How to hack your Kindle

Kindles are popular e-readers, but their functionality is somewhat limited out of the box. Fortunately, it's possible to significantly expand what a Kindle can do through a process called "jailbreaking." Jailbreaking unlocks the full potential of the Kindle's hardware and allows you to install unauthorized software and widgets. This tutorial will walk you through the complete process of jailbreaking your Kindle and exploring the new customization options it opens up.

Prerequisites

Step 1: Back Up Your Kindle

Before making any changes to your Kindle, it's important to back up any files, notes, bookmarks, or other customizations you want to preserve. Connect your Kindle to your computer via USB. You should see it appear as a removable drive that you can access files from. Navigate to Documents and copy any files to your computer for safekeeping.

Step 2: Factory Reset Your Kindle

To prepare for jailbreaking, your Kindle needs to be in a "clean" state with no previous data or passwords. To do this, perform a factory reset by holding down the power button for ~30 seconds until the reset prompt appears. Follow the onscreen prompts to erase all local content and settings.

Step 3: Download Jailbreaking Files

Go to the link provided and download the latest jailbreaking file zip. This will contain the files needed to root your Kindle. Extract the contents of the zip file onto your computer.

Step 4: Transfer Files to Kindle

With your Kindle still connected via USB, open the newly extracted folder and drag the files inside onto the Kindle drive visible on your computer. This copies them directly to the Kindle's internal storage.

Step 5: Restart and Jailbreak

Disconnect your Kindle from the computer and do a full restart by holding the power button until the screen turns off, then turns back on. After booting back up, your Kindle should now be jailbroken!

Step 6: Install Custom Apps and Content

Now that your Kindle is jailbroken, you can install unauthorized applications and content. Browse compatible files and drag them onto the Kindle drive in Windows/Mac File Explorer to copy them over. Reboot if needed for changes to take effect.