You’ve come to read the next chapter in a book only to find that your Kindle won’t turn on and it looks dead.
Don’t worry, this can happen from time to time.
Here I’ll discuss the three primary reasons behind this common problem and provide some actionable solutions that have been proven to resurrect your kindle.
Let’s dig in!
A frozen display is normally the main culprit when it comes to Kindle Paperwhite won't turn on or a frozen screen issues.
You can fix this yourself by following the steps below:
Occasionally (although very rare) the devices operating system can hang. When you Press and hold the power button for longer than 40 seconds, this forces the device to fully reboot.
Next is to check that battery is fine.
The simplest way is to charge your Kindle using a USB cable and wall charger.
But first, we need to be sure that the wall charger and cable are OK. Simplest way is to plug the USB into another device and check that the charging icon appears. If not, it's likely to be the cable so replace this first and repeat the test.
Once your happy the charge/cable works plug the cable into the Kindle device. You may need to wait approx 10mins if the battery is completely dead before you see an indicator light.
You should see an orange light appear next to the USB socket on Kindle.
If the amber light is solid this indicates that the battery appears to be OK and charging as normal.
Does the Kindle charging light flash or change color? If so, this could indicate an issue with the battery. For more details, our guide on the Kindle charging light briefly explains all of the indications and what they mean.
From my experience of troubleshooting friends devices and those of you who have reached out, issues with batteries are a rarity, however they do happen.
Signs of a damaged or bulging battery include:
If you have any of these issues, it’s likely that the battery needs replacing. If you are within your warranty Amazon will replace it with no quibble. If you are outside of the warranty terms, we have details later on what to do.
Of course, you could try to replace the battery yourself.
Unlike mobile phones, Kindle ereaders are larger and therefore easier to access and replace the battery. In fact, I had a go myself on a Kindle Oasis that was 3 years old and it was much simpler than I first thought.
If you happen to leave your Kindle for any extended period, the device’s battery may dip below its operating voltage necessary to run.
Your Kindle will display an exclamation mark when the battery charge gets critical. If it goes beyond this, you get a completely blank screen and the Kindle Paperwhite will look dead.
The solution is to charge the Kindle, but this will take much longer than normal.
Most charge times for a Kindle Paperwhite are anywhere up to 2 hours depending on the age of the device.
It can take at least 30 mins before you see any sign of life on the display. So, plug your Kindle Paperwhite into the charger and leave it for a while. Following this, you should see the battery icon on the display or the screensaver.
If the device still shows no signs, you may need to reboot the device using the instructions from section 1.
So, you’ve tried all of the above and your Kindle Paperwhite is STILL not working.
You might want to check out my Kindle Troubleshooting Guide which covers every issue you can think of that could go wrong, along with practical solutions. It comes with diagrams and screenshots to get you back to reading in no time!
It could be that there is a hardware issue with your device such as a failed power supply or CPU.
In cases like this you are best speaking to Amazon with regards to either a replacement or repair.
If your device is within its 12-month warranty, Amazon will give you the option of a refund or replacement. Personally, I would take the refund, as it allows you to repurchase a new Kindle Paperwhite with a further 12 months warranty. Whereas if you were to accept a replacement, your device would be under the existing warranty period.
For those of you with Kindle’s that fall outside of the 12-month warranty, I would still get in touch with Amazon.
In most cases they will replace the device if it is less than 2 years old. Anything longer than this they will offer to repair the device, but the cost may be half the price of a new device (depending on what needs to be repaired and the time spent to do this).
When the cost to repair the device is half the price or more, it’s worth considering whether to purchase a new device, as other parts could fail on a repaired device later on.
I've done my best to provide a step-by-step guide to recovering a Kindle device that won't turn on that is easy to follow.
Generally, there are two main reasons why your Kindle Paperwhite won’t turn on and they are either the device has frozen and needs a hard reset or the battery has been fully discharged and needs a while longer to fully charge.
If the device has a fault, Amazon will likely replace the device free-of-charge if it’s less than 2 years old.
Outside of this, you may need to weigh up the cost to repair over getting a new device. Whilst a repaired device is cheaper, other parts could fail in the future, so it’s worth considering before jumping in.
Thank you so much ..
Mine was apparently dead & I 2as about to order a new one & junk this one
But ..by following your guide everything seems back in the land of the living Kindles'
Thank You
No problem, so pleased it worked for you.
Thanks - I was able to reboot following your directions!
i have a kindle which is about 8 years old. when we turn it on all we get is a lot of letters mixed over the screen, but an not access kindle books. can you help?
It sounds like the display driver IC (the chip between the CPU and display itself) has gone faulty, or possibly the operating system is corrupt? First I would try a 'hard reboot' which involves press and hold the power button for 40-50 seconds until the screen goes blank and restarts. If that doesn't work Amazon could try and install the latest firmware to see if this resolve it. This can only be done by the OEM as the operating system will no longer allow you to update yourself. Hope this helps.
Hello, my Kindle won't turn off or start up. Help!
Hi, Are you saying that the Kindle is stuck on start-up and won't turn off? I take it you have followed the reset method mentioned above (hold power for 40-50 seconds)?
If it has hung on startup and will not reset using the power button, I can only suggest to wait until the battery has fully drained. Unfortunately it may take some time for this to happen. Either that or speak to Amazon to see if they can perform a hard reset by disconnecting the battery or reinstalling the latest firmware.
I used the restart function to restart my Paperwhite. It has been 12 hours and the screen shows the Kindle logo page and flashes a blank page. Have tried the 40 sec. Power button suggestion with the same results. Any thoughts?
Sound like your Kindle freezes during initialization. When you hold the power button, do so for 40-50 seconds until the screen goes blank. If you have done this 3-4 times with no success, then I would suggest you contact Amazon. They may be able to do a firmware update on the PCB and may not charge you if you are outside of the warranty period.
Thank you so much! My kindle paper white is about 6 years old…well out of warranty! I use it every day and have traveled far & wide with it in tow. Last night it refused to turn on - I knew the battery was charged, but I put it on the charger overnight, just in case. Still no luck getting it to turn on. (Frozen screen). I was about to order a new one, as I cannot stand to be without it for long! Your article showed me how yo bring my device back to life - in less than a minute!
Hi Barbara, So pleased that it worked for you. Enjoy your reading.
I have kindle paperwhite , and as per the above article it falls in the category of the battery and the charger thingy , it flashes a yellow light when charged but won't work any further , now I want to sell it , it just needs a battery replacement . What should I do ?
Battery replacements can be tricky, so unless you feel comfortable doing this, it may be wise to just leave it as-is.
Kindle logo shows but can't get any further. Should I buy a new one?
I have about an 8 year old Kindle and lately, the battery is discharging over not using it for a few days. Your instructions for rebooting were awesome. But, I fear the battery is just getting old and its time to replace the device?
Hi Anita, Your Kindle has done very well to last 8 years on the original battery. Generally as a rule, a battery will lose half it's charge after 500 cycles, so you would only be able to charge it to 50% after this period. You can replace the battery and your local mobile repair store may be able to assist in that, but bear in mind that other parts on the device may fail later on. So, you have to decide whether or not to repair (which may be half the price of a new device) or to just replace it with a new one.
The battery is ok, but the light on the reading screen does not work any more.
My reader goes to blank page and will not accept finger swipe. Help..
Did you follow the instructions above on performing a hard reset (hold power button for 50 seconds)? If this doesn't work I would suggest contacting Amazon to see if they can help.
I have bought a new kindle but I don't seem able to transfer from the old one?
Hi Wendy, Once you register the device, your library of purchased ebooks should show up. Regards, Debra
Forgotten my passcode can’t open my kindle can you tell me how to access it I’ve tried Amazon but got no response.
Hi Clare, You could try typing 111222777 into the passcode field, but be aware that this causes a hard reset which removes all settings and downloaded content on your device. Just be sure that your happy to do this before you proceed. Hope it helps.
My kindle has been used in about 6 weeks and has sat in my work bag inside a case. It's now frozen on an ad screen and holding down the power button isn't doing anything. I'm now charging it and getting the Amber light so its not a battery issue. Any help would be appreciated. Its a kindle paperwhite only 7 months old.
Hi Darren, In this case I would try and get a full refund on the device and then re-purchase a new one, that way you get a further 12 months warranty. Even if the device would remarkably start to work, I would be cautious in case it happened again. Best to get a new one.
I thought my kindle was completely done but found your page and was able to reset it. Thank you!!!
I found my kindle paperwhite after about 6 months of non-use. It has the critical battery sign showing. I charged it with a good charger for 15 hours. Still nothing. I did a had reboot. Did nothing. Still shows the battery with the exclamation point. I am still charging it. Any suggestions?
Hi Cathy, I think you may need to speak to Amazon to discuss you options as it doesn't sound good. If they give you the option of a full refund as either credit to your account or refund your bank account, I would take it. Then repurchase a new device, giving you a further 12 months warranty.
Thank you so much for the advice about rebooting! At first I thought it didn't work, then all of a sudden something happened on the screen and I am back in! I was about to give up...
So pleased it worked for you!
Thank you so much for the easy fix for my frozen display.