How To Get Rid Of Ads On Kindle

amazon kindle special offers2

Melissa Riofrio/IDG

If your Kindle has ads or "Special Offers" showing onscreen, it's because you made a deal. You chose to save money on your Kindle's purchase price by accepting the "Ad-Supported discount (formerly known as the "With Special Offers" discount). It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now you're sick of the ads.

The good news: You can back out of this deal. The bad news: It's going to cost you.

You might not have given this much thought when you bought your Kindle, but Amazon offers a lower price for the E-reader if you accept Ad Support or Special Offers. As Amazon explains, "If your Fire tablet or Kindle e-reader includes Special Offers, you'll receive Sponsored Screensavers and special offers, including personalized advertising, from Amazon directly on your device."

Currently, the Ad-Supported button is set by default when you shop for a Kindle (see lower-left corner of the screen below):

amazon kindle ad supported example — Amazon Kindles are 'Ad-Supported' by default, but you can choose to remove that (and pay a higher price) with the click of a button.

By keeping the Ad-Supported option—the default setting for this purchase—this Kindle Paperwhite's cost is $79.99. If you chooseWithout Ads, the price goes up to $99.99.

How do I remove ads from my Kindle?

Melissa Riofrio/IDG

amazon kindle special offers — If your Amazon Kindle E-reader has Special Offers, you'll see ads like this on your homescreen or lock screen, or as a screensaver when your Kindle is in sleep mode.

Removing ads and Special Offers from your Kindle is easy, but Amazon's not letting you go for nothing. Yes, you'll have to pay to get rid of the ads—or "Unsubscribe from Special Offers," as Amazon puts it.

Here's how to do it:

Sign in to your Amazon account, and go to Your Account >Content and Devices > Devices.
Select the Kindle device from which you wish to remove ads. Details about the device will appear below the device's listing onscreen.
Look for a line that says Special Offers. If you have Special Offers, it will say "Active."
Click the Remove offers button, and follow the instructions. Amazon will warn you that you'll have to pay more, and charge you via your 1-Click Payment setting.

At this point, we won't judge you if you pause and decide not to pay to get rid of the ads. Money is money. We understand. Enjoy your Kindle, and bookmark this page in case you get desperate.

Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.

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Melissa Riofrio spent her formative journalistic years reviewing some of the biggest iron at PCWorld--desktops, laptops, storage, printers--and she continued to focus on hardware testing during stints at Computer Currents and CNET. Currently, in addition to leading PCWorld's content direction, she covers productivity laptops and Chromebooks.