Kindles serve as a great alternative to books, and they have excellent battery life. Of course, the battery doesn’t last too long if you play games and watch movies, but it can work for over 24 hours if you use it for reading. Whether you have the standard Kindle, Paperwhite, the Kids Edition, or the Kindle Oasis, charging it is easy.
You can charge a Kindle by connecting the USB cable with the computer, using a wall charger to connect it to an electrical outlet. Another way is to directly connect the USB cable to a power strip that has a USB port.
If you just got your hands on a Kindle and are unsure how to charge it, here’s everything you need to know.
Charging Your Kindle
There are two ways to charge your Kindle. We will discuss both of these in detail below.
Method #1: Using Your Computer or Laptop
To charge your Kindle using a computer, you will need the charging cable that comes with the Kindle. This charging cable has two ends: a USB end and a MicroUSB end. Once you have the USB, here’s what you need to do:
- Connect the USB end of the cable to your computer’s USB port.
- Connect the Micro USB end of the cable to Kindle’s charging port. You will find this port at the bottom of your device’s housing.
- Once the Kindle starts to charge, you will see an amber light at the bottom. You will also see a lightning bolt icon in the battery icon on top of the screen.
- Once the Kindle charges fully, the light will turn from amber to green.
If you don’t see any light after a few seconds, your Kindle isn’t charging. If that happens, some things you can try are:
- Use a different USB port to see if you initially plugged it into a port that can’t charge.
- Force-restart the Kindle by pressing the power button for 20-30 seconds and plug in the charger again.
All USB ports don’t support charging. Therefore if your computer’s USB port doesn’t charge the Kindle, try using another USB port.
Method #2: Using a Wall Charger/Adapter
For this method, you need a Kindle wall adapter. Some Kindles like the Kindle Fire come with the A/C power adapter, but for some Kindles, you have to buy your own. You can easily find a USB-to-wall adapter in online stores and even your nearest tech department store.
Once you have the adapter, here are the following steps:
- Plug the adapter into a wall outlet or even a power strip.
- Connect the cable’s USB end into the adapter and the Micro USB end to the Kindle’s port present at the housing’s bottom.
- If you see an amber light at the bottom, your Kindle is charging. Like with method #1, you’ll see a lightning bolt in the battery icon on the top right of your device. Once fully charged, the light will turn green.
- If you don’t see the amber light after a few seconds, try plugging the charger in a different outlet or force-restart your Kindle.
Summary
A Kindle serves many purposes. You not only get an e-reader with access to hundreds and thousands of books, but you also get a device you can use for other media purposes. You can use it to watch movies, play games, or even surf the internet.
This article has shown you how to charge your Kindle. If these methods don’t work and your Kindle still doesn’t charge, we recommend getting in touch with the customer service to get the help you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any phone charger to charge a Kindle as long as it has a USB port to connect the power cable. Ideally, the charger should be at least 5W. Otherwise, it will take much longer to charge.
The Kindle charger has a USB 2.0 on one end and a Micro USB. You can plug the USB connector into an AC adapter, game console, computer, or even a power strip if it has a USB port.
If the Kindle light doesn’t turn amber even after being plugged in for a while, the battery is depleted. Generally, your Kindle should start charging within 30 minutes of being connected.
You should avoid overcharging your Kindle. While doing it a few times won’t have any effects, doing it regularly can worsen the battery life.
