You’re not trying to rip anybody off.
You’re not a plagiarist.
You just want to take notes from the Kindle book you’re reading.
So you highlight the text and try to copy/paste it.
Doesn’t work.
Frustrating? You bet it is.
Here’s how to solve the problem.
Kindle for PC – How to Copy Text
I love books. I love them printed on paper, and I love them in digital formatting. One of the services I offer to businesses and entrepreneurs it book writing, formatting, and publishing.
There’s not much in marketing that helps branding and customer acquisition better than having a book in your name. Just imagine the value to an attorney, for instance, to be the guy who not only specializes in a certain area… but wrote the book on it!
You got it.
Powerful.
I love using the Kindle app to read books on my PC.
And when I read, I like to take notes.
After all, 99% of my reading is for non-fiction.
I’m reading to LEARN something.
How can you copy text from the Kindle app?
For a while, I just took screenshot clips of the sections I wanted to note, then pasted those in my notebook.
That works, but I still prefer having the capability to copy and paste.
After wrestling with the issue a bit, I discovered a work-around.
It’s not difficult to perform, and the result is copy and paste note-taking from Kindle.
Here are the steps…
Here’s how to take notes from your Kindle app
First, make sure your Kindle app is set to automatically make backups and store them online.
- Go to Amazon Help and follow the instructions under “Sync Your Books & Personal Documents Automatically” to make sure “Whispersync Device Synchronization” is turned on.
- Install Kindle for PC (FREE). Here’s the link you need: Kindle for PC [Download]
.
- This is optional, but you can also install the (FREE) Kindle Cloud Reader. For me, it’s not as stable as Kindle desktop, but it does allow highlighting. Here’s that link: Amazon.com – Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices
- Open the Kindle tool you chose (or both if you chose both) and go to Tools > Options > Annotations . Make sure Annotations Backup is turned ON.
Once these steps are completed, you’re good to go.
Now, you just read the book via the Kindle desktop or cloud app and highlight the passages of your choice (click/hold and drag the mouse over the passage, then choose the highlight color)
When you’re ready to copy and paste notes, go to Amazons “Your Highlights” page. That will show you the text you have highlighted in a format you are able to copy and paste.
And that’s it!
No more jpg notes, no more typing out notes as you go… just visit Your Highlights and pull what you need down to your chosen digital notebook.
Kindle for PC – How to Copy Text (wrapping it up)
Note-taking helps you learn more and maintain more of what you learn.
It’s good stuff.
And Amazon Kindle is an excellent place to find books on the topics you want to know more about.
TIP: Check out Kindle Unlimited for easy access to ebooks.
TIP: Try Microsoft OneNote for recording your notes. Here’s a link to a FREE OneNote app.
One last thing: If you know of other ways to copy text from Kindle ebooks, please let me know. I love to hear better and faster ways of getting tasks accomplished.
Yes!
If getting a book written, formatted, and published in your name is something you want to do, get in touch with me. Let’s talk. No obligation. I love to help entrepreneurs get more business and get better known.
*** UPDATE: Under Windows 10, I’m now able to select, copy, and paste text DIRECTLY from the Kindle for PC app! ***
Maybe someone mentions the above but… You could also try screenshotting the text and uploading the jpg to this site (https://www.ocr2edit.com/convert-to-txt) which will convert the words in the screenshot into a Text Document. Takes 15 seconds.
Awesome.
Works for me.
I found my highlights on Amazon and am able to cut and paste.
Thank you!
TY
Has saved to much of my time. Thank you, Don!
I'm using the free kindle reader site and went to my highlights. There it was…everything I highlighted and it's ready to copy and paste. Thank you for sharing this useful tip!
Thank very much for sharing this knowledge with us in how to copy and paste from the Kindle reader. I was going crazy in trying to find a solution in how to cut in paste from the reader. This method you showed us works like a charm.
Sincerely,
Joe
You are more than welcome, Joe, and your kind comment is appreciated.
When I try to highlight the text the mouse pointer just moves me to the next page.
Try updating your Kindle reading app, Ned. Then restart. The new version has an onboard function for copying.
Thank you, Don! Great tip that finally works.
Ron
I copy using Gyazo and then Save As an image under documents.
Images are fine, Cheryl. I use Snagit for screenshots (one-time price with no monthly). Copying as text or converting to text saves the trouble of having to retype if you want a document instead of a picture.
Great site here Don. Thank you.
My problem is that I’m trying to highlight and save equations or computer code from various Kindle textbooks that I’ve bought. I need to retain the format. When I use the Kindle highlight mode and then export it to my email, the text is all there but the formatting is gone and so, though I have text, the meaning is lost. It doesn’t help to screen grab because then I can’t paste it into my document like I can once I’ve imported notes that is literature, i.e. just words.
Have you tried using the Kindle app on Windows 10, Jocelyn?
I have downloaded the Kindle for Win 10 (PC) app. Last night I was able to bring up a version of a book and simply highlight the text with my cursor, and then it would bring up a menu box with the ‘copy’ option.
