One of the greatest pleasures of reading is the ability to share what you cherish. When you purchase a physical book and enjoy it, you can pass it on to friends and family who may experience some of the same joy, sorrow, or amazement that you felt while reading it. However, sharing that delight can be a challenge when you have an e-book rather than a physical copy. Handing your entire Kindle to someone simply does not feel feasible — but that’s not the only method for sharing an e-book.

Amazon previously permitted readers to lend Kindle e-books to friends or family for a limited time, but the company has quietly removed that option. Now, if you wish to lend a book, it can only be done via the Family Library.

Kindle e-readers come equipped with a lending function known as the Family Library. It’s an excellent way to share your book collection with friends and family: It connects two adults and up to four children from an adult’s account, allowing for the sharing of Amazon Prime benefits and Kindle e-books. To establish this, you’ll need to link all accounts through Amazon Family.

After you’ve set that up, you can begin sharing with everyone in your household. Here’s how to share books within your Amazon Family.

How to share Kindle books within your Amazon Family

Total Time
– 2 minutes

What You Need
– An Amazon account

Step 1: Go to your Content Library
Under the Account & Lists tab, go to the Content Library section.

Step 2: Go to your Books
Once you’re in the Content Library, go to the Books section where all your EPUB files, library loans, and Kindle Store purchases are stored.

Step 3: Choose a book and share with family
Browse through your book collection to select the title you wish to share. After locating the book, click on the More Actions tab and select Manage Family Library. Then you can choose who within your Amazon Family can access that particular title.