Customize Your Reading on Kindle (Latest Generation)

Kindle lets you customize your reading experience -- from adjusting font size to defining words as you read with the built-in dictionary to sharing your favorite passages on Facebook.

Setting Text Size, Screen Rotation, and Words per Line

You can choose from eight different font sizes and several font styles to choose a style you can read comfortably. The text size of menus and other screens is fixed and cannot be modified. Kindle also allows you to change your screen rotation and set your preferred line spacing and words per line.

To change your text formatting options:

1. Press the Text key on the keyboard to display the text size menu.
2. Select the desired text size, words per line, or screen rotation.

Using the Built-in Dictionary

While reading a book or periodical, you can see a brief definition of a word using the built-in dictionary. By default, the built-in dictionary uses The New Oxford American Dictionary.

To see the definition of a word in your reading:

1. Move the 5-way controller up or down to display and place the cursor in front of the word.
2. If the word is found in the dictionary, a definition extract appears at the bottom of the screen.
3. To see the complete definition, press the Return key. Use the Previous Page and Next Page buttons to view other word definitions.
4. Press the Back button to return to your reading.

Choosing your primary dictionary

You can choose the dictionary you want to use when you look up words while you are reading. The default is The New Oxford American Dictionary included on your Kindle, but Kindle (Latest Generation) also comes with The Oxford Dictionary of English. You can purchase additional supported dictionaries in the Kindle Store. To change your default dictionary:

1. If you are not already on the Home screen, press the "Home" button.
2. Press the Menu button.
3. Move the 5-way controller to underline "Settings" and press to select.
4. Press the Menu button.
5. Move the 5-way to underline "Change Primary Dictionary" and press to select.
6. Move the 5-way to underline the dictionary you want to use and press to select.

Page Locations and Page Numbers

As you read, you'll see your progress displayed at the bottom the screen as a percentage of the Progress Indicator.

Page Numbers

Kindle's page numbers match the page numbers in print books so you can easily reference and cite passages, and read alongside others in a book club or class.

If your Kindle book includes page numbers, you'll see page numbers displayed next to locations when you push the Menu button. Page numbers and locations are only displayed when the Menu button is pushed.

Not all Kindle books include page numbers. Kindle books that include page numbers will list "Page Numbers Source ISBN (the print book identification number)" for the matching print edition under "Product Details" on the detail page at Amazon.com. If the Page Numbers Source ISBN (the print book identification number)" listed under "Product Details" on the product detail page is the same edition as your print book, the Kindle page numbers will match the page numbers in the printed edition.

Because Kindle books allow you to change font size and other features, you may be able to view more than one page on your screen at once. Only the corresponding page number for the text displayed at the top left of the screen will be shown.

Page numbers are only displayed on Kindle (Latest Generation) with software version 3.1 or higher. To update your Kindle's software, visit www.amazon.com/kindlesoftwareupdates.

Locations

Kindle books also mark your progress using locations. Location numbers are specific to each line of text so you can easily find a particular passage, regardless of changes you may make to text size.

Press Menu to display the location information at the bottom of the screen above the Progress Indicator.

Chapter, Section, and Article Breaks

If the book you are reading shows chapter, section or article breaks, displayed as breaks as small dots within the progress bar, you can jump between these using the 5-way controller.

While reading, move the controller to the left or right to skip ahead to the next chapter or return to the previous chapter. This feature will also allow you to skip from one section to another or one article to another.

How to Navigate While Reading

Press the Menu button when reading a book or periodical to display menu options that will help you navigate your Kindle content. You will have slightly different options depending on the type of content you are reading.

View Popular Highlights: displays a list of the most Popular Highlights from Kindle users.

Jumping to the Next or Previous Chapter: You can use the Kindle 5-way controller to skip to the next or previous chapter within many books. Simply press the 5-way controller to the right to skip forward a chapter or left to skip back a chapter.
Note: Not all Kindle content is enabled to jump from chapter to chapter. Books that have this feature enabled will display chapter breaks as small dots within the progress bar at the bottom of the screen.

