How To Read Kindle Books on your PC or Online

Do you have Kindle books but no Kindle? Want the freedom to read Kindle books on your PC or online? Fortunately, you can access your eBooks from anywhere.

When you buy a Kindle eBook, you don’t buy a physical item, but rather just a license to read that book. A copy of the book is stored in your Amazon account and downloaded to each device with the Kindle reader app and/or your Kindle Fire. A copy is downloaded to any device with the reader app, which means you can read your book anywhere.

The upside is that you can read the book anywhere you like on any device. The downside is that you can’t simply open a book and start reading. But don’t worry; this article will teach you how to read an eBook anywhere and without a Kindle device.

How to Read Kindle eBooks on a Computer

In theory, you could begin a book on your Kindle Fire, continue reading it on your phone on the way to work, read a bit more at lunch online, and then go back to your Fire when you get home. As long as each device has a network connection and you log in to your Amazon account on each, you can do exactly that.

Note: Amazon uses Whispersync, which, aside from being a very cool name for cloud syncing technology, allows you to seamlessly pick up and put down a book on different devices.

Here is how to read a Kindle eBook using the Kindle app.

1. Download the Kindle eBook reader for PC, Mac, Android, and iOS from here.
   
2. Log in to the app with your Amazon account credentials. Then, select the book you’d like to read.
   
3. Now, you can read your book.
   
4. Click the box icon to the left to increase the size of the page, making it easier to read.
   

The app makes it really easy to read your book on your computer. All you need to do is open the Kindle application and click on the book you want to read. But, if you don’t have space on your computer or don’t want to install the app, you can read your book on a web browser too.

Once the app is set up on your devices, you can start a Kindle book on your PC and then continue reading it on the subway or wherever on your phone and so on. Whispersync remembers the page of the book and links to your account. When you access the app on a different device the app checks Whispersync, gets the page number of the book in progress, and shows the last page you read. No scrolling is necessary on your end.

How to Read Kindle Books Online

But what if you’re using a computer at the library or the computer on your desk at the office? You can’t exactly install whatever apps you want on those. But don’t worry. You can also read Kindle books online using the Kindle Cloud Reader. The Kindle Cloud Reader is one of many cloud services offered by Amazon that allows you to read your Kindle eBooks even if you don’t have your usual devices with you. So if the battery runs out on your smartphone or your laptop is in the shop, you can read as long as you have a browser and internet access.

It uses the same Kindle platform as Whispersync, which is tied to your account. Kindle Cloud Reader accesses the main copy of your Kindle eBook, caches it in your browser, and uses the Whispersync data to find the page you were on. The book is then ready to read anywhere and on nearly any device.

1. You can access Kindle Cloud Reader here.
   
2. Select the book you’d like to read.
   
3. The book will open to the page where you left off.
   

The book will open in a pseudo-Kindle app within the browser window, and you can read as usual.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to more questions we’ve been asked about reading Kindle eBooks online.

Can I make my book full page online or on the Kindle app?

While you can increase the font size and change the text from one column to two, your book won’t fill the entire screen like it does on a Kindle device. Of course, you can make the app or the web browser full screen, but the book still won’t take up the full screen.

The Kindle desktop app will fill the page more than the browser will. If you want to increase the size of the page tap on the Aa icon at the top. Then, select the Single column option.

If you want to increase the size of your book on the Kindle Desktop app tap on the Aa icon. Then, move the slider next to Page width to the right.

Can I darken the background of my book?

Absolutely! You can change the background to white, black, or sepia on the Kindle app and the web browser. All you need to do is tap the Aa icon and select one of the options to darken your screen.

The Kindle Cloud reader online offers an additional option to turn your background to green.

Cheap or free Kindle eBooks

If you have a Kindle library but like the idea of cheap or free eBooks, Amazon has you covered there, too. Kindle Book Deals is the place you need to be. It is where all the discounted books are listed, and includes daily, monthly, and Kindle exclusive deals, so it is well worth checking out.

For free eBooks, you need this page that lists all of the current freebies on Kindle.