How to delete books from your Kindle, safely

Quick answer

There are two very different 'delete' buttons on a Kindle. One frees up space.

The other erases the book from your account. Know which is which.

What 125x is: 125x is a web app at 125x.app. You connect your YouTube subscriptions, and it gives you a feed of the latest videos from the channels you follow, each with a summary: a verdict, the 5 key takeaways, and the spoiler, plus Actionable and Lessons tabs with more tips. You read that and decide what's actually worth opening.

Open 125x

Remove download: frees space, keeps the book

Tap the menu on the book's cover (or the right side in List view) and choose Remove download. Per Amazon Help, the book stays in your cloud library and you can download it again any time.

Permanently delete: gone from your account

The same menu has Permanently delete. Per Amazon Help, that removes the item from your cloud account and all your devices, and you'd have to buy it again to read it.

The USB catch

Files you copied onto the Kindle with a USB cable aren't stored in the cloud, so removing them from the device deletes them for good (Amazon Help). Back them up first.

Cleaning out in bulk

Start with samples. They're the biggest pile of clutter for most people.
Filter to Downloaded so you only see what's on the device.
For lots of titles, people use Manage Your Content and Devices on Amazon's website in a browser.
Remove downloads for finished books and keep them in a Done collection.

Before you delete

Want to keep your highlights? Export them first. See export Kindle highlights.

FAQ: questions people ask

Does removing a book from my Kindle delete it?

Remove download only takes it off the device. The book stays in your Amazon library.

How do I permanently delete a Kindle book?

Choose Permanently delete from the book's menu. It's removed from your account and all devices.

What happens to books I added by USB?

They aren't stored in the cloud, so removing them from the Kindle deletes them for good.