What to Do If You Forgot Your Kindle's Password

There's no getting around it: You'll need to erase the Kindle and start over

By
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Senior News Editor, Fact Checker
  • Western Kentucky University
  • Gulf Coast Community College
Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.
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Updated on May 25, 2022
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.
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What to Know

  • You cannot reset a Kindle passcode. If you've forgotten it, you'll need to erase the Kindle and start over.
  • Enter 111222777 into the passcode field, but this will erase your Kindle and restore it to factory settings.

This article provides information on how to regain access to your Amazon Kindle Reader if you've forgotten your passcode. The Kindle passcode is not the same password used for your Amazon account.

What Do I Do if I Forgot My Kindle's Password?

Unfortunately, Amazon does not make it easy to reset your Kindle passcode. There's no option to reset the passcode when you try to sign in to your Kindle with the wrong passcode, and there doesn't appear to be an online process for resetting your passcode, either. Instead, you'll need to reset your Kindle to gain access to it again.

Resetting your Kindle will remove all the books and other data stored on the device. However, that's nothing to stress over. Since Amazon maintains copies of your books, notes, and highlights in the cloud, once the reset process is complete, everything will be restored to your device. You may need to tweak your settings to make the appearance match what you had before, but all your data should quickly reappear on your Kindle.

How to Reset a Kindle Device When You've Forgotten the Passcode

  1. Turn on the Kindle so you prompted to enter the passcode.

  2. In the passcode field, enter: 111222777

  3. Be patient. The Kindle will begin the reset process automatically and won't requite any input from you until it's time to set the device up again as if it was brand new and just out of the box

Once prompted, you'll have to set up your Amazon Kindle. Follow the onscreen prompts to get connected and then sign in to your Amazon account (using your Amazon password, not your forgotten Kindle passcode), and then your device will automatically populate with your Kindle Library, and depending on how many books are in that Library, it could take some time, so patience is essential during this process.

After everything is synced, you'll have access to all the content on your Kindle, and the passcode will no longer be active.

FAQ
  • How do I reset a Kindle password without losing data?

    On a Kindle Fire, you may be able to reset the password after you enter the wrong one five times. After that, the tablet might prompt you to enter your Amazon account credentials and set a new password. If you don't get this prompt, you'll need to reset the device.

  • How do I change the password on a Kindle?

    To pick a new password on a Kindle device, you need to have the existing one. Go to Settings > Device Options > Device Passcode > Change Passcode, and enter the existing code. Set and confirm the new passcode. The exact settings may differ between devices.

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