The rename
What happened to Kindle Cloud Reader
Searching for Kindle Cloud Reader and landing on a page that calls itself something else is the usual first surprise. Amazon’s own landing page says it plainly: Kindle Cloud Reader is now known as Kindle for Web. Nothing about where you go has changed; it is the same browser reader at read.amazon.com, signed in with your Amazon account, showing the Kindle books you own.
What has changed is its job. With the legacy Kindle for PC app unsupported since June 30, 2026, Amazon’s install page sends anyone whose computer cannot run the new desktop app to Kindle for Web instead. For many Windows 10 readers, the Kindle Cloud Reader is now the main way to read on a computer.
Where it runs
Which browsers and devices Kindle for Web supports
| Where | Minimum version |
|---|---|
| Chrome, desktop and mobile | 87 |
| Edge, desktop | 87 |
| Firefox, desktop and mobile | 78 |
| Safari, desktop and mobile | 11 |
| Phones | iPhone on iOS 13, Android 10 |
Those are the minimums on Amazon’s Kindle for Web help page, which also lists Opera 61, UC Browser 10 and Samsung’s browser 12 on mobile. Any current browser clears them easily.
What it does
What you can do in the Kindle Cloud Reader
- Read your library: books you bought on Amazon appear once you sign in.
- Set the page up: text size, font, layout, margins and background colour.
- Highlight and annotate: add highlights and notes, then view them together in the notebook view.
- Search and look up: search a book for a word or a name, and see dictionary definitions.
- Sign out on a shared computer: the three-dot menu at the top right has Sign Out, which matters on a library or work machine.
Its limits
When to use the Kindle app instead
Amazon’s help page is direct about the main limit: not all titles are available to read in Kindle for Web, and those need the Kindle app or a Kindle e-reader. It is also a reader for books in your Amazon library; adding your own PDFs and documents from your computer is something the desktop app does, through its Import button.
Not all titles are available to read in Kindle for Web.Amazon’s help page
So the choice is simple. On Windows 11 or a Mac, install the app; our Kindle app for PC guide covers the new Kindle for Windows and what it needs. On Windows 10, a Chromebook, a work computer you cannot install on, or someone else’s machine, use the browser.
Neither one is a place to write. If you want to handwrite on books and documents, that is a Kindle Scribe’s job, and our Kindle Scribe vs iPad comparison weighs it against a tablet. To get a PDF onto the Scribe so you can write on it, see our guide to sending a PDF to Kindle Scribe.
Do you read in the browser or the app, and has the rename confused anyone you know? Tell us in the comments.
FAQ
Common questions, answered briefly
Does Kindle Cloud Reader still exist?
Is Kindle Cloud Reader free?
Why won’t a book open in Kindle Cloud Reader?
Which browsers work with Kindle for Web?
Should I use Kindle for Web or the Kindle app on my PC?
If yours isn’t above, drop it in the comments and we’ll add it.
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