Sync kindle books by Kindle for PC (Mac), make sure all the books are downloaded and you can read all the books (in other words, make sure it is downloaded to your computer, not in “Archived Items”). Step 3: Open Kindle DRM Removal. Drag books to ePUBee software, Kindle books are saved in '.My DocumentsMy Kindle Content' as default.
This article talks about how to do Kindle DRM removal on Mac and Windows. Kindle books purchased from Amazon are protected by the DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology. In other words, you can only read them on a Kindle device or a Kindle app, making it impossible to enjoy your purchased books on ebook readers or apps other than the Kindle ones. By using DRM removal software, you can make the impossible possible.
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to easily remove DRM from Kindle books with Epubor Ultimate and Calibre.
Part 1: The Best 4 Methods to Convert Kindle to PDF on Mac and Windows #1. Convert Kindle to PDF with Kindle Converter from eBook DRM Removal on Mac & Windows This Kindle DRM / DRM-free ebook can be conveniently converted to PDF,ePub, Word formats by using this Kindle Converter on Mac. DRM for Mac can also serve as eBook Converter to remove AZW DRM from downloaded digital books in Kindle and then convert to DRM-free format like epub, mobi, azw3, txt, etc., for breaking the limitations on specified eBook APP and devices. Kindle books can be downloaded to your computer via Kindle for Mac. In this case, Epubor Ultimate is the best Kindle DRM Removal for you to decrypt your Kindle books that are downloaded via Kindle for Mac with no hassle. Besides, you can also install Calibre DeDRM Plugin to Calibre to remove Kindle DRM.
- Remove DRM protection from Kindle ebooks
- Support Kindle for Mac/PC and different Kindle e-readers
- Convert Kindle books to EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, TXT and PDF
- Support 13 input ebook formats
- Can batch process multiple books
- Also support ebooks bought from other popular ebook stores
- Also remove Nook DRM
- Easy to use
- Available for Windows and macOS
Method 1. Kindle DRM Removal with Epubor Ultimate
It’s easy and effective to remove DRM protection from Kindle books using Epubor Ultimate.
Step 1. Download and install the software on your Mac or PC.
Step 2. Launch the software. And it will automatically detect the ebooks that have been downloaded to Kindle for PC/Mac or on the Kindle e-reader connected to your computer via USB. The books will be listed in the left sidebar.
Step 3. When you click a book in the sidebar, the DRM removal process will start. Once it is finished, the now DRM-free Kindle book will appear in the window on the right. To decrypt multiple books, just repeat the process.
By clicking the folder icon in the bottom right corner of the interface, you will open the folder where the decrypted Kindle ebooks are stored.
This Kindle DRM removal software program also comes with a conversion feature. If needed, you can also use it to convert the now-decrypted books to EPUB, MOBI, PDF or other desired formats.
A guide to downloading Kindle books to your computer
The guide is important for a successful Kindle DRM removal.
Before performing the steps above, you of course need to get a Kindle book purchased and downloaded first. There is more than one way to do this. Here I talk about one of them.
Step 1. Download Kindle for PC 1.17, regardless of the latest version available. Make sure you get the installer from a source that you trust. Install it.
If you have already installed a higher version such as 1.26 or 1.25, you need to downgrade it.
Kindle Azw Drm Removal Mac
Step 2. Launch it. From the menu bar, select Tools > Options > General. Uncheck the box Automatically install updates when they are available without asking me. Click the Save button.
Step 3. When you are buying a Kindle book from Amazon, click the Deliver to drop-down list and choose to send the book to your Kindle for PC.
Step 4. In Kindle for PC, click the refresh icon. Go to the Downloaded tab to find the downloaded book, which is DRM-protected.
Now you can use the recommended software to remove DRM from the Kindle book.
With regard to Kindle AZW DRM removal, Epubor Ultimate suggests that users downgrade to the desktop Kindle app to version 1.24 or earlier. But it still doesn’t work in some cases. Version 1.17 is recommended.
