How Do I Move Books On Kindle App To SD Card?

Okay, let’s get practical — moving Kindle reading files to an SD card is doable, but the exact steps depend on your device and app version, so I’ll walk you through the common routes and the quirks I’ve hit along the way.

On many Android phones/tablets the Kindle app stores downloaded books in internal storage by default, but you can sometimes change that. First, check the Kindle app’s own settings: open Kindle -> tap the hamburger menu -> Settings and look for a Storage option that lets you pick ‘Device’ vs ‘SD card’. If you don’t see that, try the system-level method: Settings -> Apps -> Kindle -> Storage. Some Android builds show a ‘Change’ button here that lets you move the whole app (and its downloadable content) to the SD card. If that button is present, choose the SD card and follow the prompts. If it’s not present, your device or the app version simply doesn’t allow moving that way.

If you’re on an Amazon Fire tablet, the process is friendlier: go to Settings -> Storage (or Device Options -> Storage on older Fire OS versions) and you’ll usually find an option to move content to the microSD. On Fire devices you can also change where new content is downloaded (Device vs SD) in the settings, which is really convenient. For people who sideload files (like .mobi or .azw3), you can copy them into the ‘Kindle’ or ‘documents’ folder on the SD card via a PC or file manager; some Kindle apps/Fire tablets will detect those files and let you import them. Note: DRM’d books from Amazon cannot be freely relocated — they behave the way Amazon wants, and sometimes will re-download to internal storage when opened.

A few troubleshooting pointers from my chaotic bookshelf: if your device won’t move the app, consider adoptable storage (formatting the SD as internal storage in Android), but be careful — that ties the card to the device and may slow things on low-end cards. Always clear cache and delete downloaded copies of books you don’t need locally, then re-download after switching storage settings. Keep an eye on SD card speed and free space; a slow card can make pages load sluggishly. If any step seems missing, update your Kindle app and your device OS first. I’ve had to try two or three routes before files finally landed where I wanted them, but once it’s set up I love the extra breathing room for new reads.

I tend to keep things simple and cozy when I tinker with devices: if you want your Kindle app to use an SD card, first check inside the Kindle app’s settings for any Storage or Download location option and switch it to the SD card if available. If that setting isn’t there, go to your phone’s Settings -> Apps -> Kindle -> Storage and see whether a ‘Change’ button appears — that lets you move the app and its downloads to the card on supported Android versions.

If you have a Fire tablet, open Settings -> Storage and look for the option to move content to the microSD or to set new downloads to go to the card. For sideloaded files, copy .mobi/.azw3 into a ‘Kindle’ or ‘documents’ folder on the SD card and import them from your file manager. Remember that DRM-protected purchases may not be movable and that very slow SD cards can make the app sluggish. A quick tip: back up the SD card occasionally and use a decent-speed card to avoid hiccups.