Having one or multiple Kindles in your household sometimes get shared between partners or kids. Amazon has a program called Family Sharing, which enables Kindles to share ebooks with each other, cutting down on the amount of money spend on Kindle books. How does it work and how do you set it up?
Amazon Household Tutorial
You’ll need to get started on the Amazon webpage in a web browser. Open Amazon and log into your account, if needed. Then click Accounts & Lists at the top of the page, and click Amazon Household in the Shopping programs and rentals section near the bottom of the page.
Now it’s time to invite your family. Click Add adult to add your spouse or partner and send an invite to their email address. Follow the instructions on the webpage to agree to share the ability to make purchases for your account, and then on the next page choose what Amazon content you want to share—this is where you can share your Kindle eBook library.
You can also add your kids (12 and under) by selecting Add Children.
How to share Kindle books
Depending on how you configured your Amazon Household, you’re either already there or almost done.
When you created your Amazon Household, you had the option to choose which Amazon content you wanted to share. If you left the eBooks option checked, then your eBook library will automatically appear on your other family members’ Kindles. Mission accomplished! They can open your books and start reading.
If you didn’t check that box, though, you get to pick and choose which particular books you want to share.
On the Amazon webpage, click Account and Lists and then click Manage content and devices in the Digital content and devices section of the page. On the Digital Content page, click Books.
Here you’ll find a list of all the books you’ve ever purchased for your Kindle. Use the checkboxes to select the books you want to share, then click Add to Library at the top of the page. Choose the family members you want to share with, and the books will be available on their Kindles.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