If you are reading a periodical or blog, you will see the following different options:

Clip This Article: makes a copy of the entire article and adds it to your "My Clippings" file.

Keep This Issue: designates the newspaper or magazine issue as one to be stored in your Kindle until you remove it.

Zooming on Images

If you'd like to zoom in on an image, Kindle gives you tools to set a custom size.

To zoom on an image in a book:

1. Position the cursor over the picture using the 5-way controller to make a magnifying glass icon appear.
2. Press the 5-way to zoom the image.
3. Press the 5-way to return to your content.

When Kindle increases the image size, your view may change from portrait or landscape if necessary to maximize the use of the display.

Annotations: Highlights, Bookmarks, Clippings, Notes

Information about using Kindle is also available in your Kindle User's Guide--you can download a copy on the Kindle Documentation page.

Overview of Annotations

Annotations (bookmarks, highlights, notes, clippings) you make on a Kindle book are stored in your Kindle Library on Amazon.com when your Kindle is connected to wireless. When you open the title on any registered device, you'll be right where you were the last time you read and your annotations will be included.

To view your annotations: Open your title, press the Menu button and select "My Notes & Marks."

Adding Bookmarks

You can place a bookmark at any location and place multiple bookmarks in whatever you are reading. Select "View Notes & Marks" to return to any bookmarked location. Bookmarked pages have a "dog-ear" icon in the upper right corner.

To place a bookmark:

1. Go to the page that you want to bookmark.
2. Press the Menu button.
3. Highlight and select "Add a Bookmark" using the 5-way controller.

Tip: You can quickly create a bookmark by either holding down the Alt key and pressing the B key, or by moving the 5-way up or down to go into cursor mode and then pressing the 5-way controller twice.

To view a bookmarked location:

1. Press the Menu button and Select "My Notes & Marks."
2. Highlight and select the desired location from the list.

To remove a bookmark:

1. Go to the bookmarked page.
2. Press the Menu button.
3. Highlight and select "Delete Bookmark."

Highlighting Passages

You can highlight text in Kindle like you would use a highlighter pen on paper and view them at any time by pressing the Menu button and selecting "View Notes & Marks." The text you highlight appears with a gray underline.

To highlight one or more lines:

1. Use the 5-way to position the cursor where you want to start highlighting.
2. Press the 5-way to anchor the cursor.
3. Move the 5-way to select the desired text. Use Next Page or Prev Pages to highlight text across multiple pages.
4. Press the 5-way at the place where you want the highlight to end.

To remove a highlight:

1. Press the Menu button and select "View Notes & Marks."
2. Underline the highlight you want to remove with the 5-way controller.
3. Press the Delete key.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to remove additional highlights.
5. Select "Close Notes & Marks" when finished.

Viewing Popular Highlights

Amazon displays Popular Highlights by combining the highlights of all Kindle customers and identifying the passages with the most highlights. The resulting Popular Highlights help readers focus on passages that are meaningful to the greatest number of people. Some books don't have enough highlighting in them to have Popular Highlights. Popular highlights are marked with a gray dashed underline. The number of people who have highlighted the text appears at the beginning of the marked text. You can see Popular Highlights for all books that have them at https://kindle.amazon.com.

To view Popular Highlights:

1. Open a book on your Kindle.
2. Press the Menu button and select "View Popular Highlights" from the options.

To turn Popular Highlights on and off:

1. Navigate to Kindle's Home screen and press the Menu button.
2. Select "Settings."
3. Select the desired option next to "Popular Highlights."

Managing Popular Highlights

If you have a Kindle device, you can turn off having your highlights in popular highlights by turning off Annotations Backup in Settings on your device. If you have a Kindle App, we will be adding this capability soon. Annotations BackUp backs up your annotations and last page read and syncs them across devices. You can also remove highlights you made previously from Popular Highlights.

