The quickest way to delete a book from Kindle
Open the Kindle app on your phone, tablet, or computer. Find the book in your library, press and hold it (or right-click on a computer), and tap Remove from Library. The book disappears from your device immediately. If you change your mind later, you can download it again from your library without paying a second time — Amazon keeps a record that you own it.
The process is the same whether you bought the book, borrowed it from Kindle Unlimited, or received it as a gift. Removing it from the app does not delete it from Amazon's servers or affect your account. It only clears space on the device you are using.
If you want to delete a book permanently so you cannot re-download it, you need to go to Amazon's website instead. The app itself has no permanent deletion option.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold a book in the Kindle app library, then tap Remove from Library to delete it from your device.
- Removing a book from the app does not erase your ownership record — you can download it again later without repaying.
- To permanently delete a book so you cannot re-download it, you must use Amazon's website, not the app.
- On a computer, right-click the book cover instead of pressing and holding.
- Deleting a book from one device does not affect your library on other devices unless you also remove it there.
Why you might want to delete a book from your device
The most common reason is to free up storage space. The Kindle app stores book files on your device, and large books or many books can use several gigabytes. Deleting books you have finished or no longer want to read is an easy way to reclaim that space without uninstalling the app itself.
Another reason is to clean up your library view. If you have hundreds of books, scrolling through them becomes tedious. Removing books you will never read again makes it easier to find the ones you actually want to open.
Some people delete books because they borrowed them through Kindle Unlimited and the rental period ended. Once the loan expires, you can no longer read the book, so removing it from your device makes sense. You can borrow it again later if you want.
How deletion works across your devices
When you remove a book from the Kindle app on one device, it stays in your library on all your other devices. If you have the Kindle app on your phone and your tablet, deleting a book from your phone does not remove it from your tablet. You have to delete it separately on each device.
This is useful if you want to keep a book on your tablet but remove it from your phone to save space. It also means you can re-download a book to your phone later without affecting your tablet.
If you want to remove a book from all your devices at once, you can do that through Amazon's website. Go to your Manage Your Content and Devices page, find the book, and choose the option to remove it. This removes it from every device where it is stored.
Permanently deleting a book from your Amazon account
Removing a book from the app is temporary — you own it forever and can download it again. If you want to erase it completely so you cannot re-download it, you must use Amazon's website.
Go to amazon.com, sign in, and navigate to Manage Your Content and Devices (usually found under your account menu). Find the book you want to delete, click the three-dot menu next to it, and select Delete. Amazon will ask you to confirm. Once you confirm, the book is removed from your account permanently.
This action cannot be undone. You will have to purchase the book again if you want it back. Use this option only if you are certain you will never want to read the book again.
What happens to books you borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Kindle Unlimited is Amazon's subscription service that lets you borrow books for free, up to a certain number at a time. When your borrow period ends (usually 14 days), the book is automatically removed from your library on Amazon's website. You can no longer read it on any device.
If you want to remove a Kindle Unlimited book before the borrow period ends, you can delete it from the app or from your account. This frees up one of your borrow slots so you can borrow a different book. The book remains available to borrow again later if you want.
Deleting a Kindle Unlimited book does not affect your subscription or your account in any way. You still have access to all other books in the Kindle Unlimited catalog.
Troubleshooting: When a book will not delete
If you press and hold a book and Remove from Library does not appear, the app may not have loaded properly. Close the Kindle app completely and open it again. Then try deleting the book once more.
On some devices, the menu appears as a small icon (three dots or lines) rather than as text. Look for this icon next to or above the book cover. Tap it to see your options.
If you are trying to delete a book you borrowed through Kindle Unlimited and it will not delete, the borrow period may have already ended. Check your Manage Your Content and Devices page on Amazon's website to see the status of the book. If the borrow period has expired, the book should already be gone from your library.
Deleting books on different devices
On an iPhone or iPad: Open the Kindle app, find the book, press and hold it until a menu appears, and tap Remove from Library.
On an Android phone or tablet: Open the Kindle app, find the book, press and hold it, and tap Remove from Library.
On a Mac or Windows computer: Open the Kindle app, find the book in your library, right-click it, and select Remove from Library.
On a Kindle e-reader device: Navigate to your library, highlight the book, press the menu button (three dots or lines), and select Remove from Device. Note that this removes it only from the e-reader itself, not from your Amazon account.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I delete a book from Kindle, do I lose it forever?
No. Deleting a book from the app removes it from your device but keeps it in your Amazon account. You can download it again anytime without paying. To permanently erase it so you cannot re-download it, you must delete it from your Manage Your Content and Devices page on Amazon's website.
Can I delete a book from my phone but keep it on my tablet?
Yes. Removing a book from the Kindle app on one device does not affect your library on other devices. Delete it from your phone, and it stays on your tablet. You delete each device separately.
What if I delete a book by accident?
If you deleted it from the app only, go to your library on Amazon's website or in the Kindle app and re-download it. If you permanently deleted it from your account, you will need to purchase it again. Amazon does not restore permanently deleted books.
Does deleting a Kindle book free up storage space on my device?
Yes. Each book file takes up space on your device. Deleting books you no longer read frees up that storage for other apps and files. The amount of space freed depends on the book's size — some books are a few megabytes, others are larger.
Can I delete multiple books at once?
The Kindle app does not have a bulk delete feature. You must remove books one at a time by pressing and holding each one. On Amazon's website, you can select multiple books and delete them together, which is faster if you want to remove many at once.