gift each book separately — there's no way to send multiple books in a single transaction. Go through the "Buy as a Gift" process for each title. You can schedule them all to arrive on the same date if you want them to be claimed together.
Can the recipient re-gift a book they received as a gift?
No. Once someone claims a gifted Kindle book, it becomes part of their permanent library and cannot be gifted to someone else. They can read it, delete it from their library, or lend it if lending is enabled, but they cannot send it as a gift.
Is there a limit to how many books I can gift in a month?
Amazon doesn't publish a public limit on the number of gifts you can send. If you're sending dozens of books in a short period, Amazon may flag your account for review, but normal gifting — a few books a month — won't cause any problems.
What happens if the recipient's email address is no longer active?
If the email address is inactive or closed, the recipient won't receive the claim email and the gift will remain unclaimed. Contact Amazon Customer Service with your order number and explain the situation. They may be able to help you resend the gift to a different email address or process a refund.