To turn off Annotations Backup:

1. Navigate to Kindle's Home screen and press the Menu button.
2. Select "Settings."
3. Select the desired option next to "Annotations Backup."

To remove previous highlights from Popular Highlights:

1. Visit the Amazon Kindle website and log in using the e-mail address and password for the Amazon account you used to register your Kindle.
2. Select "Your Highlights" from the Browse options at the top of the page.
3. Select "Delete this highlight" next to each highlight you wish to remove.

Adding Notes

Kindle allows you to add comments, make notes, and mark up passages just as you might in a printed book.

To add a note:

1. Move the cursor to where you want to place a note using the 5-way controller.
2. Type your note.
3. Select "save note" at the bottom of the screen.

A superscripted number appears where you inserted your note. Notes are numbered in the order they appear in the content and update automatically if you add more.

To edit or delete a note:

1. Select the note's number using the 5-way controller so the note appears at the bottom of the screen.
2. Press the Return key to edit the note or the Delete key to delete the note.
3. Use the keyboard to make changes if editing.
4. Select "save note" to save any changes.

Making Clippings

You can "clip" an entire periodical article and save it to the "My Clippings" file.

To clip an article:

1. Go to the article you want to clip.
2. Press the Menu button.
3. Select "Clip this Article."

To view your clippings:

1. Press the Home button to display the Home screen.
2. Select "My Clippings" from the Home screen.

Editing the "My Clippings" File

All of your bookmarks, highlights, notes, and clippings are stored in the "My Clippings" TXT file on your Kindle. You can transfer and copy the file to share and use your clippings.

To transfer the "My Clippings" file and open it on your computer:

1. Connect your Kindle to your computer using the USB cable.
2. Use your computer's file browser to view the Documents folder on Kindle.
3. Transfer the "My Clippings" file from Kindle to your computer.
4. Open the "My Clippings" file on your computer using an application that can read or import a .TXT file.

If you wish, you can make changes to the file and transfer it back to your Kindle. Changing your "My Clippings" file does not affect any notes, bookmarks, or highlights you've made in the actual content. The next time you read the content, you can still use them for navigation and reference.

To remove the "My Clippings" file from your Kindle:

1. Press the Home button to display the Home screen.
2. Underline "My Clippings" on the Home screen.
3. Move the 5-way controller to the left.
4. Press the 5-way to select "Delete."

Kindle adds a new "My Clippings" file the next time you add a clipping or annotation to any content.

Public Notes

Public Notes allow you to connect with fellow readers by seeing what passages they found meaningful in books you are both reading.

You can search for and follow other readers at https://kindle.amazon.com.

If someone you follow has highlighted a passage in a book and has turned on Public Notes for the book, you'll see that passage highlighted along with the name of the person who highlighted it. The"@" symbol will be displayed in the text where any notes were made.

Public Notes will also appear in a list with your personal annotations if you select "View Notes and Marks" from the menu while reading. By default, Public Notes are displayed in your books but you can turn them off if you don't want to see them.

To turn Public Notes on and off:

1. Navigate to Kindle's Home screen and press the Menu button.
2. Select "Settings."
3. Select the desired option next to "Public Notes."

Turning Public Notes on or off from your device will not make your notes visible. You have to turn on Public Notes for a book through our website before anyone else can see your highlights and notes in that book. Go to https://kindle.amazon.com/your_reading make your highlights and notes visible through Public Notes.

Following other readers to see their Public Notes

Authors, book club members, thought leaders, passionate readers, professors and all Kindle users can opt-in to sharing their notes with other readers.

To follow other readers:

1. Visit https://kindle.amazon.com
2. Log in using your Amazon account details.
3. Search for the name of the person you would like to follow in the search bar in the top right corner.
4. Click the "Follow" button. If you'd like to stop following this person in the future, simply select the "Stop Following" button.

