Reading is always an amazing hobby. Plus, with a fairly large population of readers choosing e-readers like the Amazon Kindle, it’s become easier to sneak in a chapter or two even in bed. However, Kindle e-readers are a piece of hardware, so there may be cases where you come across a stuck, lagged, or frozen Kindle. If that’s the case, you may be looking for steps to factory reset your Kindle to like new. That is what we will teach you in this article. Regardless of your reason for doing it, a factory reset or reset can help fix your Kindle.
How to restart or reset your Kindle e-reader (2021)
This guide not only covers the process of factory resetting a Kindle, but it also covers other measures you may want to implement before taking the plunge. Use the table of contents below and go to the desired section.
Will I lose all my Kindle books and content on restart?
No matter why you are factory resetting your Kindle, unfortunately doing so will erase all of your e-books, magazines, and any other content that you have stored on the Kindle. Also, your settings will automatically revert to the default state. However, don’t worry because all your data has already been backed up to your Amazon account. So even though you may lose your ebooks temporarily, once you set up your Kindle after factory reset, they’ll all sync up again.
Method 1: try soft resetting (or restarting) your Kindle
You may be looking to factory reset your Kindle because it has gotten slower over time. A Kindle chokes from time to time is perfectly normal. However, that does not mean that you have to clean your device. In some cases, a quick restart eliminates lags and reverts the Kindle e-reader to its fast state. So please try this before proceeding with the reboot. Follow the steps below to soft reset your Kindle:
- Press and hold the power buttonfor a few seconds. The power button is the same one you use to unlock your device.
- In a short time, the power menu will open. Tap “ Resumeand wait a bit.
Your Kindle will now take a few seconds to perform a soft restart. This will most likely eliminate any lag you may have noticed before. However, if you find that your Kindle screen is frozen or unresponsive, read on.
Method 2: How to restart a frozen Kindle
While a Kindle freezes completely is not that common, it can happen unexpectedly. A frozen or unresponsive Kindle will not respond to any touch gestures or navigation. You will need to perform a hard reset to get it working again. This will not delete any data or harm your device. So follow the steps below to perform a hard reset:
- Press and hold the power button. The power button is the same button that you use to unlock your device.
- The power button should appear on the screen. But don’t release the power button until the screen flashes and the hard reset process begins. You will need to press and hold the power button for 40 seconds.
- Once your Kindle turns back on, you can release the power button.
A hard reset is removing anything from your Kindle e-reader. It just reboots a stuck Kindle in the same way as a soft one, but harder. It should also eliminate any errors or lags that you have noticed before. However, if you find that your Kindle still isn’t working as expected, it’s time to perform a factory reset.
Method 3: How to Factory Reset Your Kindle
If restarting your Kindle didn’t work and you still want to proceed to factory reset your Kindle, here we are. The process for doing this is pretty straightforward. However, as we mentioned above, you will lose all your Kindle e-books and settings temporarily. So if you’re feeling too lazy to set it up again, maybe wait for now. But if you are determined to repair your e-reader, follow the steps below to factory reset your Kindle:
- On the Kindle Home screen, tap the ellipsis icon(three dots) in the upper right.
- In the drop-down menu, tap “ Settings“.
- On the settings screen, tap the ellipsis icon(three dots) in the upper right once more. It will lead to another drop down menu. Here, tap ” Restart”from the available options.
- You will now see a confirmation box informing you of your choice and that all data on your Kindle will be deleted. Tap ” yes” to proceed.
Your Kindle will now reboot and begin the factory reset process. It won’t take long. Once completed, you will be greeted by the Kindle welcome screen. Then set up your device just like you did when you first bought it.
Also, all your deleted e-books and other data will be restored once you re-link your Amazon account to the device. However, if you plan to sell your Kindle, leave it on the settings screen for the next happy reader.
BONUS: Steps to Deregister Your Kindle E-Reader
This section is for Kindle owners who are selling or giving away their devices and want all of their data erased. Since Kindle restores your data from the associated Amazon account, you will need to unregister to stop any data restoration. Just follow the steps below to unregister your Kindle:
- On the Kindle Home screen, touch the ellipsis icon(three dots) in the upper right.
- Then, tap “ Settings” from the drop-down menu.
- Next, select “ Your Account” From the list that appears.
- Now, tap “ Unregister Device” on the next page. You will be greeted by a confirmation box, where you must tap “ connector”to confirm your action.
That’s it. You have successfully unregistered your Kindle from your Amazon account. It will delete all the content on your device and any settings that your Amazon account has applied to the e-reader. While you can gift your Kindle if you want, you can always factory reset it to be doubly sure (follow the steps we explained above).
My Kindle is still not fixed after reboot. Now what?
If your Kindle is not working properly even after a factory reset, there is a possibility that it is a hardware problem. Depending on where you live, you will need to contact Amazon Kindle Support (website link) for repair or replacement. However, before doing so, we suggest that you visit the Kindle E-Reader help page and find a solution to fix the problem.
Factory reset your Kindle to make it new
After following the methods in this guide, we hope your Kindle is performing as well as when you purchased it. In addition to reading e-books, there are many Kindle tips and tricks you can try to enhance your experience. However, if you want to explore more options, maybe you should try these best Kindle alternatives for a change.