There is no denying that Amazon’s Kindle is the first device that comes to mind for reading eBooks, whether it’s for the convenience that it offers to carry a multitude of books in a portable manner or how easy on the eye it makes it to read a book compared to a device such as a mobile phone or tablet.
That being said, even with a device as simple to use as the Kindle, which is nowhere as technically complex as a device such as a mobile phone or a computer, it’s entirely possible to face technical issues now and then, requiring a bit of troubleshooting to get things back to working order.
Today, we will be diving into the particular issue of Kindle becoming stuck in the USB drive mode, which causes the USB drive mode screen to be displayed even after the USB connection is removed, making it impossible to use the Kindle until the issue is resolved since there is no way to exit this mode through the Kindle interface.
So, how do you fix a Kindle that is stuck in USB drive mode?
Below, you can find the solutions we recommend applying to fix a Kindle that is stuck in the USB drive mode:
- Plug the Kindle back into the computer and eject it.
- Plug the Kindle into the official power adapter.
- Soft reset the Kindle.
- Let the battery run down for the Kindle to power off.
Moving forward, we will go through the process of fixing a Kindle that is stuck in USB drive mode in more detail, discuss the purpose of the USB drive mode, and finally, find out ways of transferring files to Kindle without a USB connection to avoid the possibility of it becoming stuck in USB drive mode again.
Kindle (Paperwhite) Stuck in USB Drive Mode – How to Fix It?
As a Kindle that is stuck in USB drive mode is practically unusable, there is no doubt that experiencing this issue can be pretty frustrating, especially if you encountered the problem right before you were planning on using your Kindle.
Below, you can find sub-sections for all the solutions we recommend trying to resolve the issue of your Kindle being stuck in USB drive mode, where we will go through the process of applying each individual fix in detail and explain how it can be helpful to resolve the issue.
Plug the Kindle Back Into the Computer and Eject It
Plugging the Kindle back into the computer and ejecting it should resolve the issues of the Kindle getting stuck in USB drive mode in most cases, as the ejecting process is supposed to take the Kindle out of USB drive mode, regardless of whether it’s connected or not.
While the exact process that you will need to follow to apply this solution depends on your computer’s operating system, you should easily be able to locate the eject functionality of the operating system you’re using once the USB connection between your computer and the Kindle is active.
Plug the Kindle Into the Official Power Adapter
Plugging the Kindle into the official power adapter, where it will only receive power and hence, won’t go into the USB drive mode, can also be helpful to take the Kindle out of the USB drive mode that it’s stuck in, as the USB connection will be refreshed in this case.
As third-party adapters are known to also sometimes contribute to the USB drive mode issue in some cases, we recommend only applying this solution with the official Kindle power adapter and not another adapter with matching specifications.
Soft Reset the Kindle
Soft resetting the Kindle can be described as the process of forcing it to power off and then power back on, which should allow you to restart your Kindle regardless of whether it’s stuck in USB drive mode since it’s a process that you can apply without requiring to use the touchscreen.
To soft reset your Kindle, unplug the USB connection, hold down the power button for roughly a minute, and let go of the button, which should cause your Kindle to restart.
As it can take a few minutes for the Kindle to restart in some cases, we recommend waiting around 5 minutes after you perform the soft reset procedure and not interacting with the Kindle in any way during this period.
If the Kindle still doesn’t restart, we also recommend trying the methods of fully charging the Kindle before resetting it and resetting the Kindle while it’s connected to the computer or the power adapter, as user feedback tells us that these steps can sometimes prompt the Kindle to restart in cases where it otherwise wouldn’t.
Let the Battery Run Down for the Kindle to Power Off
When all else fails, letting the battery of the Kindle run down is guaranteed to take it out of USB drive mode, as the Kindle will eventually be forced to shut down due to not having enough battery, at which point you can charge it and power it back on without any issues.
For this solution, all you will need to do is to leave your Kindle unplugged for a while with the screen on, which will slowly drain the battery and eventually shut your Kindle off based on how much battery was remaining when you started the process.
What Is the Purpose of the Kindle USB Drive Mode?
While we can imagine that you most likely never want to see the “USB drive mode” screen on your Kindle again after the problem you have faced, the Kindle USB drive mode is actually a pretty valuable feature when it works as intended.
The purpose of the Kindle USB drive mode is to turn it into an external storage device that you can utilize to transfer files from your computer in a similar fashion as an external hard disk or a flash drive, which makes it a straightforward task to copy any documents over to your Kindle.
As the USB drive mode is what opens up a data channel between the Kindle and your computer, ejecting the Kindle will cause this data channel to be closed and hence prompt it to go out of USB drive mode, while the power from the USB connection still flows and charges the Kindle.
How to Transfer Files to Kindle Without a USB Connection?
Establishing a USB connection between your Kindle and the device you will be transferring files from isn’t exactly a necessity to transfer new books and documents to your Kindle, as there are alternative methods you can employ that don’t require any physical link between the devices.
Below, you can find sub-sections for two different methods that will allow you to transfer files to your Kindle without the need for a USB connection, in which we will explain how you can utilize each individual method as conveniently as possible.
Transfer Files to Kindle with E-Mail
The first method you can use to transfer files to your Kindle without a USB connection is the E-mail functionality, which is practically no different than sending a regular E-mail to a colleague or a friend.
Below, you can find a step-by-step guide that you can follow to transfer files to your Kindle through E-mail:
- Find your Kindle e-mail address by visiting this link, and note the e-mail address down.
- Add the e-mail address you will be sending files from to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List by visiting this link.
- Attach the file you would like to send to your Kindle to the attachment section of the E-mail, and send the E-mail from the address you have specified in Step 2 to the address you have found in Step 1.
When using this method, please be mindful of the file types that are supported, which are: .doc, .docx (Microsoft Word), .html, .htm (HTML), .rtf (Rich Text File), .jpeg, .jpg (JPEG Image), .epub, .mobi (E-book), .gif (GIF Image), .png (PNG Image), .bmp (Bitmap Image), .pdf (PDF Document).
Transfer Files to Kindle with the Send to Kindle Application
The second method you can employ to quickly transfer files to your Kindle without requiring a USB connection is the Send to Kindle application, which is available for Mac and PC, for mobile devices running Android, and as an extension for Google Chrome.
While the exact steps you will need to take depend on the version of Send to Kindle you’re using, the application will practically grant you a window where you can drag and drop files for them to be transferred to your Kindle.
Conclusion
While having your Kindle stuck in the USB drive mode can definitely be a significant inconvenience and annoyance, we can consider it to be an issue that is relatively straightforward to fix in most cases, meaning that you should be able to get back to using your Kindle in no time.
To summarize, our recommendations would be to eject the Kindle correctly, plug it into an official power adapter, soft reset it, and when all else fails, wait for the battery to drain to fix a Kindle that is stuck in USB drive mode, which is practically guaranteed to bring your Kindle back into working order unless a hardware issue is present.
Even though it’s highly unlikely that the issue will occur again, you can always avoid having to establish a USB connection between your Kindle and your computer down the road and send files to your Kindle wirelessly instead, eliminating the possibility of your Kindle getting stuck in USB drive mode.
Mark’s first real encounter with tech was when he had to format his computer with Windows 98 around the age of 6 to quickly get back to playing Heroes of Might and Magic III without having to send the computer in for a repair, which he strangely found to be rather enjoyable since it was a new challenge for him at the time.
While he has always been particularly interested in the software side of things, which eventually led to him becoming a software developer, he enjoys keeping up with the advancements in consumer electronics and smart home technology when he’s not busy coding.