Many users prefer the Kindle app on the desktop to read eBooks. Especially those who spend most of their time at a desk. Other users like to read text on the bigger screen. Some readers are complaining that Kindle apps on the Windows desktop won’t open.
You can access the Kindle app from your smartphone, but this is only a temporary solution until you fix the desktop PC Kindle app error. There may be a problem with the Kindle app itself or your Windows computer. We will explore both possibilities.
Let’s start.
1. Read Online
Many people may not know this, but you can access your entire Kindle library from Kindle Cloud Reader. Open your favorite browser and click the link shared below to open Kindle Cloud Reader. It won’t show the books you added manually, but you can read any ebook you buy from Amazon. This is a good way to keep reading your favorite books while figuring out how to fix the Kindle app for your desktop.
2. Wacom Tablet Services Conflict
The Wacom Tablet and Kindle app don’t go hand in hand for some reason. There is known to be a conflict between these two services. There are two ways to fix this problem. Users can remove hardware from their computers while using Kindle. Another way is to open the Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys), right-click on the relevant service and select End task.
3. Change Local Folder Location
Kindles app stores some files locally on your computer in order to work properly. These files can get corrupted over time and cause Kindle not to start or turn on your PC.
Stage 1: Navigate to the folder structure below.
C:\Users\username\Documents
or
C:\Users\username\OneDrive\Documents
Replace the ‘username’ in the paths above with the account username on your Windows PC.
Step 2: Find and delete the My Kindle Contents folder in it. Do not worry. The app can always re-download all your Kindle content once it starts working normally.
Stage 3: Launch the Kindle app and now if it opens correctly, go to Tools > Options > Content and click the Change Folder button to change the default location to save Kindle files.
4. Corrupted PDF Files
A corrupted PDF file may be corrupting the Kindle app, preventing it from opening on your desktop computer. Causes can include a bug, malware or virus. We do not recommend downloading PDFs or other eBooks from untrusted sources. And always scan files for malware or viruses using your antivirus and Malwarebytes. Virus Total is a popular site for scanning URLs and files before downloading them. Try downloading a fresh copy of the PDF/eBook file. Sometimes a partially downloaded file can also cause such errors.
5. Clear Temporary Files
Clearing temporary files is a good idea for many reasons. It helps improve device and app performance for one and frees up valuable space for the other. However, it can also fix app-specific errors where they don’t open or otherwise malfunction, like the Kindle in our case.
Windows 10 offers a built-in tool to clean up temporary files left over from apps. You can also use third-party apps like CCleaner if you want, but the default app is good enough.
6. Cleanly Reinstall Kindle App
Reinstalling an app is easy, but you have to be careful about leftover files. These junk files can cause the Kindle app not to open when you reinstall the app. That’s why we recommend doing a clean uninstall using the Revo Uninstaller app. After the Kindle is uninstalled, download the setup file again and reinstall it. You may need to re-add PDF eBooks you didn’t purchase from Amazon.
7. Use Caliber
The Kindle isn’t the only cool kid on the block. There is another one called Caliber. A free, open source Amazon Kindle alternative that can be used to read, write and publish books. Note that it will not work on DRM protected content. You can use it on both Windows and macOS and also Linux.
Rekindle the fire
The Kindle forever changed the way people read books. It was a game changer and the Amazon bookstore is now the largest eBook store in the world. Kindle tablets are just as great and you can try them, although they are not free like the app version and they do improve the reading experience a lot.
The PC or desktop app is pretty slick and works well. These are minor glitches that users encounter when using apps and software across platforms. We hope you can now open the Kindle app on your desktop computer and the eBooks load without any problems. If you find another way to fix the Kindle error, let us know in the comments section below.
Next: Looking to read digital copies of your favorite authors’ books? There are many Kindle App alternatives that can work as great eBook readers.
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