Sharing your Public Notes

1. Visit kindle.amazon.com and select "Your Books" from the options on the top of the screen.
2. Check the boxes to select what information you would like to share about any of your books.

You can also make a single note a Public Note and share it with people following you by selecting "save & share." This will also post the highlighted passage and any comment you add to the social media networks you have associated with your Kindle account.

To share a single Public Note:

1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the passage using the 5-way controller and press down to anchor it.
2. Highlight the passage using the 5-way controller.
3. Enter your note or comment about the passage you highlighted. (There is a 100 character limit.)
4. Select "save & share" from the options at the bottom of the note window when finished.

Only this single highlight or note will be shared with other readers following you. You have to turn on Public Notes for the entire book to make all your notes and highlights from that book public.

If you don't have a Facebook or Twitter account associated with your Kindle account, you'll automatically be prompted to manage your social network registration before your message is posted. If you choose not to link your Kindle account to your social media networks, your highlights and notes will still be saved in the book, as well as at https://kindle.amazon.com.

Sharing Highlights, Notes and Ratings on Facebook and Twitter

If you're reading and happen across a passage you'd like to share with friends or followers through social networking sites, Kindle gives you the option to post it to Facebook or Twitter. You can also share your rating of any Kindle Book you're reading through your social media networks.

Note: Sharing Highlights and Notes on Facebook and Twitter is not available in Germany.

Registering Your Social Networks

Before you can share what you're reading, you'll need to link your Amazon.com account to your account on Facebook or Twitter.

To manage your social networks:

1. Navigate to Kindle's Home screen and press the Menu button.
2. Select "Settings."
3. Select the "manage" option next to Social Networks on the Settings page.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to link or unlink an account.

Sharing on a Registered Network

Posting to Facebook or Twitter is as easy as highlighting a passage and adding a comment. When you select the share option, your comments will be sent automatically to your registered social networking sites, appended with a backlink to a web page showing the passage you highlighted.

To create a highlight and note to share:

1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the passage using the 5-way controller and press down to anchor it.
2. Highlight the passage using the 5-way controller.
3. Enter your note or comment about the passage you highlighted. (There is a 100 character limit.)
4. Select "save & share" from the options at the bottom of the note window when finished.

If you don't have a Facebook or Twitter account associated with your Kindle account, you'll automatically be prompted to manage your social network registration before your message is posted. If you choose not to link your Kindle account to your social media networks, your highlights and notes will still be saved in the book, as well as at https://kindle.amazon.com.

To share from your existing notes and marks:

1. Open the book that contains the note or highlight.
2. Press the Menu button and select "View Notes & Marks."
3. Highlight the item you wish to share in your Notes & Marks.
4. Press Alt + on the keyboard to share.

You can also navigate to a section in your book that contains a note or highlight, select it with your cursor, and press Alt + on the keyboard to share.

To rate a book and share via social media:

1. Use the 5-way controller to select "Rate this book."
2. Select the number of stars you'd use to rate the book, then select "save & share."

You can rate the book at any time just by going to the final page. Press the "Menu" button, select "Go to" and select the "End" button.

You can also select "Tweet/share that you've finished this book" to let everyone know you've read it.

You can rate a book even if you haven't linked your Amazon.com account to your social media accounts. Ratings are displayed at https://kindle.amazon.com/your_reading or https://www.amazon.com/gp/yourstore.

Note: You can only rate Kindle books purchased from the Kindle Store.

Book Recommendations

When you're finished reading a Kindle book, you'll see recommendations for similar books on the last page of the book. Recommendations are based on what other customers who bought this book also purchased.

To see these recommendations at any time, press Menu while reading. Select "Go to" and choose "End." Select a recommendation from this page to go directly to the recommended book's detail page in the Kindle Store.

