How To Use The Kindle App For Windows 8.1 To Read eBooks

How To Get Started With The Kindle App For Windows 8.1

First you need to download the app. Click or tap here to get it for free.

After downloading and installing the app, you need to sign in with your Amazon account. To get started press the Sign in button placed at the bottom of the window. If you don't have an Amazon account press the + button and follow the instructions for creating one.

Type your Amazon username and password and press the Sign in button.

You are done and you can start now start purchasing and reading eBooks.

How To Buy eBooks Using The Kindle App

The Kindle app allows you to purchase eBooks from the Kindle Store. To do that follow the instructions below:

First, press the cart shaped button placed in the upper right corner of the window to enter the Kindle Store.

Now, Amazon will be loaded in your default web browser. Find the eBook you like and press "Buy now with 1-Click".

Your book will appear now in the My Books section of the app. You'll be notified through an email message about your purchase. You can now start reading in seconds and your Kindle eBook will download while you are reading.

How To Use Kindle's Reading Tools

If you want to read something from the My Books section, click or tap on the book you wish to read. You can turn pages using the left and right arrows on your keyboard or by flicking left and right on a screen with touch.

If you right click or press and hold somewhere in the app window, you will open a menu at the bottom of the Kindle app. The same can be done by swiping upwards, from the bottom of the screen, on a device with touch.

If you want to return to your library press the Library button placed in the upper left corner.

You can also place a bookmark by pressing the Bookmark button placed in the upper right corner of the window, so you will find a certain page quicker. When a bookmark is placed the button becomes blue. Undo this action pressing the button again.

Also, you can highlight your favourite passages. To do that, select the text you wish to highlight and press Highlight.

The highlighted text will appear colored in yellow.

To place a note on the selected text, press Note.

Type your note in the text box and click or tap Save.

Another interesting and useful feature is that you can start looking up word definitions and check for pronunciation. This feature can be helpful if you read books in languages other than your own. Select the word and the definition will appear automatically. Press the Listen button placed near the word and listen to how it is pronounced.

How To View Your Marks And Notes

Once you've placed a bookmark, made notes and highlighted text, you don't have to navigate through the eBook to find them. They are all grouped in a section called Notes/Marks. To access all your entries, press Notes/Marks in the contextual menu shown on the bottom of the window. You can open the bottom menu if you right click or press and hold somewhere in the app window.

If you click or tap on a note, you will expand it so you can read it entirely. Tapping or clicking on a bookmark or a highlight, will cause you to jump to the location where you placed it in the eBook.

How To Customize The Kindle App's Reading Settings

The Kindle app allows you to customize your reading experience by choosing the background color, font size and the number of reading columns.

To change your reading settings, press the View button from the contextual menu on the bottom of the app window.

Now a pop-up menu is shown and you can start changing the default reading settings. You can change the font size, the margins, the background color, the number of reading columns or choose if you want your device to show the reading location or not. Once everything is set up, press Apply Settings.

How To Sync Your Reading With The Kindle App

If you have more devices with the Kindle app installed, it's possible for you to synchronize them. First, you need to sign in with your Amazon account. Amazon's Whispersync technology automatically syncs your furthest page read, bookmarks, notes and highlights across all your devices that have the Kindle app installed and across your Kindle devices. That means you can start reading on one device and pick up where you left off on another device.

This procedure is very simple. Just press the Sync button from the contextual menu on the bottom of the app window.

You will be notified if this is the furthest location across all your devices. Press OK to complete the action.

How To Pin Books To Your Start Screen

The Kindle app allows you to pin Kindle eBooks from your library to the Start screen for instant access. To do that press the "Pin to Start"button from the contextual menu on the bottom of the app window.

Your eBook will appear on the Start screen. When you start reading you will always pick up where you left off.