Delete a book by holding down its cover
Open your Kindle app and find the book you want to remove. Press and hold the book's cover image for two to three seconds until a menu appears. Tap Delete from that menu. The book disappears from your library when ready.
This method works the same way on phones, tablets, and computers. The book is removed from your device but stays in your Amazon account — you can read it again later without paying a second time.
Key Takeaways
- Hold down a book's cover in the Kindle app until a menu appears, then tap Delete to remove it from your device.
- Deleting a book from your device does not delete it from your Amazon account, so you can read it again anytime.
- If you want to permanently remove a book from your account entirely, you must do that on Amazon's website, not in the app.
- Borrowed library books disappear from your device automatically when the loan period ends, but you can also delete them early.
- Deleting a book frees up storage space on your phone or tablet but does not affect books stored in Amazon's cloud.
The difference between deleting from your device and your account
When you delete a book from the Kindle app, you are only removing it from that specific device. The book stays in your Amazon account and in the cloud. If you sign into the Kindle app on another phone or tablet, that book will still be there and ready to read.
If you want to permanently remove a book from your Amazon account so it never appears in any of your libraries, you must go to Amazon's website. Sign into your account, go to Manage Your Content and Devices, find the book, and select the option to delete it from your library. This is a separate step from deleting it off the app.
How to delete library books you borrowed
Books you borrowed from your library through the Kindle app work the same way. Hold down the book's cover and tap Delete. The book is removed from your device right away, even though your loan period may not be over yet.
You do not need to return borrowed books manually — they disappear from your device automatically when the loan ends. Deleting them early just clears space on your phone or tablet. If you delete a borrowed book by mistake, you can read it again as long as the loan is still active.
Why you might want to delete books
The main reason to delete books is to free up storage space, especially on phones or tablets with limited memory. Kindle books take up less space than most apps, but if you have hundreds of them, they add up. Deleting books you have finished reading or no longer want keeps your device running smoothly.
Another reason is to clean up your library view. If you have many books in your account, your Kindle app can feel cluttered. Deleting books from your device does not erase them from your account, so you are just hiding them from that device's display.
How to hide books instead of deleting them
If you want to keep a book in your Amazon account but do not want to see it in your library, you can hide it instead of deleting it. On the Kindle app, hold down the book's cover and look for an option to Archive or Remove from Library — the exact wording depends on your device and app version.
Archived books stay in your account and can be downloaded again, but they do not clutter your device's library view. This is useful for books you might want later but do not need right now. To see archived books again, look for a menu option like Show Archived Items or All Items in your library settings.
Deleting books on different devices
The steps are nearly identical across phones, tablets, and computers, but the exact menu location can vary slightly. On an iPhone or iPad, hold the book cover until the menu appears. On an Android phone, the same hold-and-wait method works. On a computer running the Kindle app or using the web reader, right-click the book cover instead of holding it, then select Delete from the menu that appears.
If you are reading a book when you delete it, the app may ask whether you want to delete it or just remove it from your current reading list. Choose the option that matches what you want to do. After deletion, you can always read the book again from your library.
What happens to your reading progress
When you delete a book from your device, Amazon keeps a record of how far you read. If you read the book again later, the Kindle app will remember your last page and ask whether you want to resume from where you left off or start over.
This works because your reading progress is stored in your Amazon account, not just on your device. Even if you delete the book from every device you own, your progress is safe. The next time you read it, you can pick up exactly where you stopped.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I delete a book from my phone, will it disappear from my tablet too?
No. Deleting a book from one device does not affect other devices. If you sign into the Kindle app on your tablet, the book will still be there. You would need to delete it separately on each device if you want it gone from all of them.
Can I delete a book I bought permanently so I never see it again?
Yes, but you have to do it on Amazon's website, not in the app. Go to Manage Your Content and Devices, find the book, and select the permanent delete option. This removes it from your account entirely. You can still read it again later if you change your mind, but you would need to purchase it again.
What if I delete a library book by accident before the loan ends?
You can read it again when ready as long as your loan period is still active. The book stays in your account until the loan expires. After the loan ends, it disappears automatically and you cannot read it again unless you borrow it a second time.
Does deleting books from Kindle free up space on my phone?
Yes, but only a small amount. Kindle books are stored as files on your device, and deleting them removes those files. However, books take up much less space than photos or videos, so you may not notice a significant difference unless you delete many books at once.
Can I delete books in bulk, or do I have to delete them one at a time?
The Kindle app does not have a bulk delete feature. You must delete books one at a time by holding down each cover. If you want to remove many books, you can do it faster on Amazon's website by selecting multiple books at once in Manage Your Content and Devices.