Asking Kindle to Read to You

Your Kindle can read aloud your books (where allowed by the rights holder), newspapers, magazines, blogs, and personal documents with the Kindle Experimental application, Text-to-Speech.

To turn on Text-to-Speech:

1. Press the Text key .
2. Select "turn on" next to the "Text-to-Speech" option using the 5-way controller.
3. Press the Text key again to adjust the speaking voice and rate.

By default, content is spoken with a male voice, but you can select a female speaking voice. You can also slow down or increase the rate of speech and pause or turn off Text-to-Speech. While Text-to-Speech is playing, the screen will update to the corresponding page of text.

Text-to-Speech starts reading at the beginning of the page currently displayed. To start reading at a particular spot, move the cursor where you'd like the reading to begin before starting Text-to-Speech.

Text-to-Speech is currently only available for titles in English. If the "Text-to-Speech" option is grayed and you're not able to select it, that indicates the rights holder does not allow use of Text-to-Speech for their content.

Tip: You can also play or stop Text-to-Speech by holding down the Shift key and pressing the Symbol key . You can pause and resume Text-to-Speech by pressing the Spacebar.

Using Voice Guide

Voice Guide lets you navigate your Kindle with spoken menus, selectable items, and descriptions. For example, when you open a book, Kindle speaks your current location and how far you've read.

To turn Voice Guide on or off, follow these steps:

1. If you are not already on the Home screen, press the Home button.
2. Press the Menu button.
3. Move the 5-way to underline "Settings" and press to select.
4. Press Next Page to go to Page 2 of Settings.
5. Move the 5-way to underline "turn on" or "turn off" next to the "Voice Guide" setting and press to select.

Listening to Audiobooks

Audible offers five versions of its audiobook format.

• Kindle is compatible with Audible audio format 4 and Audible Enhanced (AAX).

• Audiobooks provided from other sources are not supported.

Audible files appear on your Kindle Home screen with the word "audible" next to the title. You can purchase and download audiobooks from Audible.com and then transfer these books over USB or Wi-Fi to your Kindle's "Audible" folder.See Transferring, Downloading, and Sending Files to Kindle for information about transferring audiobooks to your Kindle.

To listen to an audiobook:

1. Select an audiobook from your Home screen.
2. Select the desired action with the 5-way controller to start, skip through, and stop playback.

Here's a list of the options you'll see for listening to your audiobooks:

• Progress Indicator: indicates how far you have come in the audiobook, the elapsed time, and the section you are in.
• Pause/Play: pauses or plays the audiobook (there is no Stop control).
• Forward 30 Seconds: moves ahead thirty seconds from the current location.
• Beginning: takes you back to the beginning of the audiobook.
• Previous Section: moves backwards in the audiobook to the previous section.
• Back 30 Seconds: moves backwards thirty seconds from the current location.
• Next Section: moves ahead to the next section in the audiobook, which is usually the next chapter.

Tip: To pause the playing of Audible content, press the space bar on the keyboard and press the spacebar again to resume.

Activating Your Kindle with Audible.com

If you use Audible Download Manager or Audible Manager on your PC, your Kindle will automatically be activated. Mac users will be prompted to activate their Kindle with Audible.com the first time they transfer Audible.com audio content to their Kindle.

If you have purchased Audible titles via the Kindle Store or linked your Amazon and Audible accounts via the Audible website, you can log in at Audible.com with your Amazon.com e-mail address and password. Otherwise, use your Audible.com username and password.

• Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7
• Audible Manager 5.5.0.3 or later
• Mac OS X (can be used to transfer content to Kindle

Playing Music While Reading

You can transfer your favorite MP3 music files to Kindle using the USB connection and then listen to them while reading. You cannot play music when using Text-to-Speech or listening to an audiobook. See Listening to Music for more details.

Kindle Tools

Know Your Kindle

Kindle FAQs | Kindle Discussions | Manage Your Kindle | Troubleshooting Your Kindle