Where Does Kindle Store Books on Mac?

The Kindle app, which lets you open and read e-books from Amazon, stores the books locally right on your computer. By default, the application normally stores them in :

Users/username/Library/Containers/com.amazon.Kindle/Data/Library/Application Support/Kindle/My Kindle Content

My name is Eric and I have been working with computers since the late 1970s. Technology is constantly changing so I am constantly learning new things and as I do, I enjoy sharing the information with you whenever I can.

In this article, I will show you how you can determine where the Kindle app on your Mac stores books and show you how you can change that location if you would like. We will also discuss the Kindle app for Mac and talk about how it gives you access to your entire Kindle library.

Keep reading if you would like to find out more!

How to Find the Location

Above I have listed the general location where the Kindle app normally stores your books. You only need to replace username with your username in the path. From what I have seen, this location is pretty consistent for this application but if you want to verify it, follow these steps.

Step 1: Start the Kindle application.

Step 2: From the Kindle menu select Preferences.

Step 3: On the General window look for the section called Content Folder.

Step 4: The location is shown in this section but if you want to see a more readable version of it, just hover your mouse pointer over the last folder name (where it says My Kindle Content) and a popup will appear with the complete path.

Change the Book Location

If for some reason you want to change the location of where the Kindle app stores your books, it is very simple to do. Maybe you have a specific place where you want to keep them or maybe you have another drive that has more space. In any case, there’s not a lot to it.

Just follow these steps.

Step 1: In the General window that you have opened in the steps above, just click on the Change button under the Content Folder section.

Step 2: Select or Create the folder that you wish to store the books.

Step 3: Kindle will automatically move all of your books and associated data to the new location that you select.

Can I Store them On a Flash Drive or in the Cloud?

Now that we see how straightforward it is to change the location of where the application stores the library, some may wonder if the books can be stored on a removable USB flash drive, an external drive, a network location, or even in the cloud.

It is possible to have the application store the data on external devices or locations. If you have been using computers for a long time like me, you might think, this is great because I can make a backup of my library. You can do that, but in the end, it’s not worth it.

Your Kindle books are already stored in the Amazon cloud. So you won’t lose them and you can already access them from any device that you have the Kindle application loaded on. 

All you have to do is log in to the app with your Amazon user ID and password. It will then automatically download all of your reading material to your local device and it is ready for reading. Even if your hard drive fails, the books are still available to you.

Why Does Kindle Store the Books on My Mac?

If your books are always obtainable from wherever you use the Kindle app, you might be asking why it needs to download and store them on your local device at all. Why can’t it just keep them on the Amazon cloud and let me access and read them from there?

The answer is simple. What if you are in a place where you have no internet connection such as on an airplane, camping, or on a road trip where there are lots of spots with no wireless service? In these places, you wouldn’t be able to view your books or read them.

By downloading them locally to your device, you will still have the ability to read even when you are offline. You won’t need an internet connection to finish reading that copy of Catcher in the Rye or How to Train Your German Shepherd.

Is the Kindle App Free? How Do I Get It?

Yes, the Kindle app for mac is free and it is very easy to get. It’s available in the App Store. Just follow these steps.

Step 1: Open the App Store on your Mac.

Step 2: Search for it by typing in Kindle. Then you can Get and Install it directly from the
App Store.

Step 3: Once it is installed all you have to do is enter your Amazon login ID and password.

Step 4: Open your books and start reading.

How Do I Get Kindle Books?

If you’re new to Kindle and do not yet have any books, you will want to get some so you can start reading. It’s easy, just go to Amazon.com and log in with your account. If you don’t already have an account you can create one for free.

Once you’re logged in, just search for books in the search window by entering a book name followed by the word Kindle. When you find one you want, you can select and purchase it. Most have very reasonable prices and some are free.

You’ll find all kinds of books that can be read with the Kindle app and there is a great selection of free books. If you have a Prime membership it will expand your choices of free reading even further.

Final Words

We hope this article has helped you to find and possibly change where your Kindle books are stored. If you are new to Kindle, we have provided some tips on how to use it and where to get books loaded into your library. 

Have fun reading and as usual, let us know if you have any questions or comments.