Kindle Won’t Turn On - Simple Troubleshooting Guide

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Kindle Won’t Turn On

If your Kindle won’t turn on, read this article until the end to find the best and proven fixes!

Amazon Kindle Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers are easy to maintain, but you might encounter issues like:

  • The device won’t turn on and only shows a black screen; common for Kindle Fire tablets.
  • For Kindle e-readers, the screen is frozen on the last accessed eBook or device user interface screen.

Charge Your Kindle

  1. The USB cable you’re using to charge the device might not be working as expected. Try using a new one.
  2. Do you usually charge your Kindle using your desktop, laptop, or Mac? Instead, use a mobile phone charging adapter to charge it from a wall outlet.
power outlet
  1. Alternatively, check if you can charge it from a PC or Mac that has USB 3.0 ports. USB 3.0 ports deliver more voltage outputs than USB 2.0 or dated ones.
usb 3
  1. If you see the Critically Low Battery warning, charge the device for at least 3 hours before attempting any troubleshooting.
  2. You might also see the Battery Exclamation Mark warning on the device screen for complex battery errors. Find out what to do about this later in this article.

Shutdown Kindle E-Reader

  1. Press the power button.
press power button
Image credit: Amazon
  1. Hold for 10 seconds or more.
  2. The device screen should go black.
  3. Now, press the power button briefly to turn on the device.

Force Reset Kindle Device

Force Reset Kindle Fire Tablet

  1. Locate the power button on your Kindle and long press.
vol up power
  1. Keep holding it even if you see the screen turning off or if the device appears to be restarting.
  2. After 20 seconds or more, release it.
  3. The device may not show any activity instantly after releasing the power button.
  4. After a minute or two, it should restart and show the Home Screen automatically.

Force Reset Kindle

  1. Make sure the device screen is black.
  2. Press and hold the power button for a full 40 seconds.
  3. Let go of the power button.
  4. After 10 to 20 seconds press the power button again.
  5. Wait for the device to boot up.

The Force Reset timing is different depending on e-reader editions:

  • Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis: 7 seconds
  • Kindle Voyage and Kindle Touch: 15 seconds
  • Kindle Keyboard: 30 seconds (need to slide and hold the power button)

Factory Reset Kindle From Recovery Menu

Steps for Kindle Fire Tablets

  1. Long press the volume down and power button for five seconds or more.
  2. The Recovery Mode screen will show up.
  3. Let go of the keys.
  4. Use the volume up and down button to navigate to the Recover Mode screen.
  5. Choose the Wipe data/factory reset option.
factory reset
  1. The device will restart itself once the reset is done.

Note:

  • This method will delete all content on your tablet.
  • For Kindle Fire 4th Gen, Kindle Fire HDX, and Fire HD 10 7th Gen you must press the volume up button instead of the volume down button.

Steps for Kindle E-Readers

The following steps only apply to e-readers with a Home button or Volume Up/ Down buttons.

  1. Connect the Kindle to a power source and press the power button.
  2. When you see the Recover Mode screen, let go of the power key.
Recovery mode
Image credit: Amazon

The key combination for Recovery Mode depends on the e-reader model:

  • Kindle Paperwhite 6th and 7th Gen: Hold the bottom corner of the screen (where the bezel meets the screen) and the power button for 20 seconds or more.
  • Kindle Paperwhite 4th Gen: Slide the power button to its ON position and keep it there for 20 seconds.
  • Kindle DX: Press the power button and wait for the flashing white screen. Immediately press and hold the Home key until the Recovery Mode pops up.
Power and home

Note: Factory resetting will force the Amazon servers to deregister your account. You must re-register the device to set it up again.

Reconnect / Replace the Battery

Your Kindle Fire tablet or e-reader comes with an unremovable modular battery. If the device is out of warranty, you can try removing the battery and reconnecting it.

  1. Use any prying tool to unseal the device screen housing clips from the side or near the loudspeaker.
  2. Now, use a #0 Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the batter screws.
  3. Use a clean and soft cloth to wipe clean the metal connectors of the battery.
  4. Place it back on its housing and tighten the screws.
  5. Try to power on the device now.
  6. If this doesn’t work, you may try using a fresh battery from eBay or Amazon.

Note: Some batteries are connected using plastic wire connectors. For these, you just need to remove the connector with a prying tool and reconnect.

You may also be interested in:

These are the DIY troubleshooting methods you should try if your Kindle won’t turn on. If none of the above works or your device is within the warranty period, contact Amazon Support for advanced technical assistance.

Did the article help you to sort out the Kindle device issue? Don’t forget to comment below!

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