Delete a book by long-pressing its cover

To remove a book from your Kindle app library, find the book's cover in your library view, press and hold it for two to three seconds, then tap Delete from the menu that appears. The book disappears from your device when ready. This is the fastest method on phones and tablets.

The exact wording of the menu varies slightly between Android and Apple devices, but both show a delete option within one or two taps. If you do not see a delete option, make sure you are pressing the book cover itself, not the title text below it.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a book from your Kindle app removes it from your device but does not erase your purchase history or prevent you from re-downloading it later.
  • Long-pressing the book cover is the fastest method on most phones and tablets; swiping left works on some older iOS versions.
  • Books you borrowed through a library card or subscription service disappear from your library when their loan period ends, whether you delete them or not.
  • Removing a book from your device does not affect other devices where you have the Kindle app installed — each device's library is separate.

Use the swipe method on older iPad or iPhone versions

If you have an older version of the Kindle app on iOS, you may be able to swipe left across a book cover to reveal a delete button. Swipe from right to left across the book's cover, and a red trash icon or delete label should appear on the right side. Tap it to remove the book.

This method works less reliably on newer iOS versions, where the long-press method is more consistent. If swiping does not work, try the long-press approach instead.

Understand what happens when you delete

Deleting a book from your Kindle app removes it from that device only. If you have the Kindle app on a phone, tablet, and computer, deleting from your phone does not affect the copies on your other devices. Each device maintains its own library view.

More importantly, deleting a book does not erase your purchase. Amazon keeps a record of every book you have bought, and you can re-read any of them to any device at any time without paying again. Your purchase history remains intact in your Amazon account.

Remove borrowed books before the loan ends

If you borrowed a book through your library card or a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can delete it the same way — long-press and select delete. However, the book will disappear from your library automatically when the loan period expires, whether you delete it early or not.

Deleting a borrowed book early does not extend your loan period or give you extra time with other books. It straightforward frees up space on your device. If you want to keep reading the book after the loan ends, you will need to borrow it again or purchase it.

Clear space on your device by deleting multiple books

If you need to free up storage space, deleting books is one way to do it, though the effect is usually small. Most e-books take up only a few megabytes of space, so deleting ten books might free up 50 to 100 megabytes. On modern phones and tablets with gigabytes of storage, this rarely makes a noticeable difference.

If you are running out of space, clearing your app cache or deleting photos and videos will usually have a much larger effect. To clear Kindle's cache on Android, go to Settings > Apps > Kindle > Storage > Clear Cache. On iOS, you can only clear cache by uninstalling and reinstalling the app.

Find deleted books in your archive

If you delete a book by mistake, you can restore it without repurchasing. Open the Kindle app, go to your library, and look for a menu option that says Archived Items or All Items. Tap it to see books you have deleted or finished reading. Find the book you want back, and tap it to re-read it to your device.

The exact location of this menu depends on your device and app version. On most phones, it is a filter or sorting option near the top of your library. On tablets, it may be in a sidebar menu. If you cannot find it, try searching for the book by title — deleted books still appear in search results.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I delete a book, do I lose my bookmarks and notes?

Yes. Bookmarks, highlights, and notes are stored on your device, and deleting the book removes them. However, Amazon does sync some notes to your account if you have that feature turned on. Check your Amazon account online under "Your Highlights" to see if your notes were saved before you delete.

Can I delete a book from my Amazon account entirely so no one else can see it?

No. Deleting from the Kindle app only removes it from that device. To hide a book from your Amazon account completely, you must go to Amazon.com, find the book in your library, and select "Remove from library" or "Delete from account." This is different from deleting it from the app.

What if the delete button does not appear when I long-press?

Make sure you are pressing the book cover itself, not the title or author name below it. If that does not work, try updating your Kindle app to the latest version. Older versions sometimes have bugs where the delete menu does not appear. Uninstall and reinstall the app if updating does not fix it.

Does deleting a borrowed library book affect my library card account?

No. Deleting a borrowed book from the Kindle app does not change anything in your library account. You can still borrow other books, and your library card status is unaffected. The book straightforward disappears from your device.