If your Kindle eReader is acting up and standard troubleshooting fixes aren’t helping, factory resetting it is probably the way forward. You might also want to factory reset your Kindle eReader if you plan on selling it.
But how exactly do you reset a Kindle eReader to its factory settings? Let’s find out.
What Happens When you Factory Reset Your Kindle eReader?
Before you begin factory resetting your Kindle eReader, there are a couple of things you need to know.
First, factory resetting your eReader erases all the data, including your books (as well as your notes and highlights) and personal information on it. All your books (and related information) purchased through Amazon, however, will still be available in your Amazon account, and logging back into it will restore them.
Meanwhile, if you have other books and PDFs (obtained from other sources) on your Kindle, it’s best to save them to your computer. Start by connecting your Kindle to a Mac or Windows PC. Then, navigate to the Kindle and copy and paste the content you want to save locally to your preferred location on your computer.
Another thing you must keep in mind before resetting your Kindle eReader is that performing a factory reset also restores all your personalized settings to default. So, if you plan on using the device again, you’ll have to personalize the settings again.
Related Read: 15 Kindle Tips and Tricks You Should Know
How to Factory Reset Your Kindle eReader
It’s pretty easy to factory reset a Kindle eReader. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Unlock your Kindle.
- From the home screen, swipe down from the top to bring up the Quick Actions panel and tap on All Settings. Alternatively, tap the three-dot menu from the home screen and select Settings from the pop-up menu.
- Select Device Options on the Settings page.
- On the Device Options screen, select Reset.
- When your Kindle prompts for confirmation, hit Yes.
This will initiate the factory reset process on your Kindle. Sit back and let it finish. Your wait time depends on the amount of data you have on your device.
Once the process is complete, your Kindle will reboot. It will also be de-registered from your Amazon account, so if you want to use it again, you’ll need to re-register it. You can skip this step if you’re selling the device.
Related Read: The Kindle Buying Guide
You Don’t Always Need to Factory Reset the Kindle eReader
A factory reset is an easy fix for most Kindle problems. However, a Kindle eReader, being the kind of device it is, doesn’t always run into issues that require a factory reset; a simple restart (also called soft reset) can resolve many issues most of the time.
So, unless there’s a persistent issue with your Kindle eReader or you want to erase all of its data (and restore it to its original settings) before selling it, you should avoid factory resetting your Kindle eReader.
