Why Is My Kindle Paperwhite So Slow? (Make If Fast!)
Why is my Kindle Paperwhite so slow? This is a common question, with a very easy solution!
The degraded performance of your Kindle Paperwhite is typically a result of insufficient battery power, overloaded storage, or system-related issues.
By the end of this guide, you will know how to:
To learn how each of these helpful solutions works, keep reading further!
Why is My Kindle Paperwhite So Slow? – Easy Ways to Fix!
Tip: Have you tested the Kindle Paperwhite’s performance in multiple books and menus?
1. Reboot & Re-charge your Paperwhite
If the Kindle Paperwhite is operating on a low battery, there’s a significant chance for delay and performance reduction.
So, before undertaking any more complex solutions, it’s recommended to give your Paperwhite a cool-off by shutting down the e-reader and connecting it to a charger.
Follow these simple steps to solve Kindle’s performance issue:
- Press and hold the e-reader’s “Power” button for 10 seconds.
- Once the screen goes blank, plug the device into your charger.
- Wait for a total of 5–10 minutes while the Kindle is powered off.
- Turn on the e-reader and check if the performance is improved.
The remaining battery percentage of the e-reader will be displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Do not unplug the device until the battery capacity has reached at least 50%, as this is the percentage required for optimal performance and loading speeds.
2. Unload the Kindle Paperwhite’s Storage
The performance of the Kindle e-readers is relative to the storage’s occupation.
Most e-readers have a maximum capacity of up to 6 Gigabytes, which is extremely low considering the sheer size of some Amazon books.
You can free Kindle Paperwhite storage in two ways through the device’s settings menu!
2.1 How to Free Up Space with Manual Removal?
The “Manual Removal” setting allows you to manage the Kindle’s storage manually and specify which items to remove.
The items will remain accessible through the “All view” section in your Amazon’s library, but will no longer be stored on the Kindle itself.
- To use “Manual Removal” follow these instructions:
- Tap the vertical dots on the homepage.
- Go to “Settings” and “Device Options”.
- Then, enter in the “Advanced Options”.
- Tap on the “Storage Management” tab.
- Finally, choose the “Manual Removal.”
When there, follow the steps to manage your Kindle’s storage hassle-free!
2.2 How to Free Up Space with “Quick Archive”?
Well, the next method to release occupied storage on your Kindle is to use “Quick Archive.”
This feature frees up space by removing cloud-downloaded items that haven’t been opened recently.
Therefore, if you read a book a couple of months ago and forgot to uninstall it, this feature will automatically erase the item and free up the respective amount of storage.
- Go to Settings → Device Options → Advanced Options → Storage Management → Manual Removal → Quick Archive.
Reminder: Your Kindle Paperwhite must be connected to the internet to access these features!
3. Force Reboot the Kindle Paperwhite
Perhaps, a bug with the e-reader’s CPU or memory has caused the performance and response rate to drop significantly.
We suggest conducting a forced reboot on the Kindle Paperwhite, by holding the “Power” button for an extended period of time.
- To force reboot the Kindle Paperwhite, hold the “Power” button for 40 seconds!
Do not release the button regardless of the icons or logos that may appear throughout the 40 seconds to conduct the forced reset successfully.
In the meantime, your Kindle should both power off and reboot afterward for the continuity of the 40 seconds, without giving any errors.
4. Temporarily Disable “Whispersync”
If the Kindle Paperwhite lagging does not stop, disabling “Whispersync” could be a temporary resolution for the problem.
This feature is responsible for syncing and transferring all content from your Amazon book Library to all connected e-readers, including your Kindle Paperwhite.
Here’s how to deactivate the “Whispersync” feature in easy steps:
- Open your Kindle app on your iOS, Android, Mac or PC device.
- Select “More” and navigate to the “Settings” tab from the menu.
- Scroll down to the “Whispersync for Books” tile and press once.
- Set the feature to “Disabled” and exit the menu to test the Kindle.
Remember that setting “Whispersync” to “Off” will temporarily suspend all book transfers from your Amazon account to the Kindle, regardless of the connection status.
Determine if Kindle’s performance improves with disabled“Whispersync” and check if any of your books are missing.
5. Delete Book Items Through Amazon
If the issue is storage-related, then uninstalling completed books through your Amazon account should certainly improve the performance.
As established, the “Whispersync” feature copies and transfers all of your content from the Amazon account, to all paired e-readers.
Here’s how to uninstall books through your Amazon account:
- Sign in to your Amazon account through the website or app.
- Next, access the quick menu by pressing the three-line icon.
- Scroll to the “Kindle Apps & Resources” section from the tab.
- Click the “Manage Your Content and Devices” drop-down tile.
- Press on the checkbox next to each book you wish to uninstall.
- After selecting all unnecessary books, click the “Delete” button.
Note: Do not keep books you’ve completed or no longer read as this fills up the storage and severely impacts the performance.
6. Manually Update the Paperwhite’s OS
The Kindle lagging could also be caused by outdated Kindle firmware.
Kindle Paperwhite models receive automatic updates, as long as they are connected to a network wirelessly.
In case of a firmware installation failure, there are easy steps to upload the latest version available for your Kindle manually!
Let’s review the steps for updating manually:
- First, download the latest firmware available for Kindle on your PC.
- Turn on the Kindle and plug it into your PC using the charging cable.
- Access the “Kindle” drive through the File Explorer on your computer.
- Drag and drop the installation file into Kindle’s opened directory path.
- Unplug your Kindle from your computer and wait for 10–15 seconds.
- On your Kindle, go to “Menu” → “Settings” → “Update your Kindle.”
- Follow the necessary steps to install the latest firmware for the Kindle.
Once the update is complete, the Kindle will restart automatically and require longer than usual to load up.
It’s advised to plug the e-reader with a charger and let it sit overnight for all of your books to index after the update.
7. Restore your Kindle to Factory Default
In case the fault persists, the most effective solution is to factory reset your Kindle Paperwhite.
Restoring the e-reader’s settings to default values should address issues with the storage, CPU utilization, and occupation of the Random Access Memory (RAM.)
Here are the steps to factory reset a Kindle Paperwhite:
- From the homepage, go to “Menu” or the “Quick Actions” tab.
- Navigate to “Settings” or the “All Settings” menu from below.
- Head to “Device Options” and select the “Factory Reset” tile.
- For Older E-Readers: Navigate to“Menu” → “Reset Device.”
- To initiate the reset, click “Factory Reset” and then “Confirm.”
After the restoration begins, connect the Kindle Paperwhite to a charger and do not interact with the e-reader for the upcoming 3–5 minutes.
If the reset takes too long or the device gets stuck on the loading screen, hold the “Power” button for 30–40 seconds to perform a forced restart.
Finn Wheatley, a Master’s graduate in Computer Science from UCL, London, honed his skills at small data science consultancies. There, he helped large corporations enhance their data capabilities by deploying cutting-edge machine learning analytics and resolving technical hurdles.