If you want the latest Kindle features right this second (or you missed a past update) the best way to get an immediate update for your Kindle is to do it manually. Read on as we show you how to easily update your Kindle.
Dear How-To Geek,
I caught a little blurb in my tech news feed like a month or two ago about how Amazon was rolling out all the second generation Kindle Paperwhite features (like Goodreads integration) to the first generation Kindle Paperwhites via over-the-air update. The only problem is I seem to have never received the update. I’m sure I could do something drastic like reset my Kindle to initialize the whole process, but I’d prefer not to.
Is there a simple way to just manually download the update and apply it myself?
Sincerely,
Feature Lacking
Absolutely; while Amazon’s over-the-air updates are usually pretty consistent (although it often takes them the better part of a month to roll out an update across the board) sometimes there’s a hiccup like the one you experienced.
Readers who have followed along with our previous Kindle-oriented guides like How to Jailbreak Your Kindle Paperwhite for Screensaver Apps and More are familiar with how simple it is to drop an update file onto the Kindle and force a manual update. Even better, for the purposes of helping you and writing this guide, we have a first generation Kindle Paperwhite we’ve had sitting in airplane mode for months; a quick check revealed that it has the old OS version number which makes it a perfect candidate for a manual update.
Your first stop should be the Kindle Software Updates category in the Amazon customer service database. Although we’re performing this trick with a Kindle Paperwhite, you can use the same manual update tricks for other Kindle models too. Select Kindle Paperwhite (1st Generation). There you’ll find a list of the features for the new update as well as a link at the bottom to download the actual update package labeled Download Software Update [version number].
Now is a great time to compare that number to the version number on your actual Kindle. On your Kindle navigate to Menu -> Settings -> Menu -> Device Info. You’ll see a screen like the following one.
Clearly leaving the device in Airplane Mode during the rollout window left us without an update as the firmware version we have (5.3.9) is behind the version that brings the second generation features to the first generation Paperwhite (5.4.4). Now that we’ve confirmed that the version on our Kindle is, in fact, behind the version available on the manual update page it’s time to update.
Save the file to your computer; the format for Kindle updates is always update_kindle_[version number].bin. Once the download is complete, attach your Kindle Paperwhite to your computer and copy the update .BIN file to the root directory of your Kindle Paperwhite. The file must be in the root, so if your computer mounts the Kindle as the F drive, the path to the coped update package should be F:\update_kindle_[version number].bin
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Once the file is placed in the root directory of your Kindle device, you simply need to instruct the Kindle to update via the Kindle’s menu system. Unmount the Kindle from your computer and then navigate, on the Kindle, to Menu -> Settings to enter the settings menu, then tap the Menu button again from within the settings menu and select “Update Your Kindle.” Press OK and then wait.
After your Kindle reboots (don’t be concerned if it takes a minute or longer to finish rebooting and updating), repeat the version check process by looking in the Device Info menu. You should see an updated version number, as seen in the screenshot below.
In addition to updated version number you should also see some of the new features outlined on the manual update page (like the Goodreads logo on the main menu and on the toolbar while reading books).
Your Kindle is now up-to-date with the latest features and you didn’t have to wait for the device to automatically update over the air. While we hope your future OTA updates are smoother, it’s easy (once you know where to look) to manually grab an update and refresh your Kindle to the latest version.
Have a pressing tech question? Shoot us an email at ask@howtogeek.com and we’ll do our best to answer it.