9 tricks that will help you get way more out of your Kindle
An old Kindle — with a keyboard!
Amazon released its first e-reader way back in 2007 and the device has come a long way since.
Although the Kindle concept is really simple — you just read a book on a screen — there are a few tips you might not be taking advantage of.
Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.
In the same way you can highlight a particularly important or impactful passage in a book, you can do it on your Kindle — and then see all your highlights from every book in one place.
To highlight a phrase, just press down at the start of the sentence, drag to select the whole phrase, hold down, and then tap “Highlight.” To see everything you’ve saved, visit kindle.amazon.com/your_highlights.
You can organize all the books on your Kindle by creating “Collections.”
To create a collection:
Select “Create New Collection” from the Home screen menu.
Enter a name for the collection.
Select “Save”
(See Amazon’s full instructions here)
You can get Kindle copies of physical books you buy for cheap or free with Kindle MatchBook.
See if any books you currently own apply here.
You can actually take a screenshot on your Kindle just like you can on your phone or desktop.
The Digital Reader has instructions for all the different Kindle generations. For the latest models, without front buttons, press two opposite corners of the screen simultaneously (like the upper left and lower right at the same time).
Want to peruse that website’s long-read from piece on your Kindle? You can easily send articles from the web to your Kindle if you install Amazon’s browser app.
Find out how to send documents from your email, desktop, or phone to your Kindle.
If you set up Amazon Family Library, you can share all your books with a friend or family member.
Learn how to get started with Family Library here.
If you’re a parent, you can use Kindle FreeTime to track how much time your kid spends reading on a Kindle.
Find out how to set up Kindle FreeTime here.
You might be able borrow e-books books from your local library.
A bunch of public libraries will let you send books to your Kindle if you have the proper library card. Find out if yours does here.
If you have a newer Kindle, you can automatically make flashcards with any word you look up so you can make sure to remember them.
If you press and hold a word, then release it, you’ll launch the Smart Lookup window where you can read its definition. The words you looked up will all get added to Vocabulary Builder, so you can quiz yourself with flashcards. (Learn more here.)
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