As of Jan. 20, 2026, Amazon is changing its policy on DRM e-books sold in the Kindle store. Now, you could read a book purchased in the Kindle store on a non-Kindle e-reader.
The biggest issue with e-books is the topic of digital rights management. When you purchase a book in the Kindle or Kobo store, these books have some form of digital rights management (DRM) on them, meaning that e-books are encrypted and can only be read on a certain type of e-reader. So when you buy an e-book in the Kindle store, you can only read it on a Kindle. This means that if you switch from a Kindle to a Kobo, you can’t move books you’ve purchased in the Kindle store to your new e-reader.
However, Amazon is making it easier to access DRM-free files. The news arrived on the Kindle Direct Publishing platform, used typically by self-published authors and independent presses. The Digital Rights Management page on Kindle Direct Publishing states that as of Jan. 20, 2026, authors and publishers now have the choice to make files DRM-free.
As noted, the changes will only effect new files, not previously downloaded books. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon
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