The steps are similar for macOS users.
What does Epubor Ultimate do?
- Remove DRM protection from Kindle books
- Support Kindle for PC/Mac and different Kindle models
- Support 13 input formats such as AZW, AZW3, KFX, EPUB, MOBI, etc.
- Provide 5 output formats for conversion
- Allow batch processing
- Support books purchased from Amazon, Nook, Google Play, Kobo and other popular sources
- Also remove Nook DRM
- Automatic detection of ebooks and devices
- Easy to use even for beginners
Method 2. Kindle DRM Removal with Calibre
If you are a fan of ebooks, you may have already known Calibre or had it on your computer. Calibre is a free open source ebook library manager. It’s easy to use and versatile, providing a number of basic and advanced features and options. Free DRM removal is one of them.
Step 1. Download and install Calibre on your PC or Mac. Launch it.
Step 2. Download Calibre plugin DeDRM from GitHub. There are several versions available. Make sure to choose a version that suits you. For example, version 6.7.0, the latest version currently, doesn’t work with Calibre versions requiring Python 3 for plugins.
Step 3. Unzip the zipped file you have downloaded.
Step 4. In Calibre, open Preferences. Navigate to Advanced and click Plugins, which will bring up the Plugins window.
Step 5. Click Load plugin from file in the bottom right corner. Select DeDRM_plugin.zip and click Open.
Step 6. The Are you sure dialog box will appear. Click Yes. Now the Calibre Kindle DRM removal plugin should be successfully installed.
Step 7. Click the Apply button in at the bottom of the window to save changes.
Step 8. Find the Kindle AZW or KFX ebook that you have downloaded to your desktop Kindle app. Add the ebook to Calibre by dragging and dropping or by clicking the Add books button in the menu bar.
- With Kindle for PC, the default location of downloaded books is “C:Usersyour user nameDocumentsMy Kindle Content“.
- For Mac users who install Kindle for Mac from the Mac App Store, the default location is “/Users/your user name/Library/Containers/com.amazon.Kindle/Data/Library/Application Support/Kindle/My Kindle Content“. As for other download sources, it will be “/Users/your user name/Library/Application Support/Kindle/My Kindle Content“.
Once the Kindle book is added to your Calibre library, the DRM encryption will be removed simultaneously, and you should have no problem viewing and manipulating it.
On a side note, some Calibre users use the method on rented Kindle books and succeed, but it fails in many cases. It’s recommended that one only remove DRM protection from books one purchases and owns.
Kindle DRM removal failed?
What if it’s not working?
In some cases, people still get the This book has DRM message after completing these steps. There are two common fixes.
- Check out the guide provided in the first method and downgrade to the right version.
- Fix it by installing another plugin. Open the Calibre Plugins window and click the Get New plugins button. Enter KFX Input in the Filter by name box. Click Install and click OK. Restart Calibre.
Conclusion
Above are the common ways to do easy Kindle DRM removal on Mac and Windows. We remove encryption for the sake of a less restricted reading experience. For heavy users of ebooks and e-readers, the Epubor DRM removal software is recommended due to great performance, multiple supported input/output formats and the support for all popular ebook stores.
Phillips, NinaHow to Convert AZW3 to PDF and Remove DRM (Free Online Included)
With the easy availability of eBooks on the websites today, we prefer to view books on Kindle device. While with [...]
There are different ways to remove kindle drm when you “Google” on the internet. But are they really valid? Along with the Kindle forced to upgrade to the latest version 1.30 without permission, things just got a little harder for folks who want to remove kindle drm from their purchase kindle books.
Here are two 100% effective ways to removing Kindle DRM and converting Kindle to epub/pdf/azw3/docs.
