Can you use Libby on a Kindle?
Not as an app: Libby does not install on Kindle e-readers. But if your library is in the US, you can borrow an ebook in Libby on your phone, choose Read With, then Kindle, and Amazon delivers it to your Kindle. It works for most Libby ebooks, not audiobooks. On a Fire tablet, install Libby itself instead. Outside the US, use Libby's own reader or a different e-reader.
How do you send a Libby book to a Kindle?
Libby's help page lays out six steps. Tap Shelf. Tap Loans at the top. Tap Read With. Tap Kindle. You are taken to Amazon's website; sign in if asked. Tap Get Library Book, and the book appears on the devices linked to your Amazon account.
Make sure your Kindle is on Wi-Fi and synced. If the book does not appear after a few minutes, sync the Kindle from its settings menu.
Why is Read With Kindle missing for some books?
Libby says you can read most, not all, Libby books on a Kindle e-reader, and the option is available in the US only. Some titles are not offered in Kindle format by the publisher, and libraries outside the US do not have the option at all. If Read With Kindle is missing, read that title in the Libby app instead.
Can you listen to Libby audiobooks on a Kindle?
No. Libby audiobooks play in the Libby app. Kindle e-readers play Audible audiobooks over Bluetooth, but library audiobooks do not transfer.
What happens when the loan ends?
The book disappears from your Kindle when the loan expires, like returning it to the library. Notes and highlights you made stay in your Amazon account, so if you borrow the same book again, they come back. You can return early from Libby or from your Amazon account, which frees your library loan for the next person.
If the loan expires mid-book and you are back on the holds list for weeks, you may lose the thread. When you get it back, Kindle's Story So Far can recap up to where you stopped on supported Kindle ebooks; for other copies, our recap apps page has the options.
Should you read in Libby or on the Kindle?
On an e-ink Kindle, almost always the Kindle: the screen is easier on the eyes for long sessions, the battery lasts weeks, and your highlights join your Amazon notes. On a phone, Libby's own reader is simpler, because the book stays in one app and you do not need an Amazon account at all.
Two cases favour Libby's reader even if you own a Kindle: magazines and picture-heavy books, which Libby handles in color on a phone or tablet, and titles where Read With Kindle is not offered. Borrowing works the same either way; only where you read changes.
What if you are outside the US?
Read With Kindle is US only, so outside the US you have three choices: read library ebooks in the Libby app on a phone or tablet; use an e-reader that supports library borrowing directly, such as a Kobo; or borrow on a computer and transfer files to a compatible e-reader where your library's format allows it. The Kobo route is the least fiddly, and it is one reason readers who borrow more than they buy often choose Kobo.
What about Fire tablets and Kobo?
On a Fire tablet, Libby recommends installing and reading in the Libby app rather than sending to Kindle. Kobo e-readers have OverDrive library borrowing built in, which is one reason Kobo scores well on our ownership and library criteria. If you borrow far more than you buy, that matters more than which store is bigger.
Questions readers actually ask
- Can I download the Libby app on my Kindle?
- Not on a Kindle e-reader. On a Fire tablet, yes. On a Kindle e-reader, borrow in Libby on your phone and use Read With Kindle (US libraries only).
- Is Read With Kindle free?
- Yes. It is a library loan; you need a library card and an Amazon account.
- Does Libby to Kindle work outside the US?
- No. Libby says sending to a Kindle e-reader is available in the US only.
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