Amazon is making a surprising move with its Kindle platform. According to a statement on its Kindle Direct Publishing DRM page, you’ll once again be able to download copies of books in your Kindle library.
The change will go into effect on January 20, 2026, and will let you choose between EPUB and PDF versions of DRM-free books. Whether a given book has DRM will be left up to the individual publisher.
Why this a big deal for ebooks
Amazon has been slowly cracking down on the Kindle platform
Back in February 2025, Amazon removed the ability to download and transfer books from its website. Then, in September, the company made updates to its DRM system that effectively made it impossible to remove DRM from ebooks (via Good e-Reader).
In theory, the goal of these changes is to prevent piracy, but in reality, they’ve made life difficult for Kindle users who want local backups of books they’ve purchased. Additionally, being unable to remove DRM from ebooks makes them more difficult to share with other readers—something that’s easy to do with physical books.
As a result, many former Kindle fans have left the platform for other, less restrictive competitors, like the highly flexible Boox ereaders.
Do other platforms let you download EPUBs?
How Amazon stacks up against competitors
Kobo does allow its users to download EPUB files of purchased books, but this feature is not enabled for every title. The books you can download are often DRM-protected (using Adobe DRM), which means you can’t freely copy or share them with non-Kobo devices.
Boox is a bit different—although there’s a store, the selection is small. This platform primarily relies on sideloading DRM-free books in various formats (including EPUB) that you’ve purchased elsewhere. Boox devices also support Adobe DRM, which means books bought from the Kobo store will work, as do books from Google Play. In any case, getting local copies of your books is easier.
- Resolution
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300 ppi
- Storage
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16 GB
- Brand
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Amazon
The 2024 Amazon Kindle offers 16 GB of memory, USB-C connectivity, and access to Amazon’s enormous Kindle library. It comes in two colors: Black and the gorgeous Matcha.
These new changes for 2026 are positive and will make it easier for you to get local copies of purchases on your Kindle. The situation isn’t perfect; many publishers will still enable DRM on books, and by leaving that choice to the publishers, Amazon effectively removes itself from the equation.
However, it’s a step in the right direction, and we’re hopeful the company will continue to move in a more consumer-friendly direction.