Tools you’ll need:
Method 1, Use Older Version Kindle for PC/Mac(Kindle for PC1.24 and Mac 1.23)
This method works for: Windows 7, 8, 10, Mac 10.12 to 10.14
If you are running Catalina or Big Sur, you must use K4Mac 1.25+. Older Kindle for Mac will not work on Catalina or Big Sur because Kindle app 1.23 and older version is 32-bit, and Catalina and Big Sur require 64-bit. Please follow 100% effective method to remove kindle drm on Mac Catalina and Big Sur.
Make sure you’re not using any current version of the kindle application as the kfx format books can’t be unlocked yet.
If you are using the latest version (higher then kindle for pc 1.24 and mac 1.23) of Kindle application, please revert to older kindle version. You can either choose to downgrade kindle app to older version manually or automatically. If I were you, I will choose the auto downgrade method cause it is much easier.
How to revert to older version of Kindle for PC/Mac manually?
1) De-register Kindle for PC/Mac. Run Kindle for PC, go to Tools>>Options>>Registration>>Deregister.
Then check “I understand that deregistering will cause all content I have downloaded from the Kindle store to be removed from this device” and then click on “Deregister”.
2) Uninstall Kindle for PC/Mac.
3) Delete the Kindle for PC/Mac preferences.
PC: Delete the directory here:
C:UsersUserNameDocumentsMy Kindle Content
Mac: Delete the directory here: (If there are both, please delete all of them.)
Kindle Mac Drm
/Users/UserName/Library/Application Support/Kindle/My Kindle Content
Or
/Users/UserName/Library/Containers/com.amazon.Kindle/Data/Library/Application Support/Kindle/My Kindle Content
4) Download and reinstall Kindle for PC 1.24 or Kindle for Mac 1.23
5）Register Kindle for PC/Mac with your Amazon account.
How to auto downgrade kindle for PC/Mac to older version?
1) Install iSummersoft Kindle Converter and run it. You’ll see the notification:
Your current version of kindle for PC/Mac is …., downgrade to 1.24/1.23 can remove kindle drm. Downgrade now.
Just click “Downgrade now”.
Let the software help you to downgrade kindle for pc/mac to older version itself.
After downgrading your kindle for PC/Mac to older version, just register kindle for PC/MAC.
No matter which method you used, you can downgrade your kindle for PC/MAC to older version. Now download your kindle books via older version of Kindle for PC/MAC. Don’t use the files you have downloaded previously.
Run iSummersoft Kindle Converter. Drag & drop kindle for PC/Mac books from left to right panel.
Select the output format, and then click “Convert to XX” to start the conversion.
Once finished, a round yellow check mark will appear. Just click it to find your converted drm-free kindle books.
Method 2, What if I cannot revert to older Kindle app? –For those who running Mac Catalina 10.15 or Mac Big sur 11.1
This method works for: Windows 7, 8, 10, Mac 10.12 to Catalina and Big Sur
Cases that you cannot revert to older version of Kindle for PC/Mac
- #1 Your Mac system is updated to Mac Catalina 10.15 or Mac Big Sur 11.0.1.
- #2 Your Kindle for PC/Mac is forced to updated to the latest version.
- #3 You are not willing to downgrade Kindle for PC/Mac to older version.
This method will disable kindle kfx format so that you can download kindle books with easier kindle drm.
Remove Kindle DRM from Kindle App 1.25+(including 1.30)
1) Exit Kindle for PC/MAC.
2) Disable Kindle kfx format on Kindle for PC/Mac, delete downloaded kindle books and re-download them again.
On Windows:
Open your command windows, cut and paste the following command to it and press “Enter”.
Kindle Drm Removal Mac
ren %localappdata%AmazonKindleapplicationrenderer-test.exe renderer-test.xxx
Note: The renderer-test program may be in a different location in some Kindle for PC installations. You can find its location: Tools>>Options>>Content>>Current content folder is where your kindle books stored.
Or
DownloadKindle.cmd fileand run it to disable kindle kfx.
Then remove your previous downloaded kindle books and re-download them again.
On Mac:
Open terminal, cut and paste the following command to it and press “Enter”.
chmod -x /Applications/Kindle.app/Contents/MacOS/renderer-test
Note: This prevents the renderer-test program from executing, blocking the use of KFX.
If you are failed with a permission error, try again with sudo:
sudo chmod -x /Applications/Kindle.app/Contents/MacOS/renderer-test
Then input passwords and press “Enter”.
Launch Kindle for mac, any books previously downloaded in KFX format will no longer open. Remove previous downloaded kindle books and right click the book cover, select “Download” or use menu bar “File > Download” to get your kindle books re-downloaded again.
Please don’t read/open this book until you have removed DRM from it successfully. If you open the book, you end up with .kcr, in which case remove it and re-download per above without opening it.
3) Run iSummersoft Kindle Converter. Add the Kindle books to the right column.
4) Then pick the output format and click “Convert to xxx” to convert kindle books to epub, pdf, docx, azw3 or Mobi format.
Once finished, click “Open” and you’ll find your converted kindle books.
Removing Kindle DRM FAQS
How to fix? Kindle for Mac will quit unexpectedly after executing this command.
Does your K4Mac 1.30 crash with a “Kindle quit unexpectedly” error message every time you close it?
Answer: That’s because you have disabled renderer-test. If you’ve applied chmod -x to 1.30 (and possibly 1.29) Kindle for Mac will crash if you try to open and read a book (as opposed to just downloading it).
If you want to read on kindle for Mac, stick with 1.28 or earlier. Or after removing the DRM from your Kindle books, you can run the following command:
chmod +x /Applications/Kindle.app/Contents/MacOS/renderer-test
Then delete downloaded books and re-download them again.
Does this method work on Mac Big Sur?
Sure, this method works on both Mac Catalina and Mac big Sur. It even works on almost all PC and Mac platform.
How to stop kindle for PC/Mac update?
Amazon has gotten aggressive with forced auto-updates, even if you have unchecked auto-updates in Preferences.
Workaround 1: Under Kindle->Preferences->Updates I unchecked “Automatically install updates when they are available without asking me”
Workaround 2:
On Mac:
To get around this, go to User > Library > Application Support > Kindle folder(~/Library/Application Support/Kindle folder) and replace the “updates” folder with an empty txt file named “updates” (no extension).
It always asks on startup if you want to download the new version, please always choose “Skip this version” and it will remain on 1.17. Then apply chmod -w to the “updates” folder. Now K4Mac will ask if you want to download a new version every single time you launch the app, and you can choose no.
There isn’t an “Updates” folder in my ~/Library/Application Support/Kindle folder.
That looks like the auto update hasn’t happened to you yet. You can still use the afore mentioned method to stop kindle auto-update.
On PC:
On PCs where it’s installed for a single user, the location is %LocalAppData%AmazonKindle. Please create an empty txt file named updates with no extension and placed it there.
Why install older version of Kindle for PC/Mac?
From kindle app 1.25+, kindle ebooks are encrypted with a tougher DRM which is uncrackable for now. If your kindle books downloaded via Kindle app 1.25+, there is no way to remove kindle DRM. Therefore, we have to remove all books downloaded from kindle for pc/mac 1.25+ and re-download them again via older kindle for PC/Mac.
Conclusion
No matter you are on Windows or Mac, even Mac big sur, you can find a way to strip drm from your kindle books. But you need to follow the instructions step-by-step.
- If you are on Windows, downgrading Kindle for PC to older version is the best way to remove Kindle DRM.
- If you don’t know how to stop kindle update, or kindle for PC/MAC is forced to updated, then you can still convert kindle books with iSummersoft Kindle Converter.
- For Mac Catalina and Big sur users, converting kindle books to pdf/epub is not a hard task. Just follow the unique way toremove Kindle DRM with Kindle 1.25+.
- The trial version of iSummersoft Kindle Converter only converts 3 books. If you want to convert more, just upgrade to the full version.