Did a book suddenly disappear from your Kindle? How to fix it fast

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Summary

A glitch can remove books from the Kindle, showing an “Item Not Available” message, but no panic needed.

Delete the offending file, reboot the Kindle by long pressing the sleep/wake button, and then restore content.

Re-download the book from the library to fix the error, or contact Kindle Support if the issue persists.

The Kindle family of e-readers offer a truly spectacular way to read, no matter whether

you’re a newbie
,

constant reader
, or enjoy

reading comics and graphic novels
. However, like any tech device, they’re not immune from glitches, and one particularly nasty one has been known to fully remove books from Kindle devices seemingly without warning, while flashing an “Item Not Available” message on the screen.

This error seems to occur spontaneously, and can happen whether you send your own ePub files to your Kindle or purchase books directly from Amazon through the Kindle Store.

If this happens to you, fret not. Your content isn’t actually gone and fixing this issue is actually fairly easy thanks to the Kindle’s cloud-saved library. Here’s how to fix it in less than 5 minutes.

Because you will be adding and removing a download from your device, your Kindle will need to be connected to Wi-Fi during this process.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

$130 $160 Save
$30

Amazon’s new Kindle Paperwhite is its fastest yet, with 25 percent faster page turns. It also has a larger 7-inch display.

While the iPad excels as a tablet, Amazon’s Kindle e-reader takes the crown for reading.

Remove the book that is producing the error message

Get rid of the offending file

The first step towards getting your book back is by deleting the offending file from your device. To do this, simply tap the three dots next to the book and then select Remove download.

The image of the book will still be on your Kindle, but it will no longer attempt to open the file when you select it, instead prompting you to download it instead. Which you’ll do eventually, but not yet.