However, this morning, the version of the book I reading isn’t laid out the same, and there is no menu popup or way I can see to copy text? I know I was doing it last night, so what gives?
Restart. If no help, call Amazon customer service: 1 (888) 280-4331
That’s the best I can do right now, David. Time is not on my side 🙂
Hey David, I figured out that highlighting does not work when you have another program running such as QTranslate. It only works when I turn that program off. My Kindle Version is 1.31.0 (60170).
Thank you, Gerd. Excellent info.
Gerd replied you with a suggestion, David. Here it is again: In reply to David F.
Hey David, I figured out that highlighting does not work when you have another program running such as QTranslate. It only works when I turn that program off. My Kindle Version is 1.31.0 (60170).
Ꮤhat’s up to every one, for thhe rason that I amm rеally eager of reading this web site’s post to be updated օn a regular basis.
It carries good stuff.
Hello Don, thank you for providing this information. For Linux users there is a ‘browser bookmarklet’ for free here which will enable a copy button in the Kindle Cloud Reader for chrome and firefox: https://github.com/ccimpoi/ACRExtensions
Thank you, Mark. Excellent.
Tried this today on my Kindle PC Reader after being so frustrated the first year of my masters studies! It was so simple.
I highlighted the text as usual, then clicked on this link:
https://read.amazon.com/notebook
The text was right there waiting to be copied and pasted!
Wish I had discovered this a year ago. Thank you!
Thank you! This helps immensely for my history course.
I find it easier to highlight as I read in Kindle for PC (Win 10) and then login to my Kindle for Android App and export the highlighted text. Most books limit exportation to 10%.
It has the “copy” menu item but it copies text with garbage at the end.
Thanks, Massimo. I am designing journal for myself, and I wanted to include a small section of just writing prompts. So I bought an inexpensive kindle book of writing prompts, and for the life of me couldn t figure out how to copy the ones I wanted. They have a lot of prompts about dark stuff like murdering and I didn t want those in my journal. I had been taking screenshots, then pasting them into my DTP program and then saving as pdf files. Then I found an online pdf to text converter. So time consuming. Your way is so easy and it works. What I can t figure out is why One Note has that feature, Copy Text from Picture, and advanced DTP programs don t. Very frustrating .
Hello, i had a question about selecting content in the Kindle Reader on PC.
I can select Text and copy it to where I want, but the Pictures..for the moment impossible to select..
Thanks in advance anybody for helping out!
One way, Met, is to use Snagit or onboard screenshots to capture photos.
Don,
MANY thanks for this. I was stuck at the “upload a text snip to an online OCR converter” to beat the 10% cap. This is great,
Terry
OOOPS…
I love books. I love them printed on paper, and I love them in digital formatting. One of the services I offer to businesses and entrepreneurs it book writing, formatting, and publishing.
… ‘it’ book writing???
Dear Mr. Sturgill,
I have a problem with “kindle for PC”:
Mathematical equations inside the book, appear badly distorted in “Notes”
This situation makes these Notes , unusable for me !
In an effort to overcome this problem ,
I tried to copy segments of the book in the WINDOWS, by the usual: select/cut/paste.
Unfortunately, the selection operation can’t go over the end of the current page.
So , copy text seems not to be a solution of the difficulty with equations in Notes.
I”ll be indebted to you, If you could use some of your spare time
( if you own such a precious commodity !) , to take a look at this problem.
My system is windows XP
Thank you a lot !
Jack
Tel Aviv, Israel
Jack … my suggestion is that your first move should be to update your Windows version. I know XP was an excellent rendition of Windows, but it’s no longer supported and is not secure. An option for scroll copy is to purchase the Snagit tool. Wish I could be more help, but those are the steps I would take.
Having copy pasted about 10 pages, Kindle for PC says the limit for the book is reached. I’m not sure if exiting Kindle and restarting it could allow for more..
There are limits according to copyright law.
How can we expand the copy limit?
I need copy and paste to translate
Thanks
I don’t think you can … due to copyright laws.
I have reread what you wrote. Yours is the same solution that I found. I did not catch that I had to go to kindle.amazon.com in your post to find the highlight. I should read slower and more closely .
D
VT… check the update and see if it works for you: Under Windows 10, I’m now able to select, copy, and paste text DIRECTLY from the Kindle for PC app!
the fix I found….
>>>>>>>6. A way to copy your Kindle highlights
Kindle Cloud Reader offers very basic features: highlights, notes, or search within a book.
Just like in other Kindle apps there is no way to make highlights editable. But Cloud Reader has one advantage over the rest – you can copy the highlights without leaving the web browser.
Once you highlight the text, it is automatically added to your Kindle activity account that you can reach in the web browser at kindle.amazon.com.
With a couple of minutes of delay, all the highlights appear in Your Highlights section. From here, you can copy the highlights to whatever app you want.<<<<<<<
On PC cloud reader I highlighted text then went to highlights to do this. I was not able to do anything. Did Amazon close this ‘loophole’?
You found it, VT: “I had to go to kindle.amazon.com in your post to find the highlight.” Still works.
Thank you for sharing this!
You are welcome, KL.
Thank You
You are welcome, TK.