4 easy ways I upgraded my new Kindle

• Adjust brightness, warmth, and color settings to your tastes
• Borrow library books for free
• Buy a decorative case
• Always show the cover of your current book

One of the things I appreciate about (most) e-readers is their simplicity. It’s the point, really — while you can read books on an iPad or on your phone, there’s rarely any need to download new apps on an e-reader, or even switch between them in many cases. You wake the tablet up, pick a new book or keep reading where you left off, then put it back to sleep when you’re done. You may not even have to charge the device for weeks at a time.

You can use a Kindle without much trouble out of the box, at least once you’ve connected it to Wi-Fi and linked it to your Amazon account. But if you want to get the most out of it, there are several things you can do that will make your reading experience better, or even save you some money.

Adjust brightness, warmth, and color settings to your tastes

Or the time of day, anyway

If you’re new to Kindles, it might be hard to believe there was a time when none of them had a front light. You had to use them in daylight or under a lamp if you wanted to read anything. For a while, there was an aftermarket for clip-on lamps. Thankfully, in 2026, even the cheapest Kindle has a built-in light.

Each model has a different set of lighting options depending on its specs. From the homescreen, you can access these by swiping down to access the Quick Actions menu or by selecting the Settings icon. If you’re in the middle of reading a book, just tap on the top of the screen.

The Auto-Brightness option will adapt to ambient conditions, and you may want to Schedule warmth changes so that you get amber tones closer to bedtime.

Most Kindles will let you scale brightness and warmth, the latter producing various shades of white from a bluish tone to amber. You can control these manually, but the Auto-Brightness option will adapt to ambient conditions, and you may want to Schedule warmth changes so that you get amber tones closer to bedtime. Remember that higher brightness levels consume more battery power — you shouldn’t be blazing at full brightness unless you absolutely need it.

Black-and-white Kindles have access to Dark Mode, which essentially inverts your display in a way that may be easier to read, especially at night. Full-color models (like Colorsofts) can only make pages dark, not the user interface, but do get the ability to switch between Standard and Vivid color levels. Vivid is more saturated, but won’t necessarily appeal to everyone.

Borrow library books for free

No need to pay for everything

While there are roundabout ways of getting books from outside stores on a Kindle, say if you’ve got PDF or EPUB files you can sync via Send to Kindle, Amazon really wants you to spend money at the Kindle Store or on a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Third-party stores are inaccessible from the Kindle UI.

The good news is that many libraries have evolved to meet the times, and are licensed to let you borrow e-books like you would paper copies. You’ll need a library card first, so make a visit to your local branch.

You can only download so many at once, and you only get to keep them for a limited time.

In the US, Kindle library titles are handled through a service called OverDrive, which also has a phone and tablet app called Libby. To use these, you’ll need a PIN you (hopefully!) received alongside your library card. Next, you’ll need to log into your library’s website, then search for a category like Kindle books or eBooks. During the checkout process, you’ll be asked to sign into your Amazon account, then pick the device you’re sending your book(s) to.

Note that on your Kindle, you may have to manually trigger downloads from the Cloud or Archived Items sections. Some books may even require a USB transfer from a computer, but that’s unlikely.

Most important is that Kindle books are like anything you’d borrow from a library. You can only download so many at once, and you only get to keep them for a limited time. You’ll also be dealing with a limited selection, so you may need to open your mind if the titles you want are out or completely missing.

Buy a decorative case

Think about protection too

You don’t need a case for a Kindle. Amazon tries to upsell you on one, but if your Kindle sits at home most of the time, it should be perfectly fine naked. It should even be fine on planes, trains, and buses as long as you’re stashing it somewhere safe from scratches or heavy impacts.

That’s not always practical, though, and for many people, an e-reader feels like an intensely personal device. A case may be worthwhile for these reasons. Some models include handles and/or stands, which can reduce fatigue during longer reading sessions.

One common approach is to buy a “vanilla” case matched to your Kindle model, then customize it with stickers, drawings, or other personal touches.

One common approach is to buy a “vanilla” case matched to your Kindle model, then customize it with stickers, drawings, or other personal touches. If that’s more effort than you care for, there are plenty of third-party cases with unique patterns and materials. You don’t have to buy them on Amazon’s website, either.

Don’t forget the protective element. You might like the idea of a minimalist case that’s all about decoration, but if you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll want something that can survive a drop or jostling in your backpack.

Always show the cover of your current book

Expect to pay for the privilege

Something you might miss from paper books is the cover art. When it’s well done, a cover can feel like its own artistic statement, setting the tone for what you’re about to read. Even if it’s pure text, though, it’s nice to identify a book before you pick it up.

You can get these things back on a Kindle through a feature called Display Cover. When it’s available, you can enable it by going to the Settings tab, selecting Screen and brightness, then toggling the Show Cover option. The next time you put your Kindle to sleep with a book in progress, the relevant cover will show onscreen instead of a generic image.

​​​​​​​When it’s well done, a cover can feel like its own artistic statement, setting the tone for what you’re about to read.

“When available” is a key phrase, unfortunately. You need an ad-free Kindle to make this work, which comes at a premium, and some older models may not support the feature anyway. Generally speaking, anything released after the eighth-generation basic Kindle or the seventh-gen Paperwhite should be compatible.

If you’ve got an ad-supported Kindle, you’re not stuck. You can visit the Manage your Content and Devices section of Amazon’s website to remove ads for a one-time fee. In the US, that fee is currently $20 — if you live elsewhere, you’ll have to check your own region’s